 LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON
Moonee Valley young gun William Blair has taken out the North West Metropolitan Cricket Association's Under 12 C bowling award - but it's no surprise with the tuition he gets from his dad Bill.
William won the trophy with 14 wickets during the regular season at the miserly average of 8.0, with a best performance of 2/4.
He will need to keep bowling just as well to catch up to dad Bill, a Sunshine United legend in the VTCA who has incredibly twice taken all 10 wickets in an innings in the Firsts.
But young William was certainly happy with the bowling award he was presented with at the NWMCA junior presentation night on March 29, and the Under 12 C Premiership plaque he received on behalf of his teammates.
The Under 12s lifted the only Premiership won by Moonee Valley in 2011/12, and the players were on top of their game all season under the coaching of Paul Baks, ably backed up by assistants Bill Blair and Michael Cumbo.
The Under 12 flag continued an incredible run by Moonee Valley, as junior or senior teams have won at least one premiership every year since 2003/04, with the exception of 2010/11.
Most of the Under 12 players were in their first year in the age group, so they should be a formidable unit as top-age Under 12s next season.
Farewell to our two Internationals -  but just for now! Moonee Valley's two 2011/12 internationals, Pakistani first-class players Ihtisham Uddin and Nasir Ahmed, have headed back home - but we're already in negotiations to get them back next season.
Ihtsi and Nasir had a delayed start to this season due to visa hold-ups, but they turned around the fortune of our First Eleven when they started playing after the Christmas break, and played a major role in our making the finals.
Nasir is a gun 140kmh left-arm opening bowler and punishing middle order bat, while Ihtisham - who was also at Moonee Valley in 2010/11 - is a No. 3 or No. 4 batsman and wily offspinner.
Moonee Valley is also in discussions with another Pakistani first-class player recommended to us by Ihtisham. He's an opening batsman and a legspinner who has been compared as a bowler to leggie Fawad Ahmed, who played a couple of Twenty20 games with Moonee Valley and took the VTCA Senior Division by storm this season, taking an incredible 58 wickets @ 10.97 - 26 more than the next-best bowler.
Moonee Valley president Charlie Walker said Ihtisham and Nasir had fitted in well with the club and their teammates, and we are keen and hopeful to have them back. They flew out on March 18.
****Pictured above are Nasir Ahmed (middle) and Ihtisham Uddin (right) with First Eleven MVP Amit Chaudhary.
 WE WON!!!!!!! Our Under 12s are in the Grand Final!
Moonee Valley's Under 12s are now in the Grand Final, after a close win over Airport West/St Christophers to follow on from the hard-fought and thrilling win over nemesis club Brunswick in the quarter finals.
The team will now take on Keilor in the Grand Final, which will be held at Fairbairn Park on Saturday, March 24.
Our Under 12s are the only Moonee Valley team still in the finals, after six senior sides bowed out, along with our Under 14 Black team. We're on Fairbairn Oval No. 8, off Woods St, Ascot Vale. No. 8 is to the north-west of the narrow centre carpark, alongside the Maribyrnong. The match runs from 8.20-11.45am.
Above: The Under 12s: L-R: Back - Assistant coaches Bill Blair and Mick Cumbo and coach Paul Baks.
Centre - Reuben Hill, William Blair, Julia Spagna, Noah Gordon, William Agius, Riley Boxshall, Leon
Hill. Front - Jackson Baks, Sebastian Pozzebon, Benson Pisanelli, Isaac Coleman, William D'Amico
and Lawson Pegler.
***For more pictures of our Under 12 team, click HERE.
 Our MVP night - and our Fieldlows
A merry band of Moonee Valley players gathered in the clubrooms on the night of Saturday, March 10 for our Most Valuable Player awards night.
And our Fieldlow fielding award vote count was held on Thursday, March 15.
The MVP night occasion also saw the presentation of many of our milestone trophies - games milestones, wickets, runs (by the thousand), centuries and five-wicket hauls.
Many thanks to life member Joe Ansaldo for his tremendous job at catering the finger food for the night.
Pictured here above are L-R: Firsts MVP Amit Chaudhary and captain Mark Gauci; MVCC coach Vic Hodge, and Sevenths captain Richard Cooney and MVP Bob Sciacchitano.
Pictured at left are Fieldlow fielding award winners: Shaun Rayment (left) from the Sevenths, and Darren Nagle from the Fourths.
The voting was close and tense for the Fieldlows, due to the new 3-2-1 system introduced for this season.
The winners were: Firsts Craig Pridham; Seconds Sam O'Brien; Thirds Michael Klomp; Fourths Darren Nagle (pictured here); Sixths Jackson Clarke and Ashley Krollig; Sevenths Shaun Rayment (also pictured); and Eighths Matthew Esmore.
*>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>****For more pictures, click HERE
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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The Moonee Valley Cricket Club Inc is a section of the Moonee Valley Sporting Club .
Last updated: March 29, 2012
For more history on our Cricket Club, including Premiership match reports, click here |
