Help Gauch to Mark his 400th game

Club legend Mark Gauci will become the first Moonee Valley player to 400 games on the December 9/10 weekend, and we want as many current and past players and supporters to come and celebrate with him.
While we won't know for sure where he will bring up the incredible milestone until Thursday night, indications from the selection committee are that the Gauch (pictured right) will be playing in our Second Eleven at home on the Saturday, against East Coburg.
So it will be a fitting opportunity for a crowd to gather to honor one of our greatest.
What can we say about the man who is currently our Senior Coach and Vice-President?
Mark is a First Eleven premiership captain, breaking a decade-long drought of senior flags at any level in 2009/10.
He was honored with Life Membership in 2013/14 and was the recipient of our greatest honor, the Lindsay Jones Best Clubman award in 2018/19.
Gauch was Club Champion in 2005/06 and has won our best player award for all other grades four times, including in 2018/19, the year is was renamed the Sean O'Kane Award to acknowledge one of his best mates.
He's scored more than 9000 runs - the second-highest in our 53 year history and at season start had 312 wickets - 12th-highest at the club.
Gauch, who started his career at Moonee Valley in 1998/99, has won batting awards in the Seconds and the Fourths and a bowling award in the Thirds.
He's scored 13 centuries, equal with the great Warwick Nolan, and a high score of 155.
Gauch has been selected in the Moonee Valley Wisden Team of the Year five times and has also been one of our Wisden Players of the Year five times.
Gauch also led from the front with the introduction of the new concept of Twenty20 earlier this century, and played in both our T20 Competition premierships. He has a high score of 150 in the format. He has played 36 games - second-most of all time, and is our leading run-scorer and second-highest wicket taker.
So watch for selection confirmation on Thursday night and come along to honor this great man when he reaches his 400 milestone.

Hot form carries over for our Greggy

First Eleven batsman Brayden McGregor has carried on from his hot form at the end of 2022/23, with his maiden Valley century in the first game of the season.
Brayden averaged 181 in his last four games of 2022/23, including three unbeaten knocks. The momentum changed in the Grand Final when he injured his knee on 46 and had to retire hurt. We were looking in control until he had to go off.
But 2023/24 is a new season, and a knock of 108 to set up our outright win over Laverton was a great start for the Valleys and a sign that Brayden is in ominous form.
At right: Celebrating a First Eleven outright win and Brayden McGregor's maiden century for Moonee Valley: L-R Mitchell Higgs, Sam Younghusband, Brayden McGregor (front), Luke Brock, Steve Hazelwood, Jack Newman, Tain Piercy, Suraj Weerasinghe, Ruwan Jayaweera, Chand Shrestha and Rusiri Jayasiri.

Hot off the press - our 2022/23 Wisden

is here
The Moonee Valley 2022/23 Senior Wisden is now out, and offers hours of reading, reviews and statistics.
It's a bumper edition - 148 pages - and chronicles our great club's past as well as our present, including photos and details of our 50th anniversary celebrations.
It's all in the Wisden - so have a look and see.
Try and find:
* Which 12 players made the Wisden Team of the Year? (Hint: See Page 3)
* Who was selected as captain of our Team of the Year?
*Who was our leading wicket-taker in 2022/23? (Hint: See Page 32)
*Who were the six players who scored centuries in 2022/23? (Hint: See Page 18) 
*Who are the only three players in our history with a bowling average under 10 {minimum 30 wickets}? (Hint: See Page 130).
*Which two players - one a current champion - have won a record five MVP titles? (Hint: See Page 51).
*Who are the only two players with 10 or more wickets and a bowling average under 10 in 2022/23? (Hint: See Pages 6/7).
This information is all available - you just have to look.
So start reading - here's the link
Cheers,
Charlie Walker, Editor, Moonee Valley Wisden


Senior training - Tuesday/Thursday

Senior training is held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, starting 6pm.
Moonee Valley is open to new senior and junior players as the season progresses.
Our senior training sessions are at our home ground at Ormond Park, Pattison St, Moonee Ponds.
We field men's teams on both turf and hard wicket, and both Saturday and Sunday grades.
Our premiership-winning women's cricket team plays in a Twenty20 competition on Sundays.
We have juniors at Under 16, Under 14, Under 12 and Under 10 level, and these teams play Friday evenings.
Anyone interested in playing for Moonee Valley - seniors, juniors or our women's team - can phone or text Coach Mark Gauci on 0457 778 335 , Junior Co-ordinator Paul Sevenson on 0407 556 950 or President Charlie Walker on  0411 705 381.
* Players now have to self-register through a new cricket registration system, PlayHQ. Here is the link to get into the system. Only register for one association - not all the associations we play in.  

Buy club clothing, pay your membership, buy tickets to club functions - do it all at www.mooneevalleycricketstore.com.au

Junior Registration - link here - https://play.cricket.com.au/club/moonee-valley-cricket-club/147223ea-86d8-eb11-a7ad-2818780da0cc

     Main Club contact details:

* Charlie Walker - President 0411 705 381; 9370 1802
* Allan Cumming - Treasurer 0438 380 990
* Brendan "Jonty" Rhodes - Secretary 0419 491 174
* 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 : December 4, 2023.
For more of our history, including our Premierships, click HERE