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Weekend of achievements for Valleys

The February 25/26 weekend was one of achievement for Moonee Valley, as four of our senior sides cemented their spot in the finals and another three have put themselves well on the way.

Our Thirds, Fifths, Sevenths and Eighths booked finals spots, while our Firsts, Fourths and Sixths have put themselves in strong positions. Our Seconds are the only team out of contention.

Along the way, Bede Gannon (left) took a hat-trick in the Fifths' big win over third-placed Sunshine Heights. Incredibly, it was Bede's third hat-trick at Moonee Valley, after achieving the feat in Under 14s and Under 16s.

Fourth Eleven stalwart Steven Ball was flawless in hitting an unbeaten 105, his second club century, to give the MFF a strong score to defend next week on the way to the finals.

Above right: Steven Ball walks off after his unbeaten century against Taylors Lakes, accompanied by Moonee Valley's square leg umpire, Nick Brelis.

Other achievements were a six-wicket haul for Peter O'Kane in the Fifths, a five-wicket haul for Jesse Felle in the Sixths, 100-game milestones for Ben Thomas and Eighths captain Allan Cumming, and 2000 club runs for Dean Lawson in the Fourths.

There's a lot to look forward to this season!

                   

Four players from our Mighty Fighting Fourths jointly hold a unique piece of Moonee Valley history - they were part of the team which in 2008 made the Club's highest-ever score, and this year they held the opposition to the lowest-ever senior score against us.

Paul Hobbs, Dean Lawson, Steven Ball and skipper Brett Curran have seen the highs and lows - the 3/475 we clubbed against Buckley Park on November 1, 2008 when the squad was playing as the Sixths, and now the 29 all-out that Craigieburn made against us at Ormond Park on February 19 this year.

The all-conquering Mighty Fighting Fourths (above): The scoreboard tells the story. L-R: Back -
Dean Lawson, Steve Herbert, Peter Wright, Darren Nagle, Brett Curran, Norm Wright, Kevin
Gardiner, Liam Curran and Glenn Perussich. Front - Steven Ball, Paul Hobbs and John Talone.

And on hand from the 2008 record-breaking team were Norm Wright, who was 12th man against Craigieburn so that son Peter could get a game in, and Tony Sherer and Mark Madden. That proves this team sticks together!

The hapless Craigieburn was rolled in 16 overs, with Steve Herbert, Peter Wright, Kevin Gardiner and Liam Curran each taking two wickets. Then Dean Lawson - who made 157 in the Buckley Park record - and Glenn Perussich knocked off 31 runs in four overs to wrap up the match before the first drinks break.

The previous lowest-ever score was the 34 which West Essendon made against our Firsts way back in 1974/75. The previous lowest against our Fourths was 39 by Airport West in 1991/92, when our victorious team included current players Bob Sciacchitano and Joe Ansaldo.

The Fourths' trouncing of Craigieburn at the weekend was in contrast to some of our other games, with the Firsts moving into the Top Four courtesy of a nailbiting 6-run win over Werribee Centrals, and a magnificent Derby at home on the Sunday. The Thirds finished the Derby with a 16-run first innings win but then lost outright to the Fifths off the second ball of the final over, with Peter Smith taking 6/46.

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Moonee Valley boys strike a pink patch in their match

Moonee Valley Cricket Club was decked out in pink for the February 18/19 weekend, and our players ditched their traditional black and white caps.

But it was all in a good cause - Pink Stumps Day was marked around Australia to highlight breast cancer awareness and to encourage testing and research.

We used pink stumps on the turf ground at Ormond Park for both the Saturday and Sunday games, marked the boundaries with pink cones and had the keepers - Trent Milne on the Saturday and Geoff McKeown on the Sunday - wearing pink pads and gloves. The First Eleven players on the Saturday took to their fielding innings all wearing pink caps.

Coach Vic Hodge was the driving force behind our participation in Pink Stumps Day, and it's expected that we will have raised more than $500 for the cause.

Vic turned up to watch the game wearing a lurid pink cardigan and a pink wide-brimmed hat - and he had no chance of hiding. With his hot pink garb, he could be instantly spotted from any corner of the ground. Well done Vic!

People can still donate to the cause by putting cash in the tin in the clubrooms, or donating direct via our Club through the email address http://pinkstumpsday.gofundraise.com.au/page/VicHodge.

Showing their support (above) are the Firsts, playing against (and beating) Werribee Centrals. L-R: Back - Ihtisham Uddin, Nasir Ahmed, Ian Denny, Steve Nickelson, Jim Polonidis, Matt Thomas, Amit Chaudhary and Shafi Hassan. Front - Craig Pridham, Trent Milne and Mark Gauci.

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Congratulations from the Valleys!Congratulations to Amiee and Trent Milne on the birth of their second daughter, Addasyn.

And she's sure to be a dedicated Moonee Valley fan, as Trent and Amiee brought Addasyn and older sister Amberleigh down to Ormond Park for the crunch game against Werribee Centrals on February 18 - less than a week after she was born.

Trent is a past Centrals player, and enjoyed mixing with - and beating - his former teammates as they helped him welcome the new arrival.

Congratulations from all of us at Moonee Valley.

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Our 40th anniversary night takes the
 cake

 

Some 85 past and present players and supporters attended the 40th anniversary dinner for the Moonee Valley Cricket Club on Saturday, January 28, and a great night was had by all.

A highlight of the night were speeches both humorous and sincere from past greats Greg Peters, Laurie Mayne and Club founder Ray Storey, and equally compelling presentations by greats who are still pulling on the whites in Darren Nagle, John Talone, Ian Denny and Sandro Capocchi.

Highlights of the night were the cutting of the 40th anniversary cake, designed and donated by past women's captain and current committee member Tien Polonidis, a loop of old and not-so-old photos organised by secretary Peter Golding, and a display of memorabilia curated by Kevin Gardiner.

***For more pictures and reports on the night, watch this space. Click HERE . 

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CRICKET TRAINING SCHEDULE
Moonee Valley Cricket Club teams train at our main home ground, Ormond Park, in Pattison St, Moonee Ponds - beside the freeway.
Training details are:
Seniors - Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5.30pm.
Under 16s - Tuesdays 4.30-6pm
Under 14s - Thursdays 4.30-6pm
Under 12s - Wednesdays 4.30-6pm
Under 10s - Mondays 4.30-6pm
Milo In2Cricket - Fridays - 5.30pm

For more details, ring  Charlie Walker on 0409 237 543

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Main Club contact details:
Peter Golding - Club Secretary 0419 009 721
Simon Thornton - Vice President 0417 570 779
Charlie Walker - President 0409 237 543; 9370 1802
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For more contacts, see "Office bearers & Officials" under "Club News & Info" at the top of the page.
(email: - mooneev@club.cricketvictoria.com.au) 
Our website: http://archive.mooneevalleycricket.com.au


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For our Twitter #mvcricket link, click HERE or on the Twitter "T" on the right. You can either search for #mvcricket to get the latest posts, or type in mv_cricket to see all the communications. 
                              

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The Moonee Valley Cricket Club Inc is a section of the Moonee Valley Sporting Club .

Last updated: February 27, 2012

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