Barooga - off to a flying start

Moonee Valley's campaign in our 11th Barooga Over 35s tournament got off to a flying start on January 13, with a strong win over Beaconsfield under lights.
As the reigning title holder, we dismissed Beaconsfield for 106 in the 27th over of the 40-over match, then racked up the runs three down in 17.4 overs.
Moonee Valley only just got to play under lights - the match was done so quickly that the towers at the main Barooga Sporting Ground had only just come on, and the final runs were scored before they had any effect.
Our Moonee Valley team consisted of past and present players - current players Mark Gauci, Allan Cumming, Glen Courts, Jason Ripa and Charlie Walker, past players Sean and Peter O'Kane, Craig Pridham, Barooga-based players Kale Watkins and Ben Lucas, Peter "Pirate" Richardson and Shepparton-based Cameron McGregor - the father of Moonee Valley senior coach Brayden.
Above: Our Barooga team for Game 1: L-R. Back - Kale Watkins, Sean O'Kane, Peter O'Kane, Craig Pridham, Mark Gauci, Brendan Rhodes, Cameron McGregor. Front - Glen Courts, Jason Ripa, Ben Lewis, Charlie Walker, Peter Richardson and Allan Cumming.
We've got reinforcements coming up from Moonee Valley for the next games.
Stats highlights from the Beaconsfield game were Ben Lucas 40no, Mark Gauci 28 and Cameron McGregor 12no. Our bowling stars were Kale Watkins 4/10, Mark Gauci 2/13, Sean O'Kane 2/14 and Cameron McGregor 2/22. Our fielding was a highlight, with sharp catches to Sean and Pirate.
And thanks to our non-playing team member Brendan Jonty Rhodes for scoring.

500 wickets for our Sporty Jim

Jim Polonidis has become just the second player in Moonee Valley's 54-year history to take 500 wickets, after snaring a useful 2/37 playing in the Thirds on Sunday.
Jim's 500th wicket was bowled through the gate in the December 22 match, and he followed it up with an LBW for wicket 501.
He is behind only Ian Denny on 664 wickets, and clear in front of Darren 'Spud' Nagle on 454 and Dean Jukic on 444.
At right: Jim Polonidis (middle) last season on the occasion of his 350th game - with great teammates Mark Gauci (left) and Dean Jukic.
Jim has taken nine wickets so far this season at a healthy average of 16.67.
He is an all-time bowling great at Moonee Valley, and is always miserly with the ball.
Jim has been selected in the Moonee Valley Wisden Team of the Year seven times - including six seasons in a row. He was selected most recently in 2023/24, with season's figures of 29 wickets @ 11.86. He showed his true value with his match-winning performance in the Seconds Grand Final – 5/31 when the game seemed to be getting away from us.
He has also been a Moonee Valley Wisden Player of the Year six times.
Jim's all-time career bowling average is an amazing 15.14. That places him at No. 28 on the averages list of bowlers who have taken 30 or more wickets for the club. But only Jim and two others in the top 30 have taken more than 150 wickets - so that underlines his consistency over a long career, which commenced in 1992.
Jim won the First Eleven bowling award in 1997/98, is a six-time winner of the Seconds bowling award and won the Fourths bowling in the premiership year of 2022/23.
At left: A younger Jimmy Pol - from 2004/05.
Jim took out the Seconds batting award in 2016/17 and has a century to his name.
He was awarded Life Membership of our Club in 2009/10, won the prestigious Lindsay Jones Best Clubman award in 2000/01 and is a six-time Premiership player.
Our Wisden records show Jim has taken a five-for 13 times, with best figures of 7/48.
Jim Polonidis is an absolute ornament of the Moonee Valley Cricket Club - and fellow Life Member Mark Gauci says Egbert's wickets tally of 664 will now be firmly in his sights.

James Smith

hits a hot 100

Congratulations to James Smith for his second century for Moonee Valley - scoring an even 100 not out for the Fifths at home on December 21.
James patiently waited to pick off the bad balls from Pascoe Vale Hadfield as he accumulated his milestone but sadly it wasn't quite enough to get us over the line.
At left: James Smith raises his bat in the Ormond Park changerooms after his unbeaten century for the Fifths.
James scored his other century in 2021/22, with 105 not out against Maccabi Ajax in our Fourths, playing on turf in Mercantile's C Sunday grade.
He scored 522 runs that season @ 52.2, including a game when he was promoted to our First Eleven, and won the Mercantile grade batting award.
James joined Moonee Valley in 2020/21 and brought up his 50th game earlier this season.
Before the weekend's match James had scored 368 runs at an imposing average of 73.6, with three scores in the 80s - two of them not-outs. With his weekend ton, James now has 468 runs with an average soaring to 93.6.
He is also more than handy with the ball, as his seven wickets @ 26.4 before Saturday's game attests. That's now 35 wickets in his career.
James can now put up his feet over the Christmas break, but we will be looking forward to a productive second half of the season and plenty more runs.

***GOOD FOR CRICKET? YOU'RE

ABSOLUTELY RIGHT IT IS

Fancy a chance to win a Rav 4 hybrid wagon, a Corolla Cross or a Yaris Cross and help the Moonee Valley Cricket Club at the same time? If you want a crack at a total prize pool worth more than $233,000, click the link here .
The Moonee Valley Cricket Club is participating in the Toyota Good For Cricket Raffle this season, and all the proceeds from your ticket purchases go direct to our Club.
That's right - tickets are $5 each, and every $5 sale comes to our coffers.
The link above is exclusive to the Moonee Valley Cricket Club, so click on it and you're ready to go.
You will see from the info in the link that we're not exactly on the leaderboard yet in terms of ticket sales, but we've got through to March 3, 2025.
Apart from the cars, prizes include coaching clinics for club members with Cricket Australia players, special experiences at cricket matches and signed memorabilia.
There are no costs for the club and no need to organise permits or prizes. Toyota has everything organised, so it's free, easy and contactless. So hop in now, buy some tickets and support Moonee Valley.

Junior and Senior Registration - link here - CLICK

*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 : January 14, 2025.
For more of our history, including our Premierships, click HERE