OUR SPIDER ROLLS HIS LAST PITCH

Moonee Valley's much-loved and long-standing turf pitch curator, Ian "Spider" Beel has advised he is stepping down at the end of this season.
Spider has been our curator for more than a quarter of a century. He has prepared the pitch for the First Eleven Grand Final this season - and amazingly, when he first started his curating, only two of our Grand Final team were even born!
At right: Our long-standing curator Ian "Spider" Beel rolls the Ormond Park pitch for his last Grand Final.
Club President Charlie Walker paid tribute to Spider's commitment to our club over such a long period, and the support he has given our club since we first moved to turf teams in 1998/99 - first to the Moreland-Moonee Valley Cricket Association, and then to the Victorian Turf Cricket Association four seasons later.
Spider reckons he's had a fair innings as our curator, and stepping aside will enable him to better support his health.
He has also been a great supporter of the Moonee Valley Football Club, so it's no surprise that the cricket/football scoreboard has been named the Ian "Spider" Beel Scoreboard in his honor.

FOURTH FLAG FOR OUR MIGHTY WOMEN'S

                      TEAM

              

There might have been the odd anxious moment, but the Moonee Valley Women's team in the end won its fourth premiership in five seasons.
We had good support from the wider club for the March 9 home game, as Pascoe Vale Hadfield Panthers won the toss and elected to bowl.
Our girls were on the scoreboard quickly, with opening bats Fiona Bathie and Yasmin King scoring freely off the opening bowlers before Fiona was caught near the boundary.
Yasmin came back in for the last few overs and finished on 26 not out - her same score from the semi final - and we ended our innings on 2/148.
Pascoe Vale Hadfield also started brightly, and we were concerned that after their best bat retired, she would come back in early and up the ante with the run rate.
We bowled tightly to restrict them, and when their best bat did come back in our bowlers doubled down with their line and length. Although she scored an unbeaten 40, her innings when she came back in consisted of singles - not enough to push on towards our total.
We held them to 2/102, to continue our remarkable run in the women's game.
Yasmin King has played in all four of the Premierships. Katherine Baker, captain Sarah Fenn and Sandra Verschoor have played in three - and Darren "Spud" Nagle has coached three of them.
Above: Our all-conquering team: L-R. Back - coach Darren Nagle, Sandra Verschoor, Fiona Bathie, Abby Pruijmboom, Siobhan Donohoe, Katherine Baker and electronic scorer David Baker. Front - Sarah Fenn, Maddie Dutton Johnson, Yasmin King, Sarah Pamment and Mackayla Coote.

 
*****SENIOR PRESENTATION NIGHT SATURDAY MARCH 29 - FULL DETAILS HERE - BOOK NOW!

Presentation night is fast approaching, and we need to start getting our numbers together for our biggest event of the year.
We will be announcing and presenting the Club Champion (First Eleven), the winner of the prestigious Sean O'Kane Award (based on points for teams in all grades other than the Firsts), batting, bowling and fielding awards for each grade, and more.
We will be presenting milestone trophies for games, runs and wickets, the medallions from the Most Valuable Player vote count, the Lindsay Jones Best Clubman award and other awards, so we want maximum numbers of players, families and supporters to be there.
It's a 7pm start. The committee made the decision this season to hold Presentation Night at the Ormond Park pavilion, and it will be self-catered.
The cost is $30 per person, with the meal comprising antipasto platters, a choice of either lasagna or chicken parmigiana as main course and a dessert. The lasagna comes in meat, vegetarian, halal or gluten-free, and people with preferences should email mooneevalleycricket@gmail.com with their advice. People should nominate if they have a particular requirement with the lasagna, and whether their preference is for the lasagna or parmigiana main choice. 
Captains have been asked to start canvassing attendees, but to help me plan the numbers I ask that people who are coming to also email me direct at mooneevalleycricket@gmail.com, with advice on if they're coming alone or with a partner and other family. Please respond promptly so that we can plan this properly.
Many thanks,
Charlie Walker. President, Moonee Valley Cricket Club

Most Valuable Player vote count - and our

Fielding awards night

More than 40 players and supporters celebrated into the night when we held our Most Valuable Player/Fieldlow vote count at the Ormond Park pavilion on March 9.
And no wonder we celebrated - our Women's team had just won their Premiership that afternoon, our Firsts secured the home Grand Final next week and the Thirds will contest the Preliminary Final next Sunday.
Our 2024/25 Most Valuable Player winners are Krish Kanchan (Firsts), Jim Polonidis (Seconds), Yasmin King (Women's), Sunil Bhandari and Chand Shrestha (Thirds), Dean Jukic (Fourths) and James Smith (Fifths).
Our fielding award winners were Luca Nimorakiotakis (Firsts), Oscar McKeown (Seconds), Fiona Bathie and Sarah Pamment (Women's), Joshua Norsetter (Thirds), Jeremy Sevenson (Fourths) and Shaun Rayment (Fifths).
At right: Three of our winners at the end of the night: L-R Shaun Rayment, Krish Kanchan and Jim Polonidis.
Shaun Rayment polled fielding votes in every grade he played in this season - Thirds, Fourths and Fifths - and has now won an incredible nine Fielding awards in his time at Moonee Valley.
And Oscar McKeown is following in the footsteps of his dad Geoff - an eight-time Moonee Valley Fielding award winner as the gun keeper in our top grades. 
***For all the voting, click HERE 

Congratulations Aksha -

finals century

Congratulations to Moonee Valley's Aksha Perera for an unbeaten century in our Under 16 semi final at Ormond Park across February 21 and 28.
Coming in at No. 4 with the score on 2/54, Aksha put on a 108-run partnership with Jeremy Sevenson to set up the match.
Moonee Valley won 6/279 to Doutta Stars all out 190.
It was Moonee Valley's second century in the Under 16s this season, following on from an unbeaten ton from David Lubansky in November.
This is Aksha's first season at Moonee Valley.
Starting in the Under 16s he quickly grabbed his opportunity to double up with senior cricket on the Saturday afternoons, playing with his father Indika.
Aksha proved he could hold the bat just as well in senior ranks, with a well crafted 86no against Sydenham Hillside in the Fifths. Aksha obviously wanted to stay in the middle in that game for as long as he could - he had run out his dad early in the innings!
Aksha is more than handy as a bowler, with nine wickets this season in the Under 16s and eight in the Fifths. He's got a big future ahead of him.

*SENIOR TRAINING - THE DETAILS 

Coach Brayden McGregor and assistant coach Tony Gleeson run senior training each Tuesday and Thursday at our home ground, Ormond Park in Pattison St, Moonee Ponds.
Training starts at 6pm.
Moonee Valley has five senior men's teams - four of which play on turf - and a women's team, as well as juniors across all age groups and a Blast program for the younger players.
We still have spots available in all teams. Anyone interested in joining Moonee Valley can phone Brayden on0429 559 797, junior co-ordinator Paul Sevenson on 0407 556 950 or President Charlie Walker on 0411 705 381.

     
Main Club contact details:

* Charlie Walker - President 0411 705 381; 9370 1802
* Allan Cumming - Treasurer 0438 380 990
* Sarah Fenn - Secretary 0438 141 179
* Mark Gauci - Vice President 0457 778 335 
* Paul Sevenson - Junior Co-ordinator - 0407 556 950   

Emails: mooneevalleycricket@gmail.com
        charlie.walker@optusnet.com.au 

For more contacts, see " Office bearers & Officials " under "Club News & Info" at the top of the page

Last updated : March 22, 2025.
For more of our history, including our Premierships, click HERE