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Senior coach Lou Raffaele (right) has got our teams well primed for the 2008/09 season. Our seniors train at Ormond Park from 5pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Remember: White shirts/tops are compulsory.

The Club is happy to talk to potential new players. Anyone interested in joining Moonee Valley should ring Charlie Walker on 0409 237 543 or Lou Raffaele on 0433 456 436. 

Net Result is great for the Valleys
Our new Ormond Park nets are finally up and running, and we're already noticing an improvement in training and enthusiasm.
We're no longer fighting to get a good bat or bowl, as the four nets now in operation give us the chance for a good hit-out.
Pictured at right at Sunday training: Steven Ball
with batsman Tom Aitken in the left net, while
Paul Comino bowls to Mick Bannister. 
It's been a long drawn-out project, but now we can reap the benefits.
The concrete strips were laid mid-year, the carpet went down three weeks later and the cages were completed in August, so we're right into using the nets now.
These projects don't happen by themselves, so there are a lot of people to thank for their wonderful support and efforts.

Firstly, the fundraising.
Many of our members and parents either contributed directly or supported functions to raise the money, starting with Vice President Jim Polonidis who kicked off the fund with a pledge of $500 if Charlie Walker's mustache was shaved off after some 23 continuous years gracing his top lip.
Sixths player Mark Madden contributed significantly with his cheque book over several stages of the fundraising, and we're grateful for such a magnificent and sustained effort.
Cricket Victoria gave us a $3400 grant through Regional Manager Stuart Clark, which was also much appreciated.
Junior parent Mark Seers twisted the arm of his contacts in the steel and mesh industry, and Shane O'Brien responded with an excellent price for the black powder-coated cage which graces our new nets. Mark also lined up Leon Zelvys to erect the cage.
Dom Chiera as always was in the thick of things with the construction, leading a works crew which prepared the site and laid the base for junior parent Tony Reitano to lay the concrete.
Bob Sciacchitano also played a key role in the preparation of the site, with supervision provided by Darren Nagle.
Our works crew and other key helpers included Kevin Gardiner - who was always available for site inspections and innumerable visits - Phill King, Shane Tankard, Paul Comino and John Brelis. A job well done!
Thanks also to Glenn Mulcahy and Amanda Allen from Moonee Valley Council for their help and support.  

The grass is greener at Moonee Valley

Moonee Valley's own curator, Ian "Spider" Beel has won yet another Victorian Turf Cricket Association and Cricket Victoria award for the quality of his turf pitches.

It's the second time that Ian has won with his pitch at Ormond Park, and follows on from a win he had with the pitch he prepares on contract at Aberfeldie Park.

Ian's services and expertise are in great demand right around the north-west, but thankfully for us Ormond Park is his home - where he prepares both our cricket wickets and the Moonee Valley bowling greens.

He's a past treasurer of the Moonee Valley Sporting Club, so we're grateful that Ian is "one of ours".

Moonee Valley hosted the VTCA's B North Grand Final last season, and premiers Greenvale were wrapt that they got to play the big game on one of Spider's wickets.

His plaque from the VTCA reads: "Cricket Victoria Turf Cricket Ground Award. Presented to Ian Beel in recognition of the presentation of Ormond Reserve during season 2007/08 when it was adjudged worthy of the Cricket Victoria Turf Cricket Ground Award in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association". 

Well done Ian!

Moonee Valley Cricket Club's junior training is now in full swing, and will continue throughout the school holidays.
Junior players from past seasons, our new sign-ups and intending new players should come down for our sessions to get some form under the belt leading in to the season.
Our training runs from 4.30 to 6pm, and is:

Under 10s and Girls - Mondays.
Under 16s - Tuesdays.
Under 12s - Wednesdays.
Under 14s - Thursdays.

A range of apparel - both playing gear, after-match gear and training gear - is on sale on most training nights.
Junior Co-ordinator Kevin Gardiner (right) advises that for 2008/09 we have entered junior teams across all age groups.
Our team entries are:
*     Three Under 16 teams - one playing Saturday home games, two of them playing Sunday home games.
*     Four Under 14 teams - two playing Saturday home games, two playing Sunday home games.
*     Four Under 12 teams - two playing Saturday home games, two playing Sunday home games.
*     Five Under 10 teams - which all play Friday evenings.
*     One Under 12 Girls team - which plays Monday evenings.
*     One Under 16 Girls team - which plays Wednesday evenings.

We have entered our top team in each age group in A Grade.
We still need a couple of coaches across the age groups, particularly in Under 10s. Our success in the past has been based on parental involvement, so we would be keen to talk to any Dads and Mums who are interested in finding out more.
Players or parents wanting more information should ring Junior  Co-ordinator Kevin Gardiner on 0417 536 896 or President Charlie Walker on 0409 237 543.
Training is at our home ground, Ormond Park is in Pattison Street, Moonee Ponds. The season starts on the weekend of October 10/11/12.

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Way ahead for our two women's teams

We still need more players to round out our roster - either experienced cricketers or first-time players, as many of our inaugural pioneers were - so please canvass around for some recruits. Everyone's welcome - age or experience aren't a bar.

Anyone interested in joining us should phone Jenny O'Brien on 0423 775 110 or Charlie Walker on 0409 237 543 or send an email to mooneev@club.cricketvictoria.com.au

Appointments: Captains now in place

Lou Raffaele has been reappointed coach of the Moonee Valley Cricket Club after taking on the role in 2007/08, while Mark Gauci has been appointed First Eleven captain for the fourth year.

Our Chairman of Selectors for 2008/09 is Mark "Junior" Cini (right), who has been at Moonee Valley for more than a decade and has played more than 100 games. Mark brings excellent analytical skills to the position of Chairman, and knows the players and their capabilities.

Club President Charlie Walker said Mark was an excellent choice as Chairman of Selectors, and would bring a fresh outlook to the selection table.

Daniel Phillips (left) has been reappointed as captain of the Second Eleven - the fourth year in which he has held this role.

Dino Sapuppo is captain of the Third Eleven. Dino previously held this position in 2006/07, and has proved to be a formidable opponent on the field.

Danny Terzini is captain of our Fourth Eleven, after captaining our Thirds several seasons ago when they were in A Mats.

Steve Malone has taken on the role as captain of the Fifth Eleven, and is keen for it to be a development team for some of our top juniors coming through to senior ranks. Steve is a past senior coach of Oak Park, and brings a wealth of experience to the job, particular with junior development.

Brett Curran (right) is captain of the Sixth Eleven - the third year he has led this team. A taste of finals last season has Brett and his crew hungry to go further.

In a break from tradition, the Club has elected to go with co-Captains of our Seventh Eleven - Ryan Fairclough and Jake Little. A chance of designation of grades has led to our Eighths from last season becoming this year's Sevenths. Jake, in his second year at Moonee Valley, and Ryan, in his fourth, bring a real enthusiasm to what we expect to be a settled squad which will hit the ground running. 

Richard Cooney (left) has been appointed captain of what had been our sevenths, but with the expansion of the Moreland Moonee Valley comp to three grades will now be designated our Eighth Eleven. Richard's no-nonsense style will suit the team, which we expect to be a mix of older players and younger ones coming through. Richard was one of the "parent pioneers" in 2001 who signed up to play in the precursor which led to our expansion.

Paul Comino again takes on a key junior development role as captain of the Ninth Eleven. Some young players still in junior ranks got valuable experience playing with Paul in the Ninths last season, and he will again be in charge of helping them settle in to senior ranks.

We will be announcing the positions of captain of our women's teams on October 1.

The Club is still looking for new players for next season. Anyone interested in joining Moonee Valley should ring Charlie Walker on 0409 237 543 or Lou Raffaele on 0433 456 436.

The Moonee Valley Cricket Club is a section of the Moonee Valley Sporting Club .
Last updated: September 29, 2008

For more history on our Cricket Club, including Premiership match reports, click here