300 great reasons to celebrate Ian Denny's career

 Stars of the past and stars of the future were on hand when Ian Denny played his 300th game for Moonee Valley on December 1. Fittingly, he was at home at his beloved Ormond Park when he brought up the milestone.
Sharing the field with Egbert in our Fifth Eleven were guys he'd shared Premiership glory with - Mick Harvey, and other such as Mark Gauci who'd played many a First Eleven game with him.
Watching from the sidelines (out injured) were other Premiership teammates in Darren Nagle, Sandro Capocchi and Warwick Nolan.
And his on-field teammates included young guns who are sure to be Valley stars in  years to come - Matthew Wenlock, Luke Brock and Jonathan Lee.
With our move of our two lower-grade turf teams to Mercantile Cricket Association this season, Egbert has encountered some new challenges - including playing against teams we've never met in our Club's 40-year history.
December 1 was no different, with Maccabi Ajax coming across town to do battle at Ormond Park.
And fittingly, we came away with a win to celebrate the Great Man's milestone. Moonee Valley made 9/240cc off our 45 overs, while Maccabi Ajax threw in the towel after 34 overs and finished at 6/101. Ian made a sparkling 37 and took 1/9 off six accurate overs.
The team which shared the moment with Egbert was John Talone, Mark Gauci, Trent Milne, Jono Lee, James Holt, Lou Raffaele, Matthew Wenlock, Mick Harvey, Luke Brock and Steve Herbert.
Ian is only the second Moonee Valley player to reach the 300-game milestone, behind Darren "Spud" Nagle.
The welcoming crowd included Life Members Ian Sutherland, Bob Sciacchitano, Joe Ansaldo and Jim Polonidis, and other notables included Phill King, Vice President Simon Thornton, Jodie Talone and young stars of the future Luke and Max.
And Ian's sons Jason and Luke were there - and we haven't given up yet on poaching them from Taylors Lakes. They'll join their dad in the black and white of the Moonee Valley at some stage in the future for sure.
**For more photos, click HERE.

Tipping winners is hard work, says James

We were all winners at the Moonee Valley Cricket Club's Melbourne Cup function at the Reunion Bar in Ascot Vale.

There was fun, food and frolic, under the watchful eye of MVCC sponsor, host and occasional player Matt Clare.

As James Holt (left) shows, tipping winners is hard work, and you need a rest from it occasionally to refresh.

A small but merry band of players gathered at the Union Rd venue for the day, and we were able to watch the passing hordes on their way to and from Royal Flemington.

We had the last laugh though, with sweeps, mystery bets and all manner of entertainment - including enjoying singer/guitarist Chris Langford's vast repertoire for the afternoon.

For more pictures from the day, click HERE.

    Club season membership and affiliation payments
We're asking Moonee Valley members to finalise paying their season membership and affiliation fees, to give the club some ongoing money in our account to meet the usual costs such as balls, association affiliation fees and such.
We got a good boost to the account with prompt payment on junior registration day, but need to build on it.
**For details on the fee structure and information on how to pay, go to the "Club News" section on the menu bar at the top of this page

Remembering our Valley great Peter Gardiner

Moonee Valley great Peter "PG" Gardiner was remembered fondly by the huge crowd who attended his funeral on Friday, October 18, and again at a celebration of his life at the Moonee Valley bowling club rooms later that day.

PG had a huge impact on the Moonee Valley cricket, bowls and football clubs, and the hundreds of attendees were a testament to just how much he touched us.

His brother and fellow Moonee Valley Cricket Club Life Member Kevin Gardiner spoke eloquently at the funeral, and MVCC co-founder Ray Storey and Peter's daughter Jessie gave some wonderful insights into the man and his life.

Back at the bowling club, friends and colleagues from across the three clubs were given an open microphone to share their recollections of Peter.

PG's passing brought together a Who's Who of the Moonee Valley Cricket Club, including Life Members Laurie Mayne, Darren Nagle, Sandro Capocchi, Greg Peters, Michael Harvey, Ray Storey, Ian Sutherland, Warwick Nolan, Jim McKenzie and Charlie Walker.

Above are PG's life-long mates (L-R) Warwick Knill, Garry Noonan and Alan Sutherland.

We'll all miss him.

***Click here for a link to more photos and words.

OUR WINTER WINNERS

Moonee Valley held its Winter Competition presentation night at the Ormond Park clubrooms on Sunday, October 27.
We started our inaugural season in the Mid Year Cricket Association in great style, but tapered off during the season.
But we had a great time and saw some excellent performances, and they were recalled and rewarded at our presentation - after the gathering watched a magnificent Fifths victory, winning nine wickets down off the last ball of the day.
Our inaugural MYCA batting award was won by Matt Thomas with 182 runs @ 45.5, and Umar Farooq won the bowling award with 9 wickets @ 15.
Michael Ozbun was the runaway best fielder with 14 votes, while Kern Kapoor's class with bat, ball and in the field earned him the Most Valuable Player medal.
Umar received a five-for trophy for his 5/24, which swung the game against County West.
We're already looking forward to our second winter comp season.
Pictured above: Skipper Stephen Ward (centre) is flanked by award winners (L-R) Kern Kapoor, Michael Ozbun, Matt Thomas and Umar Farooq.

 Main Club contact details:

Charlie Walker - President 0409 237 543; 9370 1802
Peter Golding - Club Secretary 0419 009 721
Simon Thornton - Vice President 0417 570 779

Email: mooneev@club.cricketvictoria.com.au


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

Last updated: December 6, 2013.

For more of our history, including our Premierships, click HERE