Milestones as team record tumbles

Liam Shaw and Shane Chalmers achieved personal milestones as our Fifths set a new high mark in marching on to the one-day finals.
The 5/363cc score against Maribyrnong Park St Marys in the semi final at home at Ormond Park was the highest-ever score achieved by a Moonee Valley Fifth Eleven.
At right: Shane Chalmers with the ball and Liam Shaw with the bat after their personal milestones. L-R: Back - Ryan Chirgwin, Justin Trowell, Liam Farrell, Cassidy Box, Jesse Nankivell-Sandor, Shane Chalmers, Paddy Shelton, Liam Shaw. Front - Jarrad Sims, Dom Rettino, Sam Kater, Manu Poulose and Samuel Gunther.
And while we were reaching the mark, Liam Shaw, batting under a bit of restriction with a sore back, knocked up 102 not out - his second century this season and fifth for Moonee Valley.
Not to be outdone, Shane Chalmers took 5/33 to help rout Maribyrnong for 100 in the February 29 match.
It was Shane's first five-wicket haul in any game of cricket, and is a fitting reward for a fine player who has bent his back for Moonee Valley since joining us as part of the original group of tertiary student mates looking for a game of cricket.
As Shane says he never really played as a bowler in his earlier  years of cricket - but the way he hoops, swings and makes the ball talk, clearly his previous clubs missed seeing his potential.
There's one game left now for the Shiners to put the seal on the season - so let's concentrate on the Grand Final.
While Liam's unbeaten century opening the bat provided the base for the team to launch, Sam Kater's 90 towards the end, 44 from Manu Poulose and 34s from Jarrad Sims and Liam Farrell ensured that we stayed on track to scoring at a tick over 10 per over.
The previous Fifths mark of 7/325 was set in 2009/10 by our B Matting team in the old Moreland Moonee Valley Cricket Association, and was led by 170 by Lou Raffaele, 42 from Danny Terzini and 40 from Pat Felmingham.