Club History · Archive Of Front Pages

Front Page - up to December 19, 2017

19 December 2017

When our senior training resumes

Senior training resumes on Tuesday, January 2 - starting at 5.30pm. We then train again on Thursday, January 4.
That's selection night, as our four turf teams are back in action on the January 6/7 weekend.
The Seconds are at home on the Saturday, with the Firsts away at Aberfeldie Park - both one-day games.
The Thirds and Fourths are playing on the Sunday - the Thirds away v Indigos in Flemington Rd, and the Fourths at home v Parkville District.
Our Fifths, Sixths and Sevenths resume the following weekend.
Our juniors are back on the first weekend in February.

Nate Wolland's incredible knock

Nate Wolland wrote himself into the Moonee Valley record books with his magnificent innings of 210 not out to steer the Thirds home to an important victory on December 16.
It was even more incredible in that Nate wasn't even meant to play that weekend, but stepped in and helped out to ensure the Thirds had a full complement.
Our First Eleven captain in 2015/16 and 2015/17, Nate has been opening the bowling in the Ones all season, but pulled out of the last round before Christmas because of an ankle injury.
At right - Nate still had a spring in his step when he came off at the end of his 210 not out.
Even though he has only batted once this season, for 3 not out at No. 11, Nate was happy to step in to help out the thirds as a batsman - and stand-in skipper Ben Skok gave him the responsibility of opening.
And Nate didn't let him down, steering the side to victory over Barnawartha North in the Mercantile Cricket Association with an over to spare.
Nate's innings was the third-highest in the history of the Moonee Valley Cricket Club, behind only Peter Brear's 218 in 1994/95 and Matt Gauci's 211 not out against Coolaroo - ironically also a December 16 one-day fixture, in 2006.
Our only other 200-plus score was Dean Lawson's 205 not out in 2014/15.
Nate hadn't given any prior indication of a latent batting talent, scoring on 113 runs in his Moonee Valley career, which started in 2014/15. Nate's highest previous summer score was just 16, while he excelled with a high of 28 in winter comp.
His knock was reminiscent of Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie, who scored a double century against Bangladesh in 2006 - ironically his last Test. Hopefully Nate's got a few more games left in him!
Wags at our club have told Nate that his double ton is the highest score by a Kiwi in Australia since Ross Taylor hit 290 in the Perth Test in 2015/16.

Above: Nate is mobbed by his winning teammates. L-R: Back - Ben Skok, Jacob De Niese, Peter Golding, Daniel Ayers, Azhar Mohammed Khan, Justin Trowell, Ian Denny. Front - Nam Nguyen, Joshua Norsetter, Nate Wolland and Brendan Rhodes.

Tons of fun for James and Charles

Celebrating their maiden Moonee Valley centuries - Charles Bibby (left) and James Harris.

Moonee Valley players James Harris and Charles Bibby brought up their maiden Valley tons on the same day and on adjoining grounds on November 25.
Charles, who has come through Moonee Valley's junior ranks and is playing Firsts and Seconds cricket, anchored the innings for the Second Eleven on the Ormond Park turf pitch, while James was having a hit in the Fifths on the hard wicket.
Celebrating their maiden Moonee Valley centuries - Charles Bibby (left) and James Harris.
Both were interrupted innings - Charles finished Day 1 on 78 not out and had to sweat through a week before coming back in and posting 118.
James had a different interruption. He opened the batting, and got to 141 before top-edging a hook shot into his forehead and needing to come off for treatment.
A couple of wickets fell and he came back in as part of the last pair at the crease - and smacked a four and a six to pass the 150 mark and carry his bat for 153 not out.
It was a strange innings for the Fifths - nine players made single-figure scores, and only James and debutant batsman Damien Clarke (80) made substantial contributions on the way to our Day 1 score of 289 - all out on the second ball of the last over of the day.
James has hit a couple of tons back home in Tasmania, but this was his first three-figure haul in the Valley colors.
Charles' dig got Moonee Valley to 243, backed by a 48 from emerging batsman Matthew Esmore. It proved a bridge too far for Sunshine. We cleaned them up for 172 with Matthew Esmore and Luke Brock each claiming four wickets.
Charles, Matthew and Luke are all young players who came through the Moonee Valley junior ranks. They've all played First Eleven cricket, so our Club has got a healthy future with the young talent pushing up hard.

Our Calendar of events: To see training sessions, events and other key activities, click this link --

Valley training here's all the details

Moonee Valley Cricket Club trains at Ormond Park on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. We have seven senior sides - four on turf and three on hard wicket, and a range of Saturday and Sunday games to suit all options.

We still have spots available in our senior teams. Anyone interested in joining our successful and progressive club can phone coach Lou Raffaele on [contact via the club], or Club President Charlie Walker on [contact via the club].
Interested juniors can phone Junior Co-ordinator Peter Pickering on [contact via the club] or email him at [email protected]

Main Club contact details:

* Charlie Walker - President [contact via the club]; [contact via the club]; [contact via the club]
* Peter Golding - Treasurer [contact via the club]
* Simon Thornton - Vice President [contact via the club]
* Peter Pickering - Junior Co-ordinator [contact via the club] [email protected]
* Channa DeSilva - Director of Junior Cricket [contact via the club]

Email: [email protected]

For more contacts, see " Office bearers & Officials " under "Club News & Info" at the top of the page

Last updated: December 18, 2017.
For more of our history, including our Premierships, click HERE