John and Joe - details of their 300-game milestone match

The Johnny and Joe Show - a memorable milestone match

Moonee Valley legends John Talone (left) and Joe Ansaldo (right) played their 300th games together on December 6, and it was fitting that they brought up their milestone at our Ormond Park home ground.

Above: Past President Darren Nagle tells the changeroom of Firsts and Sixths
players about the massive contribution made to our Club by John Talone and Joe Ansaldo.

They are both ornaments to the game and to our Club, and the milestone match against Sydenham Hillside in the North West Metropolitan Cricket Association's Barron Shield grade gave them a memorable opportunity to celebrate their milestone.

They're both Premiership players - Joe saluting for the first time only last season - and have made significant contributions to Moonee Valley both on and off the field.

At left: Joe (left) and John enter the arena together after coming through an  honor guard of past and present players.

John was Club Secretary for a record 14 seasons during our heyday, when the Valleys won flags at will, and is still contributing by running our Milo In2Cricket program to give youngsters their first step in our great sport of cricket.

Joe is a past committee member, and famous as Riverboat Joe for his wonderful poker night fundraisers.

At right: Two spinners reflect in the rooms before the game - Joe Ansaldo from the Sixths (left) and Murtaza Khaliq from the Firsts.













At left: The old and the new - 300-gamer John Talone (left) in the rooms before the game with first-year Moonee Valley player Troy Eden.










At right: Trying to catch up: Life Member Jim Polonidis, with his dog Phoenix, is approaching 250 games, but is still well shy of 300-gamer John Talone (right).










At left: The team and the banner - and the boys didn't left John and Joe down. Max and Luke Talone hold the banner for their dad, flanked by the team. (From left) Brett Curran, Peter O'Kane, Michael Harvey, Dino Sapuppo, Dean Jukic, John Talone, Mark Gauci, Joe Ansaldo, Darren Nagle, Sandro Capocchi and Sean O'Kane.







At right: The mystique of the senior change rooms - and past President Sandro  Capocchi (left) gives a quick handshake to 300-gamer John Talone, as Firsts player Troy Eden looks on.









At left: The umpires joined in and showed their respect to Joe Ansaldo and John Talone, with an honor guard of current and past players onto the ground for their 300th matches.

**Thanks to Phill King for the photos.


And here's the excellent match report round-up from Skipper Emeritus Brett Curran.

 My Dear Friends, 

What a great way to celebrate the 300^th game of the two MVCC club greats.  The day started poignantly with speeches from Sandro Carpocchi and Darren Spud Nagle in the club rooms with the 1^st XI joining us.  Sambo and Spud recounted the enormous off field contribution made by both men as well as some memories of past glories on the ground.  It was great to see many past and current players as well as Odie’s family and friends form an honour guard for their entrance to the field as well as a very special Odie poster made by his boys Luke and Max.   Club greats Sandro and Mick Harvey  returned to play with the MFS on this special day. 

We fielded first.  Appropriately Riverboat Joe bowled the first over and what a good one it was.  We almost had the dream start with a lofted drive hit straight over Joe’s head.  Odie Talone sprinted around from mid-on but his tap over to POK was missed.  Odie made amends a short while later running out their best bat with a direct hit.  ‘Not on your arm Odie’.  Joe’s first spell was a very good one but without luck with catches going down.  Normie who just made it onto the field due to his pasta duties opened from the other end and was a little rusty at first, which is understandable given his globetrotting exploits and close management of former MFS opening bowler Peter. In any event he soon got into stride and finished with 0 for 25 off his maximum of 7 overs and has some claim to being short changed a wicket or two given that 3 catches went down off his bowling.  Two in a row from Sambo.  POK replaced Joe and produced an absolute peach to remove their number 3 first ball.  It pitched leg, swung slightly to off and took the top of middle stump.  Several of our batsmen conceded that it may have even troubled them.  POK bowled with pace and accuracy to take 1 for 4 off 4.  Juka came on first change and bowled 5 neat overs to take 1 for 11.  His wicket was the first of Mick Harvey’s 3 classy stumpings.  Sniper Sapuppo bowled 3 overs for 10 runs.  The ground fielding was first rate with Juka and a quite useful Sean O’Kane, on one leg, combining with Mick Harvey to add two more run outs to Odie’s direct hit.  Joe and Odie combined to finish off the innings and we got them all out for 108.  Riverboat finally got some justice when the one legged Sean took a catch off his bowling.  He was extremely unlucky not to finish with more wickets but 1 for 34 off his 7 was still a great tribute for his 300^th game.  Mick Harvey was outstanding behind the stumps: Standing up to the stumps for all bowlers except Pete O’Kane and Normie.  His 3 stumpings were text book but in no way easy and his work around the field was also incredible.  Skip Gauci did not put a foot wrong and set exactly the right tone in the field to honour our great Champs.  Sambo, POK and SOK all took catches in the field. 

Odie opened the batting with Mick Harvey and they put on 95 runs in quick time to bring us within the shadow of victory.  Mick was surprisingly out for 61.  His innings was a combination of classical solid defence and precise hitting.  He finished with 8 fours and 2 sixes to cap off a great match.  Normie came and went very quickly without troubling.  Odie was back to his pomp and never looked in any trouble for his 36.  He hit 4 fours and 1 six.  He finished the game off in the 17^th over, clubbing Sydenham/Hillside’s best bowler for 2 boundaries.    In some ways it was a shame that we weren’t chasing a few more because he had no trouble at all and looked set for a big score.  It was fitting that Joey was at square leg so that they could leave the field victorious and arm in arm to the applause of their team mates, opponents, friends and family. 

It was fantastic to be in the rooms for several drinks while Spud and Sambo grilled Joe and John with questions on their long and storied careers.