Our Barooga adventure 2017

Our boys in Green put on a show

in Barooga

Moonee Valley sent a team to the Barooga Over 35s tournament for the fourth year in a row in January, and again they did the Valley proud.
We were initially restricted for numbers when four members of the touring party pulled out in the last week, and we took to the field with just eight players in the first of our three games.
Despite this, we put up a tough showing and it was our only loss for the tournament after we called in reinforcements and conscripted a couple of Barooga players for our remaining two games.
At right: Our team for Game 2: L-R. Back - Travis Gow, Dale Hadfield. Daniel Phillips, Nate Wolland, Amit Chaudhary, Mark Gauci, Sean O'Kane. Front - Wes Sutton, Allan Cumming, Matt Dimble, Neil King, Tony Gleeson.

We finished second overall, and Tony Gleeson - a past Valley premiership coach and long-time senior player - won the bowling award across the whole tournament.
With temperatures in Barooga - a NSW town across the Murray from Cobram - at high to extreme in January, we have exchanged our traditional Valley black strip for cooler green shirts.
At right: Tony Gleeson sends one down, with Amit Chaudhary in the field.

In fact, we played in 41 degrees in the first game of the January 16-19 tournament, and despite being short on numbers our resolve never wilted.
Veteran Neil King held the opposition in the field for 18 long overs to finish undefeated on 77 when he was the last man in - under tournament rules which allow the final batsman to bat on until he loses his wicket or the overs run out.
The scoreboard from our second game shows Yarrawonga Mulwala all out chasing Moonee Valley's
Our squad of present and past Moonee Valley players was: Allan Cumming, Mark Gauci, Dale Hadfield, Daniel Phillips, Neil King, Charlie Walker, Tony Gleeson, Nate Wolland, Sean O'Kane and Amit Chaudhary. Our Barooga signings were Travis Gow, Matt Dimble, Wes Sutton and Vince Iannucci.
Moonee Valley's highlights included Tony Gleeson's nine wickets @ 7.66, Mark Gauci's three wickets @ 16; Mark's 132 runs @ 132.0, Neil King's 79 runs @ 79.0 captain Daniel Phillips' 59 runs @ 29.5 and Amit Chaudhary's unbeaten 43 runs.
At right: Captain Daniel Phillips bowls in Game 2.

Our thanks go to Mick O'Dwyer of the Barooga Sports Club and the Barooga Cricket Club for organising the excellent event, which is an annual part of the Moonee Valley calendar.
Thanks also to Sean O'Kane who interrupted his Western Australia working holiday to come back and play for the Valleys and organise some of his old Barooga cricket teammates when our numbers needed bolstering.
Five Valley players have played in all four of our trips to Barooga - Mark Gauci, Neil King, Daniel Phillips, Sean O'Kane and Charlie Walker. We're already planning for our return next January.