Bentleigh ANA Cricket Club

 

1980/81

The season of 1980/81 was one which resulted in great change around the Club. Colin Lilley left to join his brother John at Bailey Park, while Maurice James and Tony Caddy hung up their boots once again. Work commitments now meant that promising youngster Phil Daly had played his last game with the Club, while Brett Arnfield left ANA to try his luck playing with South Melbourne, in the District Cricket Competition. Arnfield went on to work his way up through the grades at South Melbourne and became a successful batsman in the First Eleven for a couple of seasons. His performances, combined with the excellent performances this season from 15-year-old Stewart Kreltszheim, exemplified the strength of the juniors from the previous year.

Two of the First Eleven players, Cedric Jansz and Neil Vorbach, enjoyed many Thursday nights together at the King George pavilion and were often the last to leave, after having consumed more than their fair share of the amber fluid. Such was the case one night when the bar was eventually closed and the two were asked to lock the door on their way out. Suddenly, feeling the urge to satisfy their hunger that had developed, Jansz and Vorbach embarked on a hunt around the clubrooms to find something to eat. Within no time at all they had managed to secure a handful of hot dogs from a supposedly locked fridge, and after unsuccessfully searching for a saucepan to cook them in, decided to settle for the urn, which was usually set aside for the tea and coffee on Saturday afternoons. After satisfying their appetites, both left and headed home thinking nothing more of their late night escapade.

However, such was not the case on Saturday when, after a hectic afternoon in the field, they came off the ground for a well earned cup of tea. As the tea ladies attempted to pour the mid-afternoon beverages for the players, what came out of the urn resembled something left over from a dirty washing basin, as the rather red and fat-ridden liquid oozed out into the coffee cups. Their findings became even more gruesome when they removed the lid and discovered the leftovers of somebody’s half eaten hot dog”. It was a rather more subdued pair who faced the wrath of the President and Committee after the event and, subsequently, the Thursday night escapades have never been the same.

Cedric Jansz was appointed Captain of the First Eleven, and at only 19 years of age, still remains the youngest player to have achieved this feat. The team had developed into a strong batting combination, with Neil Vorbach and Fitzroy Crozier both hitting up over 350 runs for the season, and Cedric Jansz, David Shipp, Stewart Kreltszheim and Russell Mactaggart all amassing over 250 runs each. Fitzroy Crozier remained as Coach of the Club and dominated with both the bat and ball. His innings against East Bentleigh Central (a result of a merger of the East Bentleigh and Bentleigh Central clubs) in Round 4 was pure magic, as he majestically guided the ball to all parts of the field. Commencing the last over, Crozier required seven for his century, and after hitting a single and a boundary, glanced towards the gathering crowd for an indication of just how close to three figures he actually was.

An over exuberant first-gamer, 15-year-old Darren Haw, accommodated the request with a scream of “one more . . . four”.

As the crowd anxiously awaited another perfectly struck boundary from Crozier their anxiety turned to disbelief, as the confused Crozier delicately pushed a single for what he believed to be the “one more” that he required for his century. He then had no choice but to watch Bob Wilson play out the last ball. Needless to say, young Haw never played with the Firsts again that season. Crozier’s wizardry with the ball also saw him break the 50 wicket barrier for the second consecutive year. Having played with consistency throughout the season ANA lost only one game prior to the finals, finishing on top of the ladder. They then came up against Channon Park in the Semi-final and completely outclassed their opponents from the outset. When the rain came on the second day of the match, Channon Park had no qualms about calling off the game, as ANA had belted up 4 for 248. Fitzroy Crozier was in fine touch, remaining unbeaten on 75, while Skipper Jansz assisted strongly with 62, receiving fine support from Vorbach with 39 and Mactaggart on 34 not out.

This win took ANA into a Grand Final confrontation with Cluden. After inviting Cluden to bat, ANA always appeared to be on top. Fitzroy Crozier spun the ball like a top to capture 5/32 off 19 overs while Mick Biddle took 3/49 with his left-arm slinging action, as Cluden crashed to be all out for 145. ANA then powered home by making 239 in reply, with David Shipp top scoring with 58, Cedric Jansz getting 53, Fitzroy Crozier 40 and wicketkeeper John Chessum making 37. ANA had successfully fought its way back into “A” Grade with a resounding Premiership victory.

1980/81 “B” GRADE PREMIERS - Match Statistics

Toss won by Cluden

Cluden - 1st Innings

Richardson C . . .  c Bodley b Sanders 2

Laughlan S . . . . . .b Wilson 4

Avery S . . . . . . . . .b Biddle 25

Muir R . . . . . . . . .  c Bodley b Biddle 34

Barry I . . . . . . . . . .b Crozier 3

Walstab D . . . . . .  st Chessum b Crozier 16

Stokes J . . . . . . . . c Bodley b Crozier 24

Mills C . . . . . . . . .  not out 17

Holloway S . . . . . . b Crozier 0

Farrally M . . . . . . . c Crozier b Biddle 0

Murphy A . . . . . . . c Shipp b Crozier 6

Sundries 14

TOTAL 145

Bowling - Wilson B. 1/26, Sanders J. 1/21, Biddle M. 3/49,

Crozier F. 5/32, Bodley G. 0/3, Mactaggart R. 0/0.

 

Bentleigh ANA - 1st Innings

Shipp D . . . . . . . . . . st Muir 58

Kreltszheim S . . . . . .c Holloway 6

Jansz C . . . . . . . . . ..c Holloway 53

Vorbach N . . . . . . . . b Holloway 0

Crozier F . . . . . . . . c Holloway 40

Mactaggart R . . . . . . run out 3

Chessum J . . . . . . .  c Muir 37

Sanders J . . . . . . . . . c & b Muir 4

Wilson B . . . . . . . . . b Farrally 0

Biddle M . . . . . . . . . . not out 7

Bodley G . . . . . . . . . b Farrally 10

Sundries 21

TOTAL 239

Bowling - Farrally M. 2/46, Holloway S. 4/57, Richardson C. 0/23,

Muir R. 3/50, Walstab D. 0/42.

 

Bentleigh ANA won on 1st Innings by 94 runs.

 

The Second Eleven, in “D” Grade, was led by the experienced Harry Vantwest. This team comprised of a mixture of youngsters and experienced campaigners, and after indifferent form throughout the season, managed to sneak into the finals, finishing in fourth position. ANA faced the top team, East Bentleigh Central, in the Semi-final and stuck to their task determinedly to dismiss them for 235. When the combine were in full throttle late in the day, youngster Darren Haw chipped in with 3/10 while Andrew Higgins took 3/48. As ANA prepared itself for the run chase, the heavens opened up and “Hughie” sent down an hour of his best. While the East Bentleigh Central team sat around with glee, watching the ground slowly disappear under water, “Snowy” Arnfield had already donned his boots and armed with a shovel and what seemed to be miles of hoses, led the recovery plan as the waterlogged ground suddenly took on the appearance of a major plumbing exercise. Within an hour and a half the game was ready to continue, and ANA valiantly set off after the large target. ANA was always behind the eight ball and, after three disastrous run outs in the middle order, were in all sorts of trouble until Bob Arnfield joined Mick Egan for the last wicket. Arnfield cracked up 39 and Egan an unbeaten 34, as the two almost pulled off a remarkable victory, falling short by only 26 runs, as they put on 49 runs for the last wicket.

The “Under 16A” Grade team, led by Darren Haw, failed to show the form of the previous season and was very lucky to scrape into the finals this year. Having done so, however, they once again came up against the might of St.Kilda City, who boasted the impressive record This confrontation with the old rivals seemed to bring out the best of ANA, and the St.Kilda City team had not counted on the improvement of tattooed bowler Peter Crawford. Crawford mesmerised the St.Kilda batsmen with his impeccable line and length, ending up with 7/48 off 27 overs, as City crashed to be all out for 147. At 1 for 40, ANA appeared to be cruising towards a memorable victory, but then crashed to be all out for a meagre 97 with Stewart Kreltszheim’s 33 being the only resistance. It was certainly an injustice that Crawford’s bowling efforts had gone unrewarded.

The “Under 14B” team was led by the younger of the Haw brothers, Craig, and had gone through the season losing only one game prior to the finals and finishing on top of the ladder. ANA began well in the Semi-final, dismissing Moorabbin Park for only 113, with Craig Haw and Ross Scacco taking 3 wickets each. Disaster struck, however, as ANA then crashed to be all out for a lowly 84, allowing Moorabbin Park to move into the final and eventually win the flag.

 

1981/82

Even after the success of the previous year, the Club replaced Cedric Jansz with Fitzroy Crozier as Captain of the First Eleven for the return trip into “A” Grade. The move drew mixed success as ANA had an inconsistent season, finishing in the middle of the field. Crozier was once again in sensational form with the ball, taking 43 wickets and winning the CMCA “A” Grade bowling averages, while Jansz played a lone hand with the bat, making over 400 runs for the season. However, Jansz received little support with the bat and this problem worsened when Premiership player Russell Mactaggart moved to Drouin, highlighting a problem which faced ANA in the years to come. Throughout the season the “D” Grade team was led by 20-year-old John Bacon and dominated the competition, finishing on top of the ladder prior to the finals. They came up against Hampton United in the Semi-final and were in a spot of trouble at the end of the first day, being 8 for 148. Trevlyn Crozier had been the best of the batsmen with 35, but this relatively modest total appeared to be smaller than that which would be required for victory. This would never be tested, however, as the second day’s play was completely washed out, clearing the way for ANA to enter the Final. Moorabbin West were their opponents in the Grand Final and ANA struggled hard to dismiss them for 200, with Mick Biddle being the best of the bowlers, returning figures of 4/39. ANA’s batting line-up looked strong indeed, with no less than 8 of the batsman having played in the First Eleven at some stage throughout the season. However, it was only the youthful duo of John Smith, who built a score of 38, and Trevlyn Crozier with 34, that were able to give the team a slight hope of victory. ANA finished with only 149 and had to be content with a Runners-Up pennant. The Third Eleven, in “F” Grade, had performed extraordinarily, considering they’d had five different Captains throughout the season. ANA finally settled with all-rounder Mick Egan, and with a last game outright victory, managed to finish in third position prior to the finals. The selection of this team attracted extreme controversy when Rod Blumfield’s two consecutive “ducks” saw him get overlooked for both the Second Eleven and Third Eleven teams, even after having made 43 in Round 8 while playing in the First Eleven in “A” Grade. ANA came up against Highett West in the Semi-final and appeared to be in all sorts of trouble at 8 for 77, with opening batsman Graham Wilson having made 36 of these. The ANA team fought back admirably however, as number ten batsman Debinder Singh with 47 and 14-year-old Craig Haw, with 24 not out, added 78 for the ninth wicket, and when Kevin Thomas chipped in for a dozen at the end, ANA had managed to claw its way to a respectable total of 171. Sadly, rain then robbed the team of any real chance and at the end of the game Highett West had crawled along to 3 for 107, thus thwarting any Premiership aspirations that ANA may have had. The “Under 14A” Grade team, led by the younger of the Arnfield brothers, Dean, had a good year also and finished third prior to the finals, but the Semi-final’s rain also cost them a chance at the flag, as St.Kilda City were 4 for 91 at the end of the game.

 

1982/83

The season of 1982/83 saw all of the ANA teams show rather indifferent form, eventually resulting in the Club failing to field a finals team for the first time in ten years. Neil Vorbach was appointed as Captain of the First Eleven, in “A” Grade, and midway through the season former Premiership player, Neil Bach, returned to the Club. However, the Reverend had lost that express pace that his beautiful left arm bowling action had possessed throughout his halcyon days of the early seventies and the team had to be content with finishing in the middle of the field once again.

The only real highlights of the season were in the last two games. The innings’ against East Caulfield of Cedric Jansz and former Dandenong Sub-District batsman Michael Rabot were a delight to watch. Also the performances of Fitzroy Crozier and Debinder Singh in the last game against Mackie, showed potential which unfortunately had not been fulfilled throughout the season. On an extremely hot day, the pair came together with the score at 6 for 44, and the experienced Crozier and first gamer Singh somehow managed to take the score past Mackie’s total of 198. Crozier ended with 78 not out and Singh 62 not out, as the pair rewrote the ANA record books and cost Mackie a place in the finals. The Junior teams fared little better than the Seniors, with the only highlight being Craig Haw’s aggregate of 350 runs in the “Under 16A” Grade in an otherwise disappointing year.

1983/84

After a five year reign Don Haw had stood down as President and the Club welcomed First Eleven wicketkeeper, John Chessum, into the job. Neil Vorbach once again led the “A” Grade team but this side was further depleted due to the loss of promising youngsters Darren Haw, to District club South Melbourne, Michael Rabot and Debinder Singh, who both went to Sub-District club Ormond. These three losses were partly compensated for by the return of former “A” Grade Premiership player, Russell Mactaggart, but the team still struggled and only managed to win three games for the season. The only success story for the Firsts was the 400 run aggregate of opening batsman David Shipp.

The “D” Grade team, however, was led by former “A” Grade Captain and games record holder, John Sanders, who had dropped down to the Seconds to finish off a distinguished career. The team dominated the competition throughout the season and finished on top of the ladder prior to the finals. Facing Hampton United in the Semi-final, ANA never appeared troubled in making 260 with the ever reliable finals’ performer, Trevlyn Crozier, hitting up his maiden century, making 110. ANA then dismissed Hampton for 130 and headed into the Grand Final. ANA faced the newly introduced Crystal Palace team in the Final and controversially dropped Vice Captain John Smith for this match, in favour of his close friend Graham Johnson. Russell Mactaggart led the batting line-up with a disciplined hand of 64 and this was followed up by a whirlwind knock of 62 from allrounder Graham Wilson, an innings which included 4 enormous sixes. Craig Haw held the lower order together with a fighting innings of 53, as ANA amassed an enormous total of 279. Not to be denied, however, Crystal Palace set about the task at hand aggressively, and fell short by only 32 runs in overhauling the awesome total. Craig Haw was the chief destroyer for ANA, taking 3/36 with his medium paced assortment of swing and cut, and he was supported by Graham Wilson who took 3/52, as Palace were finally dismissed for 247, giving John Sanders and his ANA team a well deserved Premiership. The Flag was an appropriate end to the career of Skipper John Sanders. Beginning with the Club back in 1959, the extremely loyal Sanders had played for 25 years and amassed 289 club games, including a massive 203 at the First Eleven level. He was considered by some as a player not blessed with enormous amounts of natural ability, but who overcame this with an abundance of aggression and will to succeed. His attitude towards batting was a simple one indeed, this being that while he was out in the middle, his only objective was that the opposition was not going to get him out. John’s determination and competitive nature saw him amass almost 4000 runs and capture nearly 200 wickets while playing with the Firsts, as well as Captaining the Club to its last “A” Grade flag and playing in three other Premierships. At the junior level the “Under 16C” Grade team, under the Captaincy of Dean Arnfield, performed with mixed success throughout the season but still managed to scrape into the finals. They came up against top side Hampton United in the Semi-final and speedster Arnfield bowled magnificently to capture 6/65 off 23 overs, as Hampton crashed to be all out for 161, giving ANA an excellent chance of entering the Final. However, the top order of the ANA batting line-up failed, and it was left to the tail to try to save the game. Lower order batsman Justin Handley made 37 and fighting knocks from Ian Ward, with 27, and Gareth Kay, with 26, saw ANA fight its way back into the match. Alas, their efforts were in vain, as the Green and Gold were dismissed for 144 in a nail biting affair.

The ANA “Under 14C” Grade team had an excellent year and played North Caulfield/Glenhuntly in the Semi-final. Skipper Scott Gilder led the charge by making a hard hit 46, which took his season’s aggregate over the 400 run mark. He was well supported by all-rounder Greg Gelfond, who chipped in for 32 not out, as ANA amassed a respectable total of 8 declared for 147. ANA appeared set for an easy passage through to the Grand Final when they had the combine reeling at 6 for 46, but, as can so often happen in finals’ games, the opposition fought back and a 50 run ninth wicket partnership saw ANA’s Premiership hopes foiled. Gelfond captured 4/40 and Gilder took 4/46 as North Caulfield/Glenhuntly staggered home with a score of 9 for 154.

1984/85

The season of 1984/85 saw former Virginia Park batsman Everard Schoorman recruited from Clayton, in the VJCA, and appointed as Captain/Coach. He set about enforcing discipline around the Club and the on field performances improved dramatically. The previously known “A” Grade competition was renamed to the “Longmuir Shield” this season in recognition of the services of long time CMCA President, Ray Longmuir. Opening batsman Stewart Kreltszheim, along with promising youngster Craig Haw, both headed off to District Cricket Club South Melbourne, but ANA’s Longmuir Shield team still performed admirably throughout the season and if not for an administrative bungle, which resulted in the loss of points for the first round, would have in fact made the finals. They finished equal fourth on points but missed out due to a lower percentage. Hard hitting middle order batsman, John Bacon, proved to be the main reason for the improved form by knocking up almost 300 runs in a fine year. Bacon often amazed fellow team mates, who would cringe, as he continuously offered no shot to accurately aimed short pitched balls, preferring to allow them to hit him on all parts of the body.

The Fourth Eleven, in “G” Grade, was led by Paul Biddle throughout the season and performed admirably to finish in third position prior to the finals. They came up against the Cavaliers in their Semi-final and got off to a fine start by dismissing the Cavaliers for a modest total of 162. The 16-year-old opening  bowler, Shane Warren, proved to be the best of the ANA attack, taking 4/33 off 14 overs in a fine spell which ripped the Cavalier’s batting line-up apart. The experienced ANA batting line-up should have had no trouble in scoring the required runs but struggled from the outset, and could only manage a meagre total of 114, with the hard hitting Shane Edwards scoring a brisk 35, as ANA slumped to defeat.

The “Under 12C” Grade team, led by Russell English, were the best of the ANA Junior teams and they finished fourth at the end of the home and away matches. They came up against the strong South Melbourne District team in the Semi-final but were completely outclassed. In their first innings ANA could only manage a total of 37 and never troubled the District’s attack. South were then restricted to 164, due mainly to the efforts of Russell English who snared 6/41 off 24 impressive overs. Batting once more, ANA again struggled, only making 34 runs as they were soundly beaten outright in the one-sided final’s encounter.

 

1985/86

Following the departure of Everard Schoorman, Cedric Jansz assumed the Captaincy role once again, prior to the 1985/86 season. The First Eleven was strengthened by the return of allrounders Craig Haw and Debinder Singh, who had both had brief stints at South Melbourne. However, these two were replacing the loss of regular First Eleven players, Mick Biddle and Graham Bodley, who had both left the Club to play with the Baden Powell Cricket Club in their local Mornington Peninsula Competition. Also, promising opening bowler and hard hitting lower order batsman Graham Wilson left the Club to play with Omega. The “Longmuir Shield” team continued to perform well but once again finished in fifth position, missing out on the finals by only half a game. Neil Vorbach had a fine season with the bat, averaging almost 40, but a lack of consistency from the rest of the team was the major reason for missing the finals. The year was significant in finally marking the end of an era with the retirement of the ANA “evergreen”, Don Haw, who many doubted would ever retire. In a career which spanned over four decades, Donny had played at the Club consecutively for 34 seasons, amassing a Club record of 346 games which included 120 at the First Eleven level. Although he had played in three Premierships along the way, that keenly sought after maiden century had always managed to elude him.

 

The “Under 16C” Grade team, led by all-rounder Louis Parthenios, had a season of mixed success, but managed to sneak into the finals, finishing in fourth position. They came up against top team East Sandringham Boys Club in the Semi-final and Skipper Parthenios bowled splendidly, taking 4/46, as ESBC were routed out for a meagre 129. ANA had little difficulty in reaching the target, due mainly to the efforts of wicketkeeper and opening batsman Steve Kleytman, who hit up an aggressive 43, and allrounder Scott Gilder, who added support with 30. ANA cruised to 5 for 137 and an unexpected place in the Grand Final. The young ANA team then came up against the strong Ormond side in the Grand Final and elected to bat first. Kleytman again got the team off to a fine start with a brisk 48, and his opening partner Louis Parthenios stroked an elegant 35, which took his season’s aggregate to a monstrous 533 runs, which is rivalled only by the former junior champion, David Crozier (631), back in the season of 1972/73. Left hander Greg Gelfond batted excellently also for a fine 41 and number eleven batsman Rob Feldman even chipped in for a brisk 29, as ANA soared towards a match winning total of 236. Still needing to dismiss Ormond for victory, ANA set about their task aggressively. They were led by the pumped up Gelfond, who bowled one of the quickest spells ever seen by an ANA junior to send the Ormond bats reeling. Gelfond took his season’s aggregate to 36 wickets and ended with 4/70 in the Final, but these figures failed to indicate the devastation his pace bestowed upon the hapless Ormond batsmen as they crashed to be dismissed for a season’s low of only 117. The Premiership was fine reward for team manager Richard Smith and Captain Louis Parthenios, and capped off an incredible year for Parthenios.

 

1986/87

Season 1986/87 saw hard working committeeman, and former First Eleven Captain, Neil Vorbach, take over the Presidency from John Chessum, and with Cedric Jansz’s working commitments now taking up more of his time, he relinquished the Captaincy. Last minute negotiations saw Darren Haw return from District Cricket Club Fitzroy, to lead the Longmuir Shield team. Fitzroy Crozier still remained in the role as playing Coach and once again carried the ANA bowling attack, taking 30 wickets. The team struggled throughout the season and at the Christmas break had won only one game. However, the committee stuck loyally with their Captaincy choice and the move paid off, as ANA eventually ended up with 24 points and finished out of the relegation zone. The last round of the year was a sad one indeed, as it saw the end of the career of “The Man” as he was distinguishably referred to, in Fitzroy Crozier. At the grand old age of 50, Crozier led the team from the familiar playing grounds of the King George VI reserve for the last time. To the tune of three cheers, and a standing ovation from players and spectators alike, Crozier had aptly bowled another marathon stint of 23 overs, and for the 31st time had taken 5 wickets in an innings for ANA. In rather lean times for the Club, Crozier had played in 95 First Eleven games, including two Premierships, had made 2221 runs at an average of just over 32 and had taken 329 wickets at about 11 runs apiece. Not bad for a bloke who didn’t play his first game with the Club until he was 38 years of age. Mick Egan led a very strong Second Eleven team in “B” Grade, and they finished in second position prior to the finals. They came up against the newly introduced East St.Kilda team in the Semi-final, a team which had no answer to the accurate outswing bowling of Bob Dolman. Dolman mesmerised the Saint’s batsmen, capturing 5/41, as East St.Kilda plummeted to be all out for a paltry 136. With such a small target ahead of them the ANA team should have had no problem winning their way into the Grand Final. But the strong batting line-up capitulated, with only the stocky frame of wicketkeeper John Chessum defiantly knocking up 33 runs. It was a sad sight when Graham Johnson ran out of partners and the hapless ANA team had been dismissed for a miserable 104 runs, throwing away any chance of a Premiership.

 

1987/88

Bentleigh ANA introduced a Fifth Eleven and also a Women’s team in 1987/88, making it one of the largest clubs in the CMCA. After the previous disappointing year, Cedric Jansz regained the First Eleven Captaincy from Darren Haw. Although the team had lost Fitzroy Crozier, the side, overall, appeared stronger, due to the recruiting of Sri Lankan District player Peter Wijeyaratne from Columbo, who was on a twelve month scholarship in Australia. Indoor Cricket Champion, Paul Morgan, was recruited and his strong frame led the bowling attack, receiving added support with the return of Mick Biddle from Baden Powell. However, the team started disastrously, taking until Round 9 to defeat the reigning Premiers Elwood and win their first game. Fortunately they still managed to avoid relegation by the end of the season. Even with the elegance of Wijeyaratne with the bat, the team still sadly lacked consistent batsmen and would need either new blood or dramatic improvement to be a force in the coming years.

 

The Second Eleven in “B” Grade was led this season by the popular clubman John Smith, in his first year as Captain, and once again possessed a very talented team. They finished in second position prior to the finals and once again confronted the rival East St.Kilda team in the Semi-final. With the previous year’s disaster still clear in the memories of many of the players, ANA approached the game determined to avenge last season’s debacle and batted first in the game at LePage Park. Opening batsmen Craig Haw and Dean DeGiorgio batted defiantly to add 99 for the first wicket, with DeGiorgio making a fine 50 and Haw batting for over five hours to amass an excellent 76. Skipper John Smith gave fine support with a nuggety 46, while the big hitting Peter Crawford cracked up 43. And when Des Falconer chipped in with a solid 28, ANA had all but batted their way into the Grand Final with a monstrous score of 338. To their credit, however, the aggressive East St.Kilda team set about the task at hand positively, and in only an hour and a half, managed to knock up a belated 148, with Mick Biddle being the best of the bowlers taking 4/44. Surprisingly, ANA then came up against the fourth placed Brighton Union team who were strengthened by the return of injured speedster, and former Longmuir Shield Premiership player, Dave Blair. Having defeated Union by 130 runs in the last game of the year, ANA possibly went into the match being understandably over confident, and when openers Craig Haw and Dean DeGiorgio added 50 for the first wicket, the Green and Gold appeared to be cruising. Disaster struck, however, as the team then plummeted to be 8 for 91 before wicketkeeper Darren Haw defiantly added 33 late in the innings. His dismissal brought tail-enders David Millar and Bob Dolman together with the score at 9 for 117. The 17-year-old Millar, with a season’s best score of only four, then despatched the ball to all parts of the field as he hit up an impressive 45, while the pair took the score along to a respectable 169 before the last wicket fell. Encouraged by the performances of the tail-enders, the ANA bowlers then toiled hard but without much success, as Union amassed a potentially match winning total of 268, giving them a lead of 99 runs on the first innings. Again it was Mick Biddle who was the best of the bowlers in taking 4/52 with his unusual left arm slinging action. Not having the luxury of playing themselves slowly into a winning position, the ANA batsmen recognised the necessity of quick runs if they were to have any chance of victory. Openers DeGiorgio and Craig Haw again started the innings off well with DeGiorgio making a smart 38. The wickets then fell gradually and with only forty minutes of play remaining on the third day, the big hitting Peter Crawford strode to the wicket with ANA in diabolical trouble at 8 for 136, a lead of only 37 runs. Crawford showed little respect for the reputation of Blair and his fellow Brighton Union bowlers, as he awesomely belted up 64 in those forty minutes, in an innings which included 3 sixes and 10 fours. Tail-enders Dolman and Millar defiantly hung around once again as ANA amazingly clawed their way back into the match by hitting up a total of 218 runs, thus taking an overall lead of 119 going into the last day’s play. After having frustrated Brighton Union with the bat, Bob Dolman led the now confident ANA attack and soon Union were reeling at 4 for 10. The determined competitor, who had once again fully exploited his talents, bowled superbly to eventually snare 3/32, with an immaculately controlled spell of swing bowling. As if he hadn’t already done enough this match, Peter Crawford then unleashed a fearsome spell of pace bowling to break the backbone of the Union innings, by taking 5/33, and when Des Falconer became airborne to hold onto a blinder in the slips, Union were down for the count and were routed out for a meagre 98 runs, giving John Smith and his ANA “B” Grade team one of the most amazing Premiership victories ever seen in the CMCA.

 

The ANA Fourth Eleven, in “G” Grade, was led by Paul Biddle and performed consistently throughout the year to finish in third position prior to the finals. ANA clashed with the newly introduced Scotts Elwood team in the Semi-final and appeared to be in with a good chance after Scotts had slumped to 8 for 142. As so often happens though, the Elwood combine recovered to eventually end up with a total of 272, with Greg Gelfond being the best of the ANA bowlers, taking 4/36. ANA attacked the large total positively and got off to a good start after Mark Crawford with 37 and Stuart Saunders with 31, saw ANA reach 4 for 143. But the tail offered no resistance and they collapsed to be all out for 181, finishing well short of their required target.

 

In “I” Grade, the ANA Fifth Eleven was led by Ian Ward and performed excellently in their first year in the competition, sneaking into the four after the last game of the season. They came up against top team Bentleigh in their Semi-final and gave themselves a real chance of victory by dismissing Bentleigh for a modest total of 170, with Tim Foreman taking 5/64 and 15-yearold Paul Tyers ending up with 4/46. The young Tyers then batted superbly to make 61, but the only support came from tailender Carl Stibilj, whose 26 guided the frivolous ANA team to a total of 154, 17 runs short of victory. As mentioned, this year was also significant in seeing ANA field a Women’s Team for the first time in its history. Club legend, Paddy Crozier, needed little persuasion to take on the role of team manager, and a team led by Sandra Kreymborg was entered into the “C South” Grade of the VWCA. It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Paddy and the team, but their performances on the field were impressive throughout the year and they finished in third position prior to the finals. ANA came up against Elwood in the Semi-final and dismissed them for a total of 176. Tammy Neale was the chief destroyer taking 7/33 in a spell of tenacious pace bowling. ANA then set about smashing the ball to all parts of their familiar Eastmoor Primary School ground, and led by Captain Sandra Kreymborg, knocked up an enormous score of 390. Kreymborg hit up an incredible 151 which included 5 sixes and 19 fours. She was well supported by Nikki Worth who made a fine 69, as well as Sue Holdsworth who made 35, Sue Bartlett with 33 and Tammy Neale who contributed 31, as ANA confidently won its way into the Grand Final. The Green and Gold Ladies then came up against top side East Brighton in the final but collapsed to be all out for a meagre 77. Tammy Neale was again outstanding with the ball, taking 4/33 off 27 overs, but Brighton’s score of 219 put the game beyond reasonable doubt, and when Sandra Kreymborg was dismissed for 39 in ANA’s second innings, bringing her season’s aggregate to 730 runs, the game was called off with ANA struggling at 6 for 93 and still 40 runs in arrears.

 

The “Under 16B” Grade team, led by Leigh Williams, also had a good year and found themselves in fourth position prior to the finals. They struggled with the bat in their Semi-final clash against Moorabbin West and if not for the efforts of Paul Tyers with 36 and Leigh Williams making 29, would not have even ended up with their eventual total of 126. ANA then began defending the relatively meagre total, but Moorabbin West had no answer to the ANA pace barrage. Malcolm Wineberg captured 4/18 and Paul Tyers polished off a fine game by taking 3/26, as ANA amazingly bundled out the top team for a paltry 57 runs. The confident ANA “Under 16s” then came up against Hampton Central in the Grand Final and toiled hard with the ball. Continuing on their excellent final’s series, Paul Tyers bowled accurately to finish with 5/55 and Malcolm Wineberg took 3/35, as Centrals were dismissed for 174 runs. At 5 for 131, ANA appeared to be in the box seat, but once the burly Cameron Mahoney was dismissed for a hard hit 47, ANA crumbled to be all out for 133 and had thrown away any chance of winning the flag. In an outstanding year for the Bentleigh ANA Cricket Club, five of its eight teams had made the finals and full credit must go to President Neil Vorbach and his Committee for securing one of the Clubs most successful years to date.

 

1987/88 “B” GRADE PREMIERS - Match Statistics

Bentleigh ANA - 1st Innings

 

DeGiorgio D . . . . .  lbw Blair 26

Haw C . . . . . . . . .  c Sorbello 22

Crozier T . . . . . . .  c Blair 0

Smith J . . . . . . . . . c Sorbello 0

Bacon J . . . . . . . .  c Lake 19

Falconer D . . . . . .  b Blair 0

Haw D . . . . . . . . . .c O’Connor 33

Biddle M . . . . . . . . c Sorbello 7

Crawford P . . . . . . b Sorbello 0

Millar D . . . .. .. . . . run out 45

Dolman R . . . . . . . not out 8

TOTAL 169

Bowling - Blair D. 3/17, Morros O. 0/50, Sorbello K. 4/46,

Lake A. 1/17, O’Connor M. 1/29.

 

Brighton Union - 1st Innings

 

Bozinovic M . . . . . . run out 7

Sadler N . . . . . . .. . c DeGiorgio b Crawford 27

Turnball B . . . . . .  . c DeGiorgio b Biddle 72

Lake A . . . . .. . . c D.Haw b Biddle 15

Egan S . . . . . . . . . not out 60

Sorbello K . . . . . .b Dolman 9

Adams B . . . . . . b Biddle 12

O’Connor M . . . . b Biddle 0

Morros O . . . . . . . b Millar 39

Wingfield D . . . . . c Smith b Crawford 0

Blair D . . . . . . . . . c C.Haw b Millar 4

Sundries 23

TOTAL 268

Bowling - Biddle M. 4/52, Dolman R. 1/71, Crawford P. 2/67,

Millar D. 2/32, Falconer D. 0/7, DeGiorgio D. 0/16.

 

Bentleigh ANA - 2nd Innings

Haw C . . . . . . . . c Blair 20

DeGiorgio D . . . . . c Morros 38

Crozier T . . . . . . . b Blair 24

Bacon J . . . . . . . c Sorbello 14

Smith J . . . . . . . . c Blair 1

Falconer D . . . . . . . b Sorbello 6

Haw D . . . . . . . . . c Sorbello 20

Biddle M . . . . . . . b Blair 5

Crawford P . . . . . . b Morros 64

Millar D . . . . . . . . . . . not out 10

Dolman R . . . . . . . . . b Blair 9

Sundries 9

TOTAL 218

Bowling - Blair D. 5/98, Morros O. 2/48, Sorbello K. 3/36,

O’Connor M. 0/27.

 

Brighton Union - 2nd Innings

Sadler N . . . . . . . . . c D.Haw b Dolman 0

Bozinovic M . . . . . c Smith b Dolman 2

Turnball B . . . . . . . c & b Crawford 6

Lake A . . . . . . . . . . . lbw Dolman 2

Egan S . . . . . . . . . c Falconer b Crawford 6

Sorbello K . . . . . . . c Smith b Millar 42

Adams B . . . . . . . . not out 26

Morros O . . . . . . c D.Haw b Crawford 7

O’Connor M . . . . . b Crawford 0

Wingfield D . . . . . . c Falconer b Biddle 3

Blair D . . . . . . . . . . c D. Haw b Crawford 0

Sundries 4

TOTAL 98

Bowling - Biddle M. 1/4, Dolman R. 3/32, Crawford P. 5/33, Millar D.

1/25.

Bentleigh ANA won outright by 21 runs.

 

 

1987/88 “UNDER 16B” RUNNERS-UP - Match Statistics

Toss won by Bentleigh ANA

 

Hampton Central - 1st Innings

A’Moore C . . . . . . b English 33

Stefanec J . . . . . c Ward b Wineberg 40

Nelson B . . . . . . . c Tyers b English 2

Henderson D . . . . . . . c wkt b Tyers 0

Worland C . . . . . . . . . . . . . b Wineberg 28

Reed C . . . . . . . . . . . . not out 24

Deveraux G . . . . . c wkt b Wineberg 17

Deveraux R . . . . . . c Mahoney b Tyers 0

Dakis W . . . . . . . c Mahoney b Tyers 2

Newman J . . . . . . c Mahoney b Tyers 1

McGrath D . . . . . . . b Tyers 6

Sundries 21

TOTAL 174

Bowling - Tyers P. 5/55, Fowler J. 0/25, Wineberg M. 3/35,

English R. 2/32, Mahoney C. 0/6.

 

Bentleigh ANA - 1st Innings

Westoby P . . . . . . b Stefanic 12

English R . . . . . . . . b Devereaux 6

Williams L . . . . . .  . c Devereaux 24

Tyers P . . . . . . . . . c Nelson 3

Mahoney C . . . . . c Stefanic 47

Wineberg M . . . . run out 8

Mockett A . . . . . . c Stefanic 13

Ward A . . . . . . . c Devereaux 0

Russell D . . . . . . c Stefanic 0

Stanes A . . . . . . . b Devereaux 0

Fowler J . . . . . . .  not out 0

Sundries 20

TOTAL 133

Bowling - Devereaux 4/54, Nelson B. 1/22, Stefanic J. 4/23, Reed C. 0/14, A’Moore 0/0.

Hampton Central won on 1st Innings by 41 runs.

 

1988/89

Opening bowler Paul Morgan was appointed as Captain/Coach for season 1988/89 and wasted no time in commencing an extensive pre-season program which saw the teams probably the best prepared they had ever been at the start of a season. Morgan recruited several players from his Moorabbin Indoor Cricket Centre, the most significant being former Carlton First 37 Eleven opening bowler Grant Treeby. Peter Wijeyaratne returned to Sri Lanka and former Captain Darren Haw headed to Brighton Union, but these two losses were well and truly compensated for by the recruiting of 17-year-old speedster James McKinley from Omega, former Chelsea Heights Captain/Coach Chris Beattie, Mornington Diggers batsman Andrew Collison, and all-rounder Graham Bodley who had returned to the Club after several years with Baden Powell. Sadly, injury robbed ANA of the best of Paul Morgan and this, along with his business commitments, forced him to resign mid-season. His deputy, Cedric Jansz, once again assumed the Captaincy role. The arrival of Collison at the Club proved to be the big bonus of the year. After the tall policeman wandered into training one night asking for a game of cricket he began a blistering run with the bat, scoring 48, 50, 71, 83 and 62 in his first five hits at the “Longmuir Shield” level. Cedric Jansz had his best season for almost a decade and compiled 378 runs for the year, while Craig Haw with 343 runs, Collison with 322 and Vorbach with 267, saw ANA finally produce the much needed form with the bat that they required to be a top team. However, even with Grant Treeby’s 32 wickets, the ANA First Eleven still narrowly missed out on a final’s berth once again.

The Second Eleven had been promoted to “A” Grade (which was the old “B” Grade prior to the introduction of the Longmuir Shield title for the old “A” Grade) this season, and still under the guidance of Premiership Captain John Smith, performed excellently to finish in third position prior to the finals. ANA came up against Mackie in the Semi-final and struggled from the outset as Mackie hit up an impressive total of 239. Consistent final’s performer Bob Dolman was once again the best of the bowlers, taking 3/52. Opener Graham Bodley batted defiantly for 47 and skipper John Smith battled hard for his 28, but the rest of the batsmen put in a shocker as ANA plummeted to be all out for a disappointing score of 136.

 

The Third Eleven, in “D” Grade, was led by the very experienced Dennis Williams. The team comprised a mixture of youth and experience and had an excellent season finishing in first position prior to the finals. ANA came up against Cluden in the Semi-final and opening batsman Richard Smith led the charge by making an excellent 72, as ANA headed towards a strong total of 224. Tim Foreman with 36 was also in fine touch, as ANA had hit itself into a winning position. Brett Walton, Shane Warren and Richard Smith all took two wickets apiece as Cluden were bowled out for a meagre 117 runs, allowing ANA to grab a much deserved Grand Final berth. Coming up against Carnegie South in the Final, the long haired Richard Smith was again in superb touch getting the innings off to a fine start by making 73. He received good support from Mark Horsfield with 41 and veteran wicketkeeper Ron Russell who made a fighting 27, as ANA hit up an impressive 205. But, in losing their last 5 wickets for only 11 runs, ANA had given Carnegie a chance to get back into the match. Again, however, the ANA bowlers stuck to their task and bundled Carnegie South out for only 126. Richard Smith, who was having an incredible final’s series, took 3/11 and Barry Masefield captured 3/21, as ANA appeared to have sewn up the Premiership by taking a 79 run first innings lead. But, as if the “hoodoo” ground at Elwood was yet again going to be the scene of another ANA disaster, the Third Eleven plummeted to be all out for a meagre 88 in the second innings, leaving Carnegie 166 runs to make in ten overs for victory. Rising to the occasion, Shane Warren then captured 3/23 leaving Carnegie with 4 for 44 at stumps and putting a dampener on any Premiership hopes Carnegie may have had. Thus, after 17 years with the Club, Dennis Williams finally got his much deserved Premiership win.

 

The Fourth Eleven was once again led by Paul Biddle in “G” Grade and performed excellently throughout the season to finish in second position prior to the finals. They came up against the newly introduced Menzies team in the Semi-final and led by Paul Russell with 4/40 and a fine spell of 4/19 from Peter “Frosty” Miller, ANA bundled Menzies out for only 127. John “Jacko” Smith then hit up an impressive 58 not out, as ANA overcame several hiccups early in their innings, to eventually get home with a score of 7 for 147 and enter into the Grand Final. ANA faced McKinnon in the Final but struggled from the outset as McKinnon hit up an impressive 279, putting enormous pressure on the ANA batsmen. Veteran leg spinner Ken Wilson bowled a marathon 40 overs to take 3/68 while “Frosty” Miller took 3/84 off 35 overs and 15-year-old Richard Vargas bowled well to take 3/32. Try as they might, the ANA batsmen never really threatened the large total and only through the efforts of “Frosty” Miller once again with 56 and Paul Russell with 38, were the Green and Gold able to reach a respectable score of 153, having to be content with a Runners-Up pennant. It was a disappointing finish to the season for Paul Biddle and his Fourth Eleven team as they had performed excellently throughout the season. One of the most amazing performances in the “G” Grade was seen from one of the players who did not play in their final’s team, Frank Loiacono. Frank, a regular First Eleven player, was selected to play in the Fourths one game early in the season as he was only able to play for one week. Seeing the ideal opportunity for some extra batting practice, Frank gave the team more than a bit of a boost, as he hit up a colossal 206 not out, becoming the first and only player at ANA to have made a double century, eclipsing Max Papley’s thirty-year-old Club record of 196. His whirlwind innings consisted of an unbelievable 14 sixes and 18 fours, as he surpassed his previous best score of only 54.

 

1989/90

Season 1989/90 saw the Bentleigh ANA Cricket Club reach the milestone of 60 years. This event was celebrated with a magnificent reunion which saw old team mates and opponents, from all over the country, come together for an evening which brought back many memories and stories alike. The success of the night was a credit to Neil Vorbach and his Committee, but the number of ex-players who once again returned to the Club was surely a glowing tribute to all the people associated with ANA over the years. It must have been astounding for many of the old ANA “greats” to return to the environment which they had helped to establish back in the early days and many were amazed to hear of the amount of money that was now in the CMCA. It was widely accepted that the introduction of Bingo had now made it possible for several clubs to finance players, some receiving five figure sums, and many clubs were having trouble competing in a rapidly increasing financial competition. In front of the large crowd forming for the reunion at King George, ANA recorded a memorable victory over last year’s finalists Brighton Union. Former Carlton opening bowler Grant Treeby was Captain/Coach for the season and embarked on a pre-season training program that saw the ANA players resembling Kennedy’s Commandoes back in the early sixties. Treeby and 19-year-old David Millar led the First Eleven attack and both had reasonably good seasons while, for the first time in over ten years, no less than six players ended up with over 200 runs for the season. Former Chelsea Heights Captain/Coach Chris Beattie led the aggregates with 289, while “evergreen” Neil Vorbach won the batting averages. Excellent support was also provided by wicketkeeper Stewart Kreltszheim, Trevlyn Crozier, Debinder Singh and Cedric Jansz - all of them collected over 200 runs each for the year. Even as late as the Saturday evening, after the last game, the First Eleven appeared to have made the finals in the Longmuir Shield for the first time in 16 years. Alas, Bentleigh Uniting had got up to snatch an unexpected victory in their last game and, yet again, the hapless ANA team was just pipped out of the four by less than a game. This was a great disappointment, and for the first time in five seasons, ANA failed to have a senior side represented in the finals.

 

The “Under 14 C” Grade team saved some face for the Club when it won its way into the finals, being the first Under 14 team to do so for many years. Led by Garry Litinsky, they came up against Hampton United, who won the toss and elected to bat, in their Semi-final encounter. After starting soundly, Hampton slowly began to falter to the ANA pace attack and eventually were bundled out for a meagre total of 118 with skipper Litinsky being the chief destroyer, taking 3/10 off ten overs, and leading a fine team performance. The ANA bats had been inconsistent throughout the season to say the least, but this final’s match brought out the best in them as they cruised to a score of 3 for 133. The run onslaught was due mainly to the efforts of opening batsman Ian Chick who stubbornly defied the Hampton United attack to remain unconquered on 51, his finest performance for the year. ANA then came up against top team Washington Park in the Grand Final and all of the bowlers performed well as the Park were dismissed for a modest total of 169. Garry Litinsky was again outstanding with the ball as he captured 4/33 off 24 overs in an excellent performance. At 1/43 the ANA team appeared to be headed for an unexpected Premiership, but wickets slowly began to tumble, and they were eventually bundled out for only 103. Adam Kain batted determinedly for 31 but the lack of support that he received proved to be the crucial factor, and Team Manager Mark Horsfield had to be content with a Runners-up pennant for this year.

 

1990/91

With the celebrations of the 60th Year now over, it was imperative the Club’s First Eleven continue to show improvement, under the Captaincy of Grant Treeby, and look for a place in the four. A forfeit gained over St. Kilda in the first round, followed by a three game losing streak, was not the start they wished for prior to the Christmas break. But with Mackie imports Glen Holland and Mark Rainey settling into the Club, together with Grant Treeby and Graeme Bodley, ANA had one of the best bowling attacks seen at the Club and as a result was able to keep opposition teams down to an average of 160. Consequently, six successive wins by the end of Round 10 meant ANA had to beat Washington Park in the last round to ensure a finals spot. Washington batted first with ANA's bowlers again dismissing the opposition for 160. Unfortunately the run chase fell short with the only resistance coming from Chris Beattie and Wes O'Neill, who provided the backbone of the batting with season averages of 39.9 and 29.2 respectively. For the second successive year the First Eleven came so close but again had to settle for fifth place.

 

The Second Eleven were able to capitalise on the depth of the First Eleven and go one better by winning eight games for the season, handing out a thrashing to Washington Park in the last round, to ensure they cemented a spot in the final four. As had been the case with the Second Eleven for some time, it boasted a number of all-rounders including Captain Bob Wilson, Frank Loiacono, Trevlyn Crozier and “indoor” recruits Jason Sherlock and Barry Masefield. Together with John Smith, Bob Dolman and David Shipp, this side had a number of experienced players that contributed to relative high scores throughout the year. In the bowling department David Millar continued to show improvement and was supported by Bob Dolman. Both these bowlers showed their true colours when ANA hosted Omega in the first Semi-final held at King George. Omega won the toss and as expected decided to bat first. At 2/67 at tea the Millar/Dolman combination then continued on to take all 10 wickets, dismissing Omega for 180. A reasonable score but quite achievable by the all-rounded talent of the ANA side. It may have been nerves, call it what you like, but two early run outs didn't help ANA's cause and at tea the game was all but over. Even the long tail that had performed so well during the home and away games couldn't save the home side from defeat and disappointingly they were all out for 90.

 

In “C” Grade ANA's Third Eleven showed they weren't going to be left out of the action, and led by first year Captain Michael Biddle, they booked themselves a place in the finals. Seven wins out of the last eight games earned them the right to play Hampton United in the Semi-final. Having taken 28 wickets throughout the home and away season Justin Fowler continued on his good form and picked up 5/46 off 20 overs, as ANA rolled Hampton United for 194. The batting relied heavily on Mark Horsfield (331runs for the season), Graham Johnson (228) and Desmond Falconer (222). The latter two combining for a record sixth wicket partnership of 182 not out (D.Falconer 93 n.o., G.Johnson 83 n.o.) against Brighton Central in Round 10. In ANA's innings these three batsmen were back in the pavilion at 7/131, and as a result the team failed to achieve the 194 runs required for victory.

 

The Fourth Eleven continued the Club’s success by dropping only two games for the year, along their way to a Semi-final playoff against Brighton Union at King George. Although prolific season scorers for the year Andrew Stanes (252) and Peter “Frosty” Miller (324) failed in the Semi-final a creditable total was achieved, thanks mainly to Richard “Tavare” Smith who made a well compiled 53 and steadied the ship, allowing the team to make a score of 205. Defending this score Frosty turned it on with the ball taking 6/75 to have Brighton Union all out for 144. There was to be no pants ripping episode by Fourth’s Skipper Paul Biddle this year as his side set up a first innings total of 264 against Brighton Central in the Grand Final. All batsmen contributed, with Andrew Stanes (30), Cameron Hallowell (58), Jack Smith (26), Russell Saunders (36), and Jason Sherlock (29). Centrals made a disastrous start, with all-rounder Russell Saunders taking 6/45 off 21 overs as they crashed to be all out for 97. Paul Biddle and Gavin Bodley took two wickets apiece. As expected, ANA enforced the follow-on, but at 8/97 the game was called off and at last ANA had grabbed itself a share of Premiership glory after having three of its five senior teams playing in the finals.

 

Whilst no junior sides were represented in the finals there were some encouraging signs for the future of the Club. Names like Liber Flechero, Ian Chick, Garry Litinsky, Adam Stone, Adam Kain, the latter taking a season aggregate 27 wickets at an average of 9.48, meant the Club had a base of good junior players to work with. Only time will tell if they all go on to succeed with the Bentleigh ANA Cricket Club.

 

1991/92

After the disappointment of missing out on the finals last year, ANA appointed wicketkeeper/batsman Chris Beattie as Captain of ANA's First Eleven and recruited a couple of exciting bowlers in Stuart Willey and Steven Badger. The aim was to strengthen a side that always threatened but just couldn't make the top level. Unfortunately, after losing the first two games of the season another mediocre year was looking likely. However, consistent performances from several players allowed ANA to win the remaining nine games of the season to make its first finals appearance in Longmuir Shield history. Exceptional batting performances were frequent in a line up that included seven players making over 200 runs for the season. Most impressive was stocky opener Wes O'Neill (363 runs at 45), who was well supported throughout the season by Debinder Singh (246 runs at 35), Neil Vorbach (271 runs at 34) and Chris Beattie (300 runs at 30). O'Neill provided the individual highlight of the season when he carried his bat against Washington Park in Round 5 to finish on 134 not out. In doing so, both he and Captain Chris Beattie created a new fourth wicket partnership for the First Eleven of 176 (Wes O'Neill 69, Chris Beattie 90). ANA's bowling department was dominated by opening bowler David Millar (31 wickets at 18) and the left arm orthodox of Graeme Bodley (25 wickets at 13). In summary, all of the core players contributed to bring ANA into its Semi-final clash against Omega at King George Reserve. Cedric Jansz had an indifferent season with the bat, but scored an inspirational century in the last round for the Seconds to win back a spot for the historic match. Omega won the toss and batted first. They batted strongly to finish at 7/223 with the reliable David Millar (3/92 off 29 overs) and Graeme Bodley (3/79 for 30 overs) denying Omega a greater score. ANA started poorly being 4/41, and despite some stirring performances from Neil Vorbach (66) and Cedric Jansz (44), who both received heavy blows to the head, ANA never recovered, finally being dismissed for 186. Despite having its best season in years, the finish was a disappointing one for a side that had the potential to go all the way.

 

In “C” Grade ANA's Third Eleven also made the finals after strong performances throughout the season from Russell Saunders with the bat (246 runs at 41) and Sammy Wolfe with the ball (19 wickets at 17). In the Semi-final against Mackie, ANA batted first and with good performances from Jack Smith (30), Jason Sherlock (49) and Peter Miller (38), the side was cruising at 3/150. However, a lower-order collapse left the game in the balance as ANA was dismissed for 190. In the end it was never threatened as Mackie were all out for 114. Peter Miller capped off a fine game taking 4/13 off 17 overs.

 

Unfortunately the Grand Final against Hampton Central was a game ANA will want to forget. After Captain Michael Biddle won the toss and elected to bat, ANA's Premiership chances were over early, being dismissed for 94. Despite lion-hearted efforts from Russell Saunders (3/32 off 20 overs) and Jason Sherlock (4/50 off 25.4 overs), Hampton Central passed ANA five down, going on to make 295. Despite no senior Premierships the juniors performed strongly, with both Under 12C and Under 16B Premierships being won by the  Club.

 

The “Under 16” Semi-final against Middle Park was an epic clash with ANA batting first. Solid performances by opener Adam Kain (33) and Captain Ian Chick (39) gave ANA a competitive score of 123. However, Middle Park looked likely winners after being 2/80, but with support from the boundary, ANA fought back, finally dismissing Middle Park for 117. Shane Kitts was the star taking 6/47. In the grand final against Elsternwick, Ashley Kitts (26), Ian Chick (47) and Shane Kitts (30) took ANA to 173. Elsternwick were never a chance, finally being dismissed for 147. Shane Kitts capped off a fantastic finals series by taking 4/48, while Ian Chick took off the wicket-keeping gloves to capture 3/12.

 

In the “Under 12C” grade (managed by Jack Smith and Des Falconer) Skipper Rohan Neve with the ball (4/20), and star player Leigh Ireson with the bat (22), gave ANA a solid win by five wickets in the Semi-final against Cheltenham Park. In the grand final against Omega, Rohan Neve backed up his Semifinal performance by taking 5/11 to help dismiss the opposition for 71. After being 4/5, and then 6/46, ANA were looking very shaky. However Greg Walker (28) and Andrew Samaratunge (10) defied the odds and allowed ANA to win its second Premiership for the season. Despite no senior successes, two Premierships for the season was a very good performance by any club's standards.

 

1991/92 “UNDER 12C” PREMIERS - Match Statistics

Toss won by Bentleigh ANA

Omega - 1st Innings

Woods G . . . . . . . . b Neve 15

O’Brien A . . . . . . . b Ireson 0

Wilkinson C . . . . . c Tylor b Walker 21

Brown L . . . . . . . . run out R.Neve/Tylor 19

Jenkin M . . . . . . . c Walker b Neve 0

Redon L . . . . . . . .b Neve 1

Sawaya R . . . . . . .c L.Ireson. b Neve 1

Bennett B . . . . . . .b Samaratunge 5

Baird D . . . . . . . . c R.Neve b Samaratunge 0

Nyssen L . . . . . . .c & b Neve 0

Yanni A . . . . . . . not out 0

Sundries 9

TOTAL 71

Bowling - Walker G. 1/19, Ireson L. 1/22, Neve R. 5/11, Snelling M. 0/6, Samaratunge A. 2/4.

Bentleigh ANA - 1st Innings

Smith G . . . . . . . . . . . b Jenkin 0

Snelling M . . . . . . . c Jenkin 3

Ireson L . . . . . . . . . . lbw Jenkin 9

Neve R . . . . . . . . ..b Sawaya 0

Tylor R . . . . . . . . . .b Jenkin 0

Walker G . . . . . . . . b Wilkinson 28

Neve J . . . . . . . . . . b Yanni 3

Ireson A . . . . . . . . . not out 0

Samaratunge A . . . . c O’Brien 10

Pattison S . . . . . . . . .run out 0

Goff C . . . . . . . . . . b Jenkin 4

Sundries 27

TOTAL 84

Bowling - Jenkin M. 5/16, Sawaya R. 1/17, Yanni A. 1/4, Wilkinson C. 1/6,

Brown L. 0/12, Nyssen L. 0/1, O’Brien A. 1/1.

Bentleigh ANA won on 1st Innings by 13 runs.

 

1992/93

Chris Beattie again took up the Captaincy of the First Eleven and recruited glamour boy Jim Boyd, from Peninsula side Seaford, to bolster the number three batting position and add depth to the bowling, which also included local Steve Badger. The season started with a one day game against Cluden who, unfortunately, managed to pass ANA in the last over. This was followed by two draws against Omega and Washington Park. Both games were affected by rain, and on both occasions, ANA had chances for victory. Luck goes a long way to playing in finals and instead of having three wins (18 points), ANA had only six points from the first three rounds. A frustrating season was to follow, where the only further points gained was from another draw, this time it was Hampton United who denied ANA victory by “shutting up shop”. Consistent batting by Trevlyn Crozier, hard hitting by Cedric Jansz, and the debut of Andrew Stanes into the First Eleven (averaging 20 from four games), were the only positives to come out of the batting, whilst the bowling averages showed only one percent separating Steve Badger, Jim Boyd, David Millar and Graeme Bodley, the latter again taking the Firsts bowling averages.

 

Whilst the Second Eleven, in “A” Grade, had a disappointing year, the Third Eleven, playing in “C” Grade, continually showed why they were the most consistent side by again featuring in the finals. The only set back they had to contend with was the lack of a home ground facility. The Council had taken the unprecedented move, three weeks prior to the start of the cricket season, of introducing womens softball to Bailey Park, leaving ANA with no ground for a Third Eleven, “C” Grade, team. As a result the team played few home games, but when they did it was on one of the overlapping grounds situated at Elsternwick Park. It was clear from the outset that the Executive Committee of ANA, alone, had to explore all avenues to ensure the Thirds had a home base for the following year. This was never going to be easy, given the swing away from the traditional sports of football and cricket. Nevertheless, and despite these adversities, the Third Eleven showed they were capable of mixing it with the best, on any ground, anywhere.

 

With only two losses coming into the finals ANA played Bentleigh Uniting at King George in a Semi-final, and after sending the opposition into bat, dismissed them for 98. Sam Wolfe and Jason Sherlock both took four wickets each, the latter having an excellent season with both bat and ball. ANA had a minor collapse with the bat but managed to overhaul the 98 required with one wicket to spare. The Thirds also gained the services of Russell Mactaggart who travelled down from Alexandra each Saturday to play. The Grand Final was played at King George against Le Page Park, who had earlier in the season dismissed ANA cheaply for 113. Again the consistent Le Page side had ANA on the ropes at 9/109. Enter Mark McDonald. The number eleven batsman, together with Mark Canavan, put on a 75 run partnership which took ANA to a respectable 184. Mark contributed 68 of those 75 runs. This partnership proved to be a match winning performance, as Le Page managed only 148 against an ANA attack again led by Jason Sherlock (five wickets), Mark McDonald, Sam Wolfe and Mick Ruffin. Finally the Thirds had a Premiership after finishing Runners-up the previous year, and Semi-finalists the year before that.

 

Unfortunately the Fourth and Fifth Elevens had lean seasons, but on a positive note, these teams were filled with junior players keen to help out at a senior level after having performed admirably with their own teams in the Junior competition. ANA has always prided itself on the quality of juniors coming up through the ranks and only time will tell whether these kids can take the next step.

 

1993/94

The off-season saw the departure of Chris Beattie back to the Peninsula, enticed by a coaching offer made by Baxter C.C. Jim Boyd left the Club after a stay of only one season and Steve Badger played just the one game. Needless to say the bowling attack lacked depth, with the weight of responsibility falling on the shoulders of David Millar and Graeme Bodley. Into the side came Peter Carmel, recruited by Cedric Jansz. Given the enormous task of getting ANA back on track, Peter took on the Coaching role as well as the Captaincy of the First Eleven. With their Round One match drawn due to rain, they didn't have to wait long for a win, with a Round Two victory over Hampton Central.

 

After collapsing to 9/121, ANA lifted with a last wicket stand of 65 between David Millar (52) and Graeme Bodley (22 n.o.), a record for an ANA First Eleven team, eclipsing the previous tenth wicket partnership of 56 set back in 1988. As a result, ANA made 186, and Hampton Central struggled, being bowled out for 106. Again David Millar and Graeme Bodley combined to take seven wickets between them. Unfortunately there was to be only three other wins for the year, highlighted by some big hitting from John Bacon. In an eight week period he amassed over 350 runs, smashing 120 out of 171 for the Third Eleven and then backing up with consecutive scores of 51, 70 and 117 in Longmuir Shield. The latter century coming with a huge six over the deep mid-wicket boundary against an Omega attack that went onto win the Longmuir Shield Premiership. John Bacon's season average of 37.88 was backed up with contributions from Trevlyn Crozier, Frank Loiacono and David Millar, all of whom exceeded 200 runs in the home and away season. For the first time in a while the First Eleven bowling lacked penetration, with only Graeme Bodley (21 wickets at 22.2) and David Millar (31 wickets at 18.7) making a significant impact. In addition to taking wickets Millar also opened the batting on most occasions and showed his all round ability by compiling 210 runs at an average of 26.2. This was far and away the most outstanding individual effort of any player throughout the Longmuir Shield competition, and as a result, David Millar was awarded the “G. Knights Sportsgoods Player of the Year”.

 

The Second Eleven side were again led by John Smith, and as usual, were very competitive with five wins and a draw after the completion of eight rounds. Unfortunately three losses towards the end of the season saw them fall out of the four and miss an opportunity of playing in the finals. Debinder Singh was the highlight when he opened the batting against Omega in Round Two, making a swashbuckling 127 n.o., in of a total of 5/227. Singh accumulated over 270 runs throughout the year at an average of 45.5 and, together with Barry Masefield (twice taking 5/34 throughout the year) and Jason Sherlock, provided solid all rounded performances.

 

The off-season had the Committee of ANA working overtime to find a suitable ground for the reigning Third Eleven “C” Grade Premiers. An opportunity was explored through the City of Kingston to turn a recreation park, situated east of Warrigal Road, along Centre Dandenong Road, Cheltenham, into a cricket ground. The fact that it was adjacent to the Cheltenham RSL provided instant incentive to a number of staunch members of the Club. No names will be mentioned, but in the seasons to come, it was rumoured at least one ANA player visited the bar during the tea interval on those hot Saturday afternoons. Not sure whether the performances on the ground benefited from the sip at the bar but it was quietly, and discreetly, given the thumbs down by the Committee.

 

The hard work of Neil Vorbach, Graeme Bodley, Bob Wilson, and the Committee, enabled the Club to secure a home for its Third Eleven side. Known as Kingston Heath, it was soon adopted as “The Heath”. Unfortunately it provided little shade to the cricketers who played there and its width made scoring boundaries a rarity. Whilst 1993/94 saw the defending Premiers win only a handful of games, the Third Eleven welcomed the return of Club legend Fitzroy Crozier. Taking 4/7 off 14 overs he showed nothing had been lost during his days of retirement. Giving his reason for returning to cricket as “purely a fitness one”, at 57 years of age not many people could be bothered, let alone be capable, but the man loves the game and was also willing to help out other players from a coaching perspective. Mark McDonald had a stellar year, taking 21 wickets in the first four rounds with bags of 5/72, 5/46, 6/52 and 5/50, thus walking away with the title of “Club Champion” well before Christmas. Other highlights included personal bests from Darren Russell, who scored 93 in the last round, and Mark Harrington, in making scores of 71 and 65 opening the batting.

 

Highlights were thin on the ground for the Fourth and Fifth Elevens. Ashley Kitts provided an all-round performance in the Fourths, against East Sandringham in Round 10, making 69 with the bat and taking 2/19 with the ball. In the Fifths, Garry Litinsky hit up 103 in their Round 2 clash, also against East Sandringham. For the Women’s side some solid batting performances were evident throughout the year, but not consistently enough to get them into the finals.

 

The “Under 16s” were the sole ANA finalists for the season, achieved more by solid team performances rather than individual brilliance. They played Highett West in the Semi-final, dismissing them for 135, with all five bowlers getting amongst the wickets. Unfortunately this consistency didn't carry through to the batting, with Koutaplis (64) the only player to get to double figures, out of a score of 109. The Ireson brothers put in some solid performances during the course of the season, with Leigh making 64 out of a total of 130 in Round 2 against South Caulfield in the “Under 14s”, and Andrew taking 4/10, 4/16 and 3/13 in the first three rounds for the “Under 12s”.

 

 

1994/95

Despite the appointment of Longmuir Shield “Player of the Year”, David Millar, as Captain, and the introduction of new players Peter Bishop, Peter Damyon, Mark Duncan and Stuart Hendricks, the 1994/95 season was a lean one for the First Eleven Longmuir Shield side. Current players Darren Russell and Jack Smith made their debuts, the former hitting up 55 in his first and only knock for a Longmuir Shield side. Jack Smith was unlucky not to take out the First Eleven batting average with 198 runs at 33 from six games.

 

Unfortunately a change of personnel didn't mean a change of fortune and consequently, with only two wins and a draw for the season, relegation was narrowly avoided. No less than seven players averaged in the low twenties with the bat, but none of them went on to make significant scores. David Millar (25), Graeme Bodley (15) and Jason Sherlock (25) held the bowling together, with Jason Sherlock opening the bowling and averaging 21.88 with the ball in his first full season of Longmuir Shield.

 

Any game against Brighton Union is always a competitive one, but a Round 3 clash at Hurlingham Park will be well remembered for its excellent spell of opening bowling from David Millar and Jason Sherlock. They had the opposition struggling at 2/22 after 14 overs, with Sherlock having taken the openers out cheaply. But when you're on a losing streak the luck seems to desert you. This day was no different and with rain falling (not enough to stop play) the ground became slippery and so to did

the synthetic pitch at Hurlingham Park. In addition to the adverse weather conditions the bowling was under siege from former St. Kilda AFL player, Craig O'Brien. Rampaging his way to a score of 110 he completely changed the complexion of the match.

 

A score of 8/264 was always going to be a tall order and in reply ANA could only manage 9/163. Whilst the influx of new players failed to ignite the First Eleven, they did add overall depth to the Club’s Second and Third Eleven sides. Second’s Captain, John Smith, could be seen licking his lips when the likes of Peter Bishop, Trevlyn Crozier, Bob Dolman, Debinder Singh, Peter Damyon, Jack Smith, Barry Masefield and Frank Loiacono all graced the field during the course of the year.

 

Seven wins for the season was enough to get the Second Eleven “B” Grade side into the finals, despite a last round “away loss” to Cheltenham Park who had only made 154, Barry Masefield taking 5/50. In reply ANA could only manage 133. No Second Eleven batsman had qualified for the end of season averages. However, significant contributions by most players throughout the year had ensured their opponents were set a reasonable target, and the bowling usually did the rest. The Round 11 loss to Cheltenham Park resulted in ANA revisiting the same venue, against Cheltenham Park, in a Semi-final clash. This time ANA won the toss and Skipper John Smith had no hesitation in batting first.

 

A solid opening partnership of 47 between Jack Smith and Trevlyn Crozier ensured ANA were off to a good start. Jack Smith went on to make 73 and was dismissed when the score was 3/125. Peter Bishop (47) and John Smith (82 n.o.) took up the challenge and took the score to 296, all out. The Skipper’s knock was considered a gem by most people who witnessed the onslaught that day.

 

A huge target was always going to be a difficult assignment for Cheltenham Park, however, the ground did lend itself to big scores. Tight bowling by ANA dismissed the opposition for 189, with Bob “Dolly” Dolman the chief destroyer with 4/69 off 26 overs. He was well supported by Barry Masefield (2/42) and Peter Damyon (3/21), and accordingly had a birth in the “B” Grade Final. Any game against Bentleigh Uniting is a tough one, let alone a Grand Final at Centenary Park. Bentleigh Uniting's depth was never questioned, with their First Eleven the pacesetters in Longmuir Shield. Nevertheless, another coin toss going ANA's way meant an in-form batting line up could again set up a respectable target, and this they did. John Smith (31), following on his good form from the Semi-final, again set the scene with middle-order support from Debinder “Tiger” Singh (30) and a majestic century by Peter Bishop, who was finally dismissed for 117. ANA had set Bentleigh Uniting a record finals score, for an ANA Second Eleven, of 306. With with early wickets to Bob Dolman and Barry Masefield, Uniting were in all sorts at 7/47, and the game all but over.

 

Only stubborn resistance by the evergreen Ian Longmuir (123) prolonged the inevitable; a long awaited “B” Grade Premiership. Man of the Match going to Peter Bishop, for his century, and Bob Dolman for 10 wickets in a final series. The finals series was said to be the most convincing one from an ANA side, and should not be underestimated, as they played against no less than six First Eleven teams throughout the season.

 

1994/95 “B” GRADE PREMIERS - Match Statistics

Toss won by Bentleigh ANA

Bentleigh ANA - 1st Innings

Smith Jack . . . . . . . . . . b Milner 31

Crozier T . . . . . . . . . . . c Nolan 0

Russell D . . . . . . . . . . . b Porch 4

Singh D . . . . . . . . . . . . lbw Nolan 30

Bishop P . . . . . . . . . . . c Guttman 117

Loiacono F . . . . . . . . . c Nolan 6

Smith John . . . . . . . . . c Porch 11

Masefield B . . . . . . . . c Longmuir 42

Vargas R . . . . . . . . . . . c Nolan 4

Damyon P . . . . . . . . . . . not out 17

Dolman R . . . . . . . . . . not out 2

Sundries 41

TOTAL 9/305

Bowling - Porch S. 2/68, Nolan S. 4/77, Milner M. 1/30, Guttman J. 1/48, Longmuir I. 1/41.

Bentleigh Uniting - 1st Innings

Woodland R . . . . . lbw Dolman 11

Baynes D . . . . . . . . lbw Masefield 3

Thomson A . . . . . c Singh b Dolman 20

Major M . . . . . . . . . . . b Dolman 5

Guttman J . . . . . lbw Dolman 0

Sinclair M . . . . . c Bishop b Masefield 2

Longmuir I . . . . . . . c Damyon b Dolman 123

Balderanos T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . c John Smith b Dolman 0

Milner M . . . . . . . . . b Singh 11

Porch S . . . . . . not out 27

Nolan S . . . . . . . b Masefield 0

Sundries 14

TOTAL 216

Bowling - Masefield B. 3/67, Dolman R. 6/68, Vargas R. 0/27, Damyon P. 0/25, Singh D. 1/24.

Bentleigh ANA won on 1st Innings by 89 runs.

 

Richard Smith took over the Captaincy of the Third Eleven “C” Grade side. Carnegie South hit up 386 in the first round, and this seemed to set the pattern for the season, as the Thirds had only one win for the year. This was against Bentleigh Uniting, with the highlight being Richard Vargas’ 7/43. Graham Johnson had a good year with the bat making 205 runs at 25.63. Mick Ruffin showed further improvement with the ball capturing 19 wickets at 18.53.

 

The Fourth Eleven “F” Grade side was Captained by Mick Whelan and managed to scrape into the finals. The best bowling performance of the year came from Adam Stone against West Bentleigh, when he took 9/33 off 21 overs (including 10 maidens). Having taken eight wickets in succession, Scott Irving then took a catch off Ken Wilson for the ninth wicket, thus robbing Adam of a possible perfect ten. Team mates “paid out” on Scott and made sure he didn't forget what could have “been”. Nevertheless, Stone took the last wicket and placed himself amongst illustrious company, with only three other players who have taken nine wickets in an innings. Two of these also against West Bentleigh. In the Semi-final played at King George, Bentleigh Uniting batted first and compiled a very competitive score of 265. Adam Stone continued his good form, taking 4/39 off 18 overs, and was ably supported by Robert Higgins (3/25 off 18 overs). Unfortunately the score was beyond ANA's reach and they were bundled out for 123. Only Greg Pressey (38) and Andrew Higgins made starts.

 

The “J” Grade Fifth Eleven side won only four games for the year with Stephen Hodges, Shane Adams and Mark Gonzo performing admirably throughout.

The Club had no junior sides in the finals but had some inspirational individual performances from the “Under 16” team. In particular Leigh Ireson, who took 7/4 against Carnegie South in Round 2, and followed it up with 102 (retired) against Caulfield South in Round 9. Rohan Neve also made 107 retired against Moorabbin in Round 7. The future of the Club could not look anything but promising with the performance of these two juniors.

 

 

1995/96

All clubs seem go through a cycle of winning, and losing, streaks throughout each year. Performances through the grades also vary from year to year, along with the individuals that affect those results. The 1995/96 season was, without doubt, the most successful in the Clubs history in terms of finals performances. Along the way the Club took the honours with no less than four Premierships, and was considered unlucky not to have won the “Champion Club” of the CMCA. Only a “points system” weighted heavily in favour of the higher graded sides cost the Club what would have been justified recognition. The First Eleven didn’t quite get off to the start they were hoping for when the previous years’ Captain, David Millar, announced he would be moving to Sydney. This was to leave a gaping hole in the First Eleven side, the likes of which ANA hadn’t felt for some time. Most clubs are able to build around successful individuals, and with many good years ahead of him, the Club would not receive the full benefit of one of its own junior players coming up through the ranks. Nevertheless, the Executive were fortunate enough to again acquire the talented, and much travelled, Glen Holland from Brighton Central, appointing him as Captain. Unfortunately,

a clearance technicality prevented him from playing the first game. The Club was fortunate, however, to gain the services of hard hitting top order batsman Gary Harvey from Murrumbeena and former Ormond all-rounder Clive Dickson. Harvey took four catches in the cover area on debut whilst Dickson showed his tight bowling was going to play a big part in ANA’s season. In a season where highlights were many, the Club made the Longmuir Shield finals for only the second time since its inception (formerly “A” Grade). Unfortunately we lost the Semi-final to Bentleigh Uniting by some 25 runs. A crucial stage in the match, when Glen Holland was felled by a short delivery, may well have made the difference between winning and losing. At that stage the score was 8/160 (chasing 211), and with two boundaries to open his account, one sensed the Skipper was going to produce another match-winning performance. Alas, the head injury to Holland, which delayed the game for some time, also stopped ANA’s momentum and consequently they were all out for 187. Only the week before ANA had managed a miraculous win over arch rivals Brighton Union. Set a score of 246 to win the game, and a possible place in the finals, ANA were struggling at 9/175. “Young gun” Gary Harvey had made a blistering 57 when he was out lbw, with the score at 5/112. The middle-order failed thereafter but that was when ANA showed its depth of all-round experience, as it had done so many times earlier in the year. Slowly, but surely, Barry Masefield and Clive Dickson proceeded to pick off the Union bowlers. With nine required off the last over, Clive Dickson dispatched Con Gorozidis’ second ball over the fence for six, ensuring a sweet victory for ANA. Along the way they created a last wicket record stand of 71 for a First Eleven. Clive finished with 33 and Barry remained 44 not out.

Other highlights to come out of the year included a season average of 34.75 with the bat from Debinder Singh. He also made a personal best of 126 against Cheltenham Park in Round 10, 104 coming in boundaries. Whilst this game was significant for its outright victory, it also witnessed Glen Holland equalling the Club record of most wickets taken in a match, for a First Eleven side. In what can only be described as the most quickest and accurate spell of sustained bowling perhaps ever seen at the Club, the ANA Captain took 8/65 and 7/18, off a combined 24.5 overs, to bundle the opposition out for 102 and 108 respectively. Only the great Ted Luttrell had taken the same amount of wickets in a match back in 1938 against Bentleigh Footballers (8/23 and 7/19). The Second Eleven “B” Grade side opened their account by winning the first four rounds. Consistent batting from Frank Loiacono, David Shipp, and Ashley Kitts was well supported by strike bowlers Barry Masefield and Sammy Wolfe, the latter taking a career best of 7/80 against Bentleigh Uniting in Round 2. The side was led by John “The Chairman” Smith with many Club stalwarts contributing to the side’s efforts throughout the year. The undoubted highlight of the season came against Omega in Round 10. An unbroken 257 run fifth wicket partnership took place between Ashley Kitts and Peter Bishop. Chasing Omega’s modest total of 144, the pair came together at 4/112 then set about decimating the attack. Bishop finished on 131 not out (20x4’s and 2x6’s), whilst Kitts finished on 147 not out (14x4’s and 10x6’s). The score at stumps was 4/369 and created a Club record fifth wicket partnership, in fact it is the highest partnership for any wicket throughout the 70 years of the Club. Unfortunately the side was beaten in the Semi-final against Elwood by four wickets, with only John Smith, playing a great Captains knock with 51.

 

The Third Eleven “D” Grade side was led by Graham Johnson, in his debut as Captain, and the side achieved immediate results by winning the Premiership. Winning four of their last five rounds, the Third Eleven finished in fourth position and took on Le Page Park in a Semi-final match played at King George. ANA set Le Page Park a huge score of 8/289 thanks mainly to a vintage performance by Bob Wilson who contributed 123 out of the team’s total. This was Bob’s maiden century, after 25 years with the Club, and, although tired and exhausted at the end of the day’s play, he still refused to take his jumper off, despite the heat. A trait that he still maintains to this day. Adam Kain took 5/22 which saw Le Page Park bowled out for 215. This put ANA into the Grand Final against Carnegie South, which was also played at King George. Graham Johnson won the toss and had no hesitation in deciding to have a bat. ANA made a modest 217, with four players making into the thirties. It was enough to defend as Carnegie South were bowled out for a paltry 153. Strike bowlers Garry Litinsky and Robert Higgins took 3/37 and 3/36 respectively. In an earlier game Litinsky had provided the highlight of the season when the young opening bowler routed Brighton Union in Round 10. Defending a rather mediocre score of 194 runs on the small Hurlingham Park

No. 2 ground, Litinsky single handedly bowled the side to victory with the figures of 27 overs, 4 maidens, 9 for 72. As luck would have it, Litinsky had the opportunity to grab a perfect 10 wicket haul, but unfortunately dropped a difficult caught and bowled chance before the last wicket fell to a run out. He joins an elite group of four other ANA players who have taken nine wickets in an innings. Scott Falahey also won the CMCA batting averages for “D” Grade with 53.75.

 

1995/96 “D” GRADE PREMIERS - Match Statistics

Toss won by Bentleigh ANA

Bentleigh ANA - 1st Innings

Smith R . . . . . . c Oldershaw 19

Russell D . . . . . . c & b Townsend 34

Crozier T . . . . . . . . . . c Oldershaw 0

Johnson G . . . . . . . . c Grant 3

Wilson B . . . . . . . b Meredith 5

Falahey S . . . . . . . . b Smith 33

Wolfe S . . . . . . . . . c Meredith 4

Higgins R . . . . . . . . c Bates 35

Litinsky G . . . . . . c Bates 38

Kain A . . . . . . . . . not out 12

Canavan M . . . . . . . c Oldershaw 8

Sundries 27

TOTAL 217

Bowling - Oldershaw R. 3/52, Bates B. 2/45, Grant A. 1/18, Meredith M. 2/25, Townsend G. 1/38, Smith C. 1/20.

 

Carnegie South - 1st Innings

Dobson S . . . . . . . b Litinsky 10

Briggs J . . . . . . . c Wolfe b Litinsky 21

Grant A . . . . . . . . lbw Higgins 6

Miles A . . . . . . . . lbw Higgins 4

Bradshaw A . . . . c Irving b Kain 35

Smith C . . . . . . c Russell b Johnson 20

Mills D . . . . . . . b Johnson 4

Meredith M . . . . . . . not out 21

Townsend G . . . . . . . c Johnson b Higgins 6

Bates G . . . . . c Wilson b Litinsky 15

Oldershaw R . . . . . . run out Kain/Higgins 2

Sundries 10

TOTAL 153

Bowling - Litinsky G. 3/37, Higgins R. 3/36, Kain A. 1/36, Wolfe S. 0/14, Johnson G. 2/23.

 

Bentleigh ANA - 2nd Innings

Smith R . . . . . . . . not out 37

Russell D . . . . . . . c Oldershaw 6

Crozier T . . . . . . . c Townsend 25

Johnson G . . . . . b Meredith 45

Wilson B . . . . . . . c Townsend 42

Falahey S . . . . . . . . not out 8

Sundries 7

TOTAL 4/169

Bentleigh ANA won on 1st Innings by 64 runs.

 

 

The Fourth Eleven “F” Grade side made the finals but were bundled out in the first Semi-final. Stephen Hodges performed well throughout the year taking 28 wickets at 13.29. Andy Higgins averaged 46.67 with the bat after compiling 280 runs during the home and away season.

 

The Fifth Eleven were once again led by the irrepressible Bill Fajwul who did a sensational job of leading the side to a Premiership, although not before a nail biting Grand Final. Two walkovers, one washout, two outright wins and four first innings victories constituted a mixed bag for the Fifth Eleven, but it also ensured them a spot in the finals. An opening partnership of 59 against Southside in the first Semi-final, played at East Caulfield, and 72 to Mark McDonald provided ANA with a first innings total of 252. Southside could

only manage 142, with six ANA bowlers getting amongst the wickets. In the Grand Final ANA couldn’t have got off to a better start when they had Hampton Central 6/23, going on to dismiss them for 74, Nathan Wilson taking 5/19. However, ANA fared little better in their first innings, mustering a mediocre 87. Hampton Central fared little better in the second innings, being knocked over for 100, leaving ANA to make 88 runs to win outright. After

collapsing to 6/20, ANA were in dire straits, and looking down the barrel of defeat, well inside the schedule allotted overs. A 41 run partnership between David Ince and Andrew Bloomfield took the score to 61, before “Bloomy” was dismissed for a gutsy with 8/90. With the pennant safely in hand this game was a gentle reminder of the pressure that can build up when playing in a Grand Final.

 

1995/96 “I” GRADE PREMIERS - Match Statistics

Toss won by Hampton Cental

Hampton Central - 1st Innings

O’Neill P . . . . . . . . c Bloomfield b Wilson 0

McGregor S . . . . . . b Wilson 1

Brisbane R . . . . . . c Bloomfield b McDonald 17

Jackson W . . . . . . . . . . . . c Falconer b McDonald 1

Cox B . . . . . c Adams b McDonald 0

Kalogerinis . . . . . . .. . . lbw Wilson 22

Cox G . . . . . . c Falconer b McDonald 0

Vine D . . . . . . . b Wilson 6

Lacey D . . . . . c Falconer b Wilson 6

Mirabito W . . . . . . b Bloomfield 11

Connelly B . . . . . . . not out 0

Sundries 10

TOTAL 74

Bowling - Wilson N. 5/19, McDonald M. 4/40, Bloomfield A. 1/8.

Bentleigh ANA - 1st Innings

Harrison D . . . . . . c Cox 0

Wilson N . . . . . c Kalogerinis 21

McDonald M . . . . . . c O’Neill 9

Bloomfield A . . . . . b O’Neill 2

Falconer D . . . . . . c Kalogerinis 11

Vivitis T . . . . . . . . . c Cox 8

Adams S . . . . . . . . . c Cox 22

Ince D . . . . . . . . . . . . b Cox 2

Fajwul B . . . . . . . . . . . c Cox 0

Gill B . . . . . . . . . . . . c Cox 5

Pederson N . . . . . . . . not out 0

Sundries 7

TOTAL 87

Bowling - O’Neill P. 2/15, Cox B. 6/31, Kalogerinis N. 2/21, Jackson W.

0/17.

Hampton Central - 2nd Innings

O’Neill P . . . . . . b Bloomfield 27

McGregor S . . . . . . c Gill b Wilson 18

Brisbane R . . . . . . c Bloomfield b McDonald 0

Jackson W . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . b Wilson 8

Kalogerinis N . . . . . . lbw Wilson 0

Lacey D . . . . . . . b McDonald 7

Cox B . . . . . . . c Falconer b Pederson 6

Cox G . . . . . c Wilson b McDonald 20

Vine D . . . . . . c Craven b b Pederson 0

Connelly R . . . . . . . . . . . . c Falconer b Bloomfield 5

Mirabito W . . . . . . . . not out 0

Sundries 9

TOTAL 100

Bowling - Wilson N. 3/18, McDonald M. 3/44, Bloomfield A. 2/23, Pederson 2/9.

Bentleigh ANA - 2nd Innings

Harrison D . . . . . . . c O’Neill 0

Wilson N . . . . . . . . . b Cox 6

McDonald M . . . . . . . b O’Neill 0

Bloomfield A . . . . . . b Cox 26

Falconer D . . . . . . . . c Cox 0

Adams S . . . . . . b O’Neill 1

Ince D . . . . . . . . . not out 38

Vivitis T . . . . . . . . . . c Cox 1

Fajwul B . . . . . . . b O’Neill 2

Gill B . . . . . . . . . . . . not out 2

Pederson N . . . . . . . . . . .

Sundries 14

TOTAL 8/90

Bowling - O’Neill P. 4/42, Cox B. 4/38, Jackson W. 0/3, Cox G. 0/3.

Bentleigh ANA won Outright by 2 wickets.

 

 

The “Under 16B” side, co-managed by Richard Smith, was made up of players from three clubs: Bentleigh ANA, Omega, and Bentleigh Uniting. This ensured all players got a game of cricket on a Saturday morning and was a credit to all clubs concerned. Not only did they get a game of cricket, but they were good enough to win the Premiership, when they defeated McKinnon by five wickets. Highlights were many throughout the season including centuries to Leigh Ireson, Mark Snelling and Rohan Neve. Leigh also had a brilliant season with the ball, terrorising opposition sides with his express pace. He also won the CMCA batting

average with 78.33. This successful season for the combined “Under 16s” also brought to a close the wonderful thirteen-year Coaching and Managing role of Richard Smith. “Dicky” or “Chard”, as he is affectionately known, remained involved with the “Under 16s” from the day he became a Senior player. Over this period his teams have gone on to appear in many a final, with a good percentage eventuating in Grand Final victories. This unbroken thirteen-year effort not only endeared him to the hearts of his clubmates but also introduced him to a wider audience - the CMCA. Rarely did a game go by where he wasn’t involved in a deep, and of course, meaningful conversation with opposition players. Even when he was retrieving balls from “over the road” a car horn would sound because someone had recognised him. Also known for his dour, almost Tavare like, innings’ Dicky proved himself to be the thorn in many an opposition’s side. Cries of “lash out and hit a two” were commonplace amongst opposition supporters. Little did they realise that this only made him more determined. A point never lost on his team mates. One can only hope, amongst the many junior players that pass through our Club, that we produce another Dicky.

 

The “Under 14B”, managed by Bob Wilson, made the Grand Final against Washington Park, after comfortably beating them in a Semi-final, Gary Carr making 50 before automatically retiring. Unfortunately, the result was reversed in the Grand Final. After batting first ANA got off to a good start, only to collapse to be all out for 87, which was not enough against Washington Park’s reply of 5/137. The side had three outstanding performers in Gary Carr, David Marsh and Uhi Pardalis, all scoring at least 50 “retired” a number of times. Uhi Pardalis won the CMCA batting averages with 102.23. Olivia Wright also won the competition’s fielding award. There were a number of good performances throughout the season. One being Gary Carr’s effort in taking 5/1 off five overs against West Bentleigh in Round 5.

 

The “Under 12C” side, managed by Adam Kain and Adam Stone, capped off a great season for the Club, beating Washington Park by 9 wickets in the Grand Final. The side was fairly even across the board, although Blair Richardson, Michael Canty and Ryan Dolman all had their moments of glory. Blair Richardson won the CMCA batting averages with 182, being dismissed only once during the season. Washington Park were only able to make 95 in their first innings, with the wickets shared evenly amongst the ANA bowlers. In reply ANA passed their score one down, with four of the top batsmen retiring automatically. In conclusion, a very satisfying season with all teams making the finals, and four of those going on to winning a Premiership.

 

1995/96 “UNDER 12C” PREMIERS - Match Statistics

Toss won by Bentleigh ANA

Washington Park - 1st Innings

Briggs S . . . . . . b Morphet 12

Jones D . . . . . . . b Costelloe 0

Jewel E . . . . . . b Holmesby 3

Murphy R . . . . . . . . b Wood 36

Cleary D . . . . . . . b Morphet 4

McDonald M . . . . . c Costelloe 14

Darcy Z . . . . . . . b Canty 1

Lord J . . . . . . run out 2

Sheild D . . . . . . . not out 1

Gange S . . . . . . . b Canty 0

Bence M . . . . . . . b Canty 0

Sundries 21

TOTAL 95

Bowling - Costelloe M. 2/17, Holmesby S. 1/10, Lee A. 0/16, Morphet P. 2/14, Dolman R. 0/15, Smeaton J. 0/12, Canty M. 3/7, Wood P. 1/4.

 

Bentleigh ANA - 1st Innings

Wood P . . . . . . . . . c Cleary 2

Dolman R . . . . . . . . . retired 31

Richardson B . . . . . . . retired 30

Canty M . . . . . . . . . . . not out 10

Lee A . . . . . . . . . . not out 12

Costelloe M . . . .

Morphet P . . . . .

Holmesby S . . . .

Wright T . . . . . . .

Smeaton J . . . . .  

Wilson M . . . . . .  

Sundries 13

TOTAL 1/97

Bowling - Briggs S. 0/12, Cleary D. 1/20, Lord J. 0/19, Murphy R. 0/20, Jones D. 0/13, Bence M. 0/9, Darcy Z. 0/2.

Bentleigh ANA won on 1st Innings by 9 wickets.

 

1996/97

If the previous year was significant for all sides making the finals, the 1996/97 proved quite the opposite with only the “Under 14B” and “Under 12C” making the finals. The First Eleven side was again led by Glen Holland and had high expectations, particularly with their efforts of making the finals the previous year. It had been twenty years since an ANA side had played in consecutive finals series in the First Eleven. Unfortunately the side struggled, despite the depth of talent remaining relatively unchanged, with only Steve Badger departing for overseas. Peter Bishop continued to stabilise his place in the Firsts and Andrew Stanes showed he was capable of more consistent performances. Both players averaged 32.29 and 36.75 respectively for the season with Andrew Stanes achieving a milestone against Brighton Central when he posted his maiden century (109 n.o.) on one of the hottest days of cricket ever played. Gary Harvey also finished with with 93 not out. Unfortunately these players were not supported by other top order players. This always seemed to be a trait of ANA sides over the past 20 years. The bowling was again held together by Glen Holland, Clive Dickson, Barry Masefield and Graeme Bodley. Gary Harvey was named the G. Knights Sportsgoods U/21 Player of the Year. The First Eleven side finished in tenth position and narrowly escaped relegation.

The Second Eleven side rallied to win their last four games, but it was not enough to make the four. It wouldn’t be quite the same if John Smith and his players didn’t have a close encounter with East Bentleigh Central. ANA made 236 thanks to many uncharacteristic singles from the blade of Frank Loiacono (who finished with 81) batting at number three. In reply Centrals were travelling nicely at 6/200 after 47 overs, and had a real chance of victory. Jason Sherlock managed clean up the tail giving ANA victory by 11 runs. Despite their positions on the ladder both sides have always played an even contest. If you asked Skipper John Smith who he hates losing too more than anyone else, he’ll always say “next door”. Four wins from the Third Eleven “D” Grade side meant the top three sides would not be playing finals this year. The most outstanding performance came in the first round when Garry Litinsky took 7/10 off 14 overs against Le Page Park to have them bowled out for 54. Litinsky took the first seven wickets before up and coming left arm spinner Adam Kain chipped in with 3/12 off 5 overs. Bob Wilson was again handy with the bat averaging 30 throughout the season. The season provided no joy for the Fourth and Fifth Elevens but provided the Club with an opportunity to “blood” some of the juniors who had success the previous year. In particular Gary Carr, David Marsh and Uhi Pardalis. All these boys enjoyed games in the Fifths and showed they will play a big part in ANA’s future. Under the newly introduced “Page” system (the old VFL “final four”) the “Under 14B” side went out in straight sets. In the second semi against Brighton they defended a small total of 108, with David Marsh contributing 51 of that score. Brighton passed this score two down and went on to make 217. Best of the bowlers was Ben Hyrons with 4/41. The Preliminary Final had ANA chasing Bentleigh’s score of 5/190. David Marsh again led the way with 35 but the side was unfortunately bundled out for 123. The “Under 12C” side did it the hard way by dropping their Second Semi-final to Middle Park. Defending 110, with Luke Forrest 40 and Bill Biggs 32 n.o., Middle Park made 6/130 to do it comfortably in the end. The Preliminary Final was played against Elsternwick and once again only a modest total was achieved. This time however, 108 runs was enough to defend against Elsternwick who could manage only 93, thanks to a spell of 5/13 off 11 overs from Brad Muzzell. This meant ANA had another opportunity to make amends for the loss to Middle Park in the Second Semi-final. Alas another score of just over 100 wasn’t enough to defend, with Luke Forrest making a fighting 32 n.o. Middle Park passed the score two down, and for the third time that year Middle Park had led the way in making big scores.

 

1997/98

A new season and a new President. An early season election saw the Club’s “First Eleven games record holder”, Cedric Jansz, take up the position of President of Bentleigh ANA. In addition, the Committee gave their full support to Debinder “Tiger” Singh, as he led the way as Captain of the First Eleven. Clive Dickson departed, choosing Bentleigh Uniting as his new club. Jason Sherlock was offered a coaching role with Malvern and Russell English had a spell from the game. To offset this Peter Damyon and Barry Masefield showed further improvement and became regular players in the First Eleven side, both combining to take 46 wickets between them for the year. Robert Higgins made somewhat of a comeback to open the bowling. Peter Bishop's form continued when he became the only player to score over 50 in an innings on three occasions, to accumulate 245 runs for the home and away season. The season brought a radical change to the way the CMCA played its cricket. For the purists it was a cultural shock. The CMCA Executive made a ruling that all Longmuir Shield clubs would commence using synthetic pitches to replace the matting, that for so long had provided opening bowlers with the ability to dig one in short and spin bowlers with that extra turn. Ground improvements to the King George pitch meant ANA would continue with the mats for an extra season compared to most of the other clubs in Longmuir Shield. Whether the lack of match practice on the synthetic pitches proved a disadvantage was debatable, but a fateful day at Le Page saw ANA bowled out for 58. Only Barry Masefield avoided being bowled by Le Page Park’s opening bowler who took 9/35 in a 17 over spell. Accordingly it was another disappointing season for the Firsts, winning only four games, and again fighting to avoid relegation. On-field performances were few and far between, hence the lowly ladder position. Frank Loiacono came good in the last game to record his best figures with 7/78 against Cheltenham Park. The Second Eleven was again Captained by John Smith, making it through to the Semi-finals. Five wins and an extraordinary loss to Omega (all out for 34) meant the side was sitting on top at Christmas. With only a further two wins after the break the Seconds limped into the finals. A Second Semi-final against East Sandringham, on face value, may have given the edge to ANA. A second round clash earlier in the year saw ANA bowl East Sandringham out for 62. But this was a different ANA side in the finals, with at least five changes to that earlier team, and as a result ANA were chasing a formidable 297. It never really happened for ANA that day and consequently the season ended on a disappointing note with East Sandringham comprehensively outplaying ANA, winning the game by some 200 runs. The Third Eleven were led by Michael “Buddy” Biddle who maintained his excellent Captaincy record, again taking the side through to the Semi-finals. The side suffered a gut wrenching one run loss to Bentleigh Uniting. The result was all the more hard to take following the dubious lbw decision against a shattered number eleven batsmen in Stephen Hodges. Equally shatteredwas Bob Dolman who remained 16 n.o., and who on so many other occasions, had come in “at the death” to try and save (or win) matches, when a regular for the Seconds. There was an even spread of performances within the team throughout the year, with Michael “The Professor” Whelan, Mark Canavan and Bob Wilson all having good seasons with the bat. Bob Wilson notched up another century (116 n.o.) against Hampton Central, Stephen Hodges took 7/22 against Washington Park in Round 10 and Paul Dixon 7/43 against Cheltenham Park in Round 11. Led by Graham Carr the Fourth Eleven side got through to the Semi-final, before failing by 18 runs against Le Page Park. This was a great effort by this side considering the large turnover of players that took place. Graham Carr led from the front with both bat and ball, notching up an unbeaten century against Mackie in Round 2. There were also good supporting performances at various times from Richard Cooke, Aaron King and Greg Pressey. A highlight was the maiden century by young Gary Carr.

 

The Fifth Eleven was led by the illustrious one in Bernard Gill, and although they didn't have a great deal of joy as far as victories go, they stuck together through thick and thin and enjoyed themselves. One senses the best part of the day is when Bernie Gill holds centre stage at the match reports. Any pain felt through the day can be easily forgotten when Bernie gives his assessment of the days play. There's always a funny side to everything.

 

The “Under 16B” side, under the tight reign of Graham Johnson, had a very successful season considering the side was made up of mainly first year players in this age group. The side reached the Preliminary Final before losing to Bentleigh by 71 runs. There were some exceptional performances, with David Marsh and Gary Carr having excellent seasons with bat and ball. Captain Andrew Ireson, Uhi Pardalis and Steven Kolivas also made fine contributions during the season.

 

The “Under 14A” side had a difficult season due to its lack of depth, but under the astute coaching of Bob Wilson, and a great deal of parental support, the side could still hold their heads high at the end of the season. The side had some promising performers, with Ryan Dolman starting to realise his potential with bat and ball, whilst Luke Forrest, Matt Costelloe and Michael Canty all showed encouraging signs at various times. Under the astute leadership of the two Adams (Kain and Stone), the “Under 12B's” again made the finals, only to be beaten by Washington Park in the Semi-final by 39 runs. The outstanding performer of the side was no doubt Bill Biggs, who had a brilliant season with both bat and ball. He was ably supported by Luke Nuske, Glenn Wilson, Joel Gebert, Stuart Levy and Tom Fitzpatrick, amongst others. There is definitely some future potential with this side and hopefully they’ll continue on together at Bentleigh ANA for many years to come. In conclusion, the Club had a reasonably good season with five sides making the finals, but unfortunately, no premierships.

 

1998/99

In the week prior to the commencement of the season, Life Member and one time Secretary, Mick Egan, passed away. Mick had been diagnosed some 18 months earlier with cancer. His efforts as Secretary, Committee member, and player always made an impact, and he was largely responsible for the preparation and organisation of the 60th Year celebrations. He always provided an alternative to any problems the Committee faced, on and off the field, but he always put the Club first. A true clubman that will be sadly missed. Two previously disastrous seasons by the First Eleven placed enormous pressure on the Committee, and the Club, to find awinning formula that would lift the side out of the doldrums. An exhaustive search for experienced players throughout the off-season failed to lure any players to the Club apart from Peter Franks, an opening bowler that would prove good support Barry Masefield. By Round 3 the Club had complied with the CMCA’s regulations of having synthetic laid on their home ground at King George. This was a requirement of any club wishing to play Longmuir Shield cricket. Richard Smith had retired for the second time and took up the position of Team Manager to add some professionalism to the First Eleven. Unfortunately his impact as scorer had the reverse effect on ANA when it was humiliated by Le Page Park for the second year in a row. This time making its lowest score for 32 years, a paltry 26 (including six extras). It only improved slightly in the second innings when ANA managed to avoid outright defeat by making 8/88. A vintage performance by Cedric Jansz (124 n.o.) against Bentleigh Uniting could not lift the side to its first win of the season in Round 4.

 

Fifteen-year-old Gary Carr was given a taste of Longmuir Shield cricket and made his debut in Round 7 against Hampton United with 13 not out. The following week he made 51 before being run out, while Debinder Singh had earlier made 119, when the score was 5/228, on the way to chasing Brighton Central's 8/283. Unfortunately ANA fell four runs short at 9/279. The last round match gave ANA an outright opportunity, thus throwing them a life-line to get off the bottom of the ladder. After being dismissed for 81 by East Sandringham, the ANA bowlers routed East Sandringham for 75, Paul Dixon taking 5/5 off five overs. With plenty of time and overs remaining, ANA again batted and were all out for 107 with Gary Carr contributing a fine 34 not out. Early breakthroughs were the order of the day, and when East Sandringham were 2/15 another opportunity had presented itself, but unfortunately the opposition put the shutters up and ANA had to settle for first innings points, having had the opposition 8/93 at the close of play. The Second Eleven had a somewhat average season with only three and a half wins from their eleven games. Adam Stone earned a debut with the Firsts after a magnificent 93 against Le Page Park in Round 1. Stephen Hodges took 5/8 against Brighton Union in Round 3. All his team mates thought they’d seen him bowl better, but for no return, such is the game of cricket. Mick Ruffin continued to push for selection in the First Eleven with 6/74 off 24 overs against Bentleigh Uniting. Mark Canavan impressed the selectors with a pre-season under his belt, and relatively injury free start to the year. This was a clear indication that he would be in for a good year. In six games for the Third Eleven side he amassed 240 runs at the healthy average of 60. Included in that was 131 n.o. against Mackie when he batted all day. He also took out the CMCA “F” Grade batting average for the year. He was well supported by Bob Wilson (252 at 25.2) and Sammy Wolfe (249 at 31.13). Fourteen-year-old Ryan Dolman performed exceptionally well in the Fourths by taking 25 wickets at 19.6. His best performance was 7/46 against Hampton Central in Round 10. Graham Carr took the batting averages with 37.63 and was unlucky not have reached a ton, when out for 99 against Mackie. Mick Biddle also had a good year with the bat compiling 318 runs at an average of 28.91.

 

The “Under 16B” side were the Premier side for the Club, thanks mainly to the efforts of the Carr/Marsh factor. Both posted a number of big scores throughout the year and ensured the side made the finals. The first Semi-final was considered somewhat of a shock loss to HCMW (the Hampton Central/Moorabbin West combine), who had made 153 in their first innings. ANA could only manage 114 in reply. As a result ANA was faced with a cut-throat preliminary final against Elsternwick. Batting first ANA made 2/215 with Gary Carr not out 96 and David Marsh 68. In an absolute nail-biter, Elsternwick required two runs off the last ball of the match to win. The ball was struck firmly, at ankle height, to Michael Canty at square leg, forcing him to lose balance. With the ball slowly rolling away from him, and the batsmen having already completed one run, he managed to regain his composure, and from a sitting position threw the ball to the keeper, gaining the run out by two or three metres. With scores tied, ANA were awarded the game because of their higher position on the ladder at the end of the home and away games. Earlier, controversy had possibly robbed ANA of the victory. As was the case in the home and away games, batsmen had to retire when they had reached 100, being allowed to resume their innings, in turn, once the other batsmen had been dismissed. Scorer, Graham Carr, had raised this point with the opposition once one of their players had reached his 100. They dismissed his queries out-of-hand, stating that “this was a final and that rule didn’t count”. As the player moved on to 116 the protests now involved the Umpires. As is the case, and it was no different on this day, the Umpires are usually volunteers that do not necessarily know all the rules associated with the Junior competition within the CMCA. The game had now come to an abrupt stop, as one of the Umpires (Tony Evans, Mackie) was now on the mobile, speaking to CMCA Executive member John Quiney, seeking a ruling. It was decided that the batsman had to retire, but the additional 16 runs would stand. Fortunately, or unfortunately, ANA then proceeded to knock over the Elsternwick batsmen, only to see the “retired” batsman return to the crease with about one or two overs to go. He took up where he left off, clubbing the ANA bowling to the fence. His wicket was the run out off the last ball.  Apart from the on-field excitement, the heat of the moment was just as palpable outside the playing arena. A fire in the Bentleigh Secondary College grounds required the attendance of the Fire Brigade. We had everything. Runs, wickets, last-ball run outs, smoke, flames, sirens - and Gino Fulco leading the charge to put the fire out. It was magic.

Anyway, all that aside, the victory meant a berth in the Grand Final, once again playing HCMW. This time ANA managed to restrict the opposition to 139, and with the in-form Carr making 98, ANA were able to pass the score only four wickets down. A great year for Graham Johnson’s “Under 16s”, and along the way David Marsh picked up the CMCA’s batting average (68.4).

 

The “Under 12B” team also played in the finals but unfortunately were rolled by West Bentleigh for 105. West Bentleigh went on to make 125, passing ANA with seven wickets down. A relatively successful season for the juniors and hopefully some potential for the future.

 

1998/99 “UNDER 16B” PREMIERS - Match Statistics

Toss won by Hampton Cental/Moorabbin West

Hampton Central/Moorabbin West - 1st Innings

Dawson M . . . . . . . . . b Marsh 3

Challman M . . . . . . . . c Pardalis b Kolivas 0

Rolls M . . . . . . . . . . . c & b Morphet 39

Rawlins R . . . . . . . . . c Pardalis b Carr 12

Connelly J . . . . . . . c Canty b Morphet 31

Scott M . . . . . . . c Costelloe b Carr 10

Baird E . . . . . . . . . b Marsh 14

Sheen D . . . . . . . . . c & b Carr 14

Dimachai M . . . . . . c Wright b Marsh 1

Kilpatrick T . . . . . . . . not out 4

Hoskins N . . . . . . . . b Carr 2

Sundries 9

TOTAL 139

Bowling - Kolivas S. 1/24, Marsh D. 3/23, Carr G. 4/37, Dolman R. 0/18,Morphet P. 2/36.

 

Bentleigh ANA - 1st Innings

Carr G . . . . . . . . . . . . . c Dimachai 98

Marsh D . . . . . . . . . . . . . c Connelly 7

Dolman R . . . . . . . . . . . . c Scott 2

Pardalis M . . . . . . . . . . c Challman 13

Johnson S . . . . . . . not out 23

Kolivas S    

 Costelloe M

Canty M

Wright T. 

Morphet P

Wood P

Wilson M  

Sundries 4

TOTAL 4/147

Bowling - Connelly J. 1/36, Sheen D. 0/12, Kilpatrick T. 0/6, Scott M. 1/32,Dimachai M. 1/7, Challman M. 1/41, Rawlins R. 0/13.

Bentleigh ANA won on 1st Innings by 6 wickets.

 

 

1999/2000

After the disappointment of 1998/1999, where ANA was relegated to Woolnough Shield after finishing bottom of the ladder in Longmuir Shield, season 1999/2000 provided ANA with one of its biggest challenges yet. That was to win the Woolnough Shield and get back into the premier grade, or remain in the Woolnough wilderness. As many other clubs had shown, unless you win the “B Grade” Premiership immediately after being relegated, it would be likely that your standards drop, and you remain a “B Grade” side for some time. ANA’s pride had taken a battering.

 

The Club began by making some tough decisions pre-season in order to regain a winning culture. This included changing the Captaincy to four of its five Senior sides, including the First Eleven, where Andrew “Bart” Stanes took over from Debinder Singh. ANA had its sights set solely on doing one thing - to win a First Eleven Premiership in its 70th year. As feared, a sense of complacency was beginning to show, and this was reflected with a disgraceful loss to an under-manned Cluden in Round 2. After the wake up call, ANA gave itself every opportunity to be a force in Woolnough by winning eight of its remaining nine games. The only loss occurred in a one-day game after Christmas against a powerful but robotic Carnegie South, who remained undefeated throughout the home and away season. Consistent performances all season by Cedric Jansz (433 runs at 43) and Debinder Singh (366 runs at 33) with the bat, and Barry Masefield (32 wickets at 18) and Adam Kain (25 wickets at 21) with the ball, gave ANA second place on the ladder for the finals. ANA was facing the undefeated Carnegie South at the tiny Lords Reserve for a place in the grand final. ANA batted first and with Cedric Jansz top scoring with 50, made 9/209. Despite being undefeated, Carnegie South had never chased more than 200 to win a game, and after changing dominant positions throughout the match, ANA won a thriller by seven runs. Barry Masefield took five wickets, while Mick Ruffin took three crucial wickets at the death. Ironically, the only two teams that defeated ANA throughout the season, Carnegie South and Cluden, were playing off in the preliminary final. Carnegie South contested another thriller and won by four runs.

 

This resulted in the Grand Final being contested between Bentleigh ANA and Carnegie South, the third time they had met for the season. The game was played at Hurlingham Park. Following the success of defending against the Redbacks, ANA won the toss and chose to bat first. After a cautious start ANA lost two wickets in the first hour, with Louis Parthenios (0) and Andrew Stanes (7) departing cheaply. Straight after the drinks break Trevlyn Crozier was caught behind (28) and then after a positive beginning, Cedric Jansz was disastrously run out for 17. Peter Bishop (0) was also run out several minutes later and at tea ANA were 5/70, with Debinder Singh and Adam Mikkelson the remaining recognised batsmen, left to do the job. After absorbing plenty of overs in order to have wickets in hand for the onslaught at the end, Mikkelson and Singh began to look aggressive until Mikkelson (20) was involved in his third run out for the day, this time being himself.

 

Barry Masefield then joined Debinder Singh with the score at 6/102 in the 50th over, a perilous situation. Both then unleashed. The runs started to come, and when Singh (42) departed in the 60th over, ANA were 7/151. Ashley Kitts then joined Barry Masefield. In those remaining few overs the pair provided some of the most inspiring batting ANA had seen for some time, remaining undefeated at the end of the day's play. The partnership brought 48 runs in less than six overs to give ANA a defendable score of 7/199, with Barry Masefield (40 n.o.) and Ashley Kitts (25 n.o.) each hitting towering sixes along the way. The mood was confident as the last half hour of play raised ANA's spirits while it frustrated and, ultimately, deflated the Redbacks.

 

The next day saw ANA provide the most disciplined bowling performance all season. Knowing the Redbacks' weaknesses, line and length bowling by Barry Masefield (2/34 off 24 overs) and Ashley Kitts (2/23 off 14 overs) put the Redbacks at 5/65 after 40 overs. Carnegie South was unable to recover, and despite some attempted hitting, albeit too late, Mick Ruffin (3/36 off 15 overs) and Adam Kain (3/23 off 5.1 overs) put the finishing touches on the game to dismiss the Redbacks for 121 in the 59th over.

 

ANA had won the Woolnough Shield by 78 runs. Scenes were emotional as the players hugged each other while club mates ran from the boundary to join in the victory celebration. The Thirds had just arrived at the ground after their own Premiership victory to witness the finale, and join the Firsts in an all-in Club song rendition. Debinder Singh was awarded “Best player of the final”, awarded by the Umpires, for his 42 which helped steer the ship when the match was slipping away. Barry Masefield's performance was a very close second.

 

1999/2000 WOOLNOUGH SHIELD PREMIERS - Match Statistics

Toss won by Bentleigh ANA

 

Bentleigh ANA - 1st Innings

Crozier T . . . . c Handley 28

Parthenios L . . . . c Handley 0

Stanes A . . . . . . c Handley 4

Jansz C . . . . . . . . . . run out 17

Mikkelson A . . . . . . run out 20

Bishop P . . . . . . . . . run out 0

Singh D . . . . . . c Kovacs 42

Masefield B . . . . . . not out 40

Kitts A . . . . . . . . . not out 25

Ruffin M . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Kain A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Sundries 23

TOTAL 7/199

Bowling - Handley S. 3/30, Gallagher G. 0/53, McSwain M. 0/15, Moore C. 0/38, Kovacs A. 1/42.

 

Carnegie South - 1st Innings

Byrnes J . . . . . lbw Kitts 14

Kovacs A . . . . . . . b Masefield 6

Barrow N . . . . c Singh b Kitts 6

Handley S . . . . . . . c Parthenios b Ruffin 18

Bradshaw A . . . . . . . . c Singh b Masefield 14

Gallagher T . . . . . . c Bishop b Kain 25

Miles A . . . . . . c Crozier b Kain 9

Gallagher G . . . . . . . . b Ruffin 5

McSwain M . . . . . . . b Ruffin 1

Dobson S . . . . . . . . . not out 5

Moore C . . . . . . . . . c Stanes b Kain 4

Sundries 14

TOTAL 121

Bowling - Masefield B. 2/34, Kitts A. 2/23, Ruffin M. 3/36, Kain A. 3/23.

 

Bentleigh ANA won on 1st Inning by 78 runs.

 

The Third Eleven Premiership in “F” Grade was sealed by a side that hit its best form at the right time of the year. Batting dependence was spread across the team, with the evergreen Bob Wilson showing his consistency with 270 runs at 30. Bowling was the strength of the side, with Tim Caterson (32 wickets at 13) and skipper Russell Saunders (29 wickets at 12) performing the best. After strong individual performances by Graeme Bodley, Sammy Wolfe, Tim Caterson and Anthony Gill, ANA won its Semi-final and preliminary final to book a grand final against All Nations. ANA collapsed when it was sent in to bat, from being 1/102 to all out for 183. Bob Wilson (62) provided the resistance early, with cameos provided by several others. After looking shaky early, All Nations were 2/82 at Tea after 25 overs, and looking the goods. ANA than fought back to dismiss them for 146, thus winning by 37 runs. Bob Wilson won “Player of the final” with his 62 and Tim Caterson capped off a memorable finals series by taking four wickets, while skipper Russell Saunders snared three. The team had set itself the goal of winning the last six games of the season, including the Grand Final. They achieved this with flying colours and the confidence instilled in them by Skipper, Russell Saunders.

 

1999/2000 “F” GRADE PREMIERS - Match Statistics

Toss won by All Nations

Bentleigh ANA - 1st Innings

Pressey G . . . . . lbw Vydelingum 14

Whelan M . . . . . . . . c Nanya 5

Wilson R . . . . . . . run out 62

Bacon J . . . . . . . . b Nayna 24

Gill A . . . . . . . . . . . c Scott 1 8

Bodley G . . . . . . b Nayna 1 4

Biddle M . . . . . run out 0

Saunders R . . . . . . run out 4

Wolfe S . . . . . . . . . . . c Nayna 5

Caterson T . . . . . . b nayna 1 8

Hodges S . . . not out 0

Sundries 1 9

TOTAL 183

Bowling - Scott T. 1/37, Nayna A. 5/87, Vydelingum M. 1/24, Walker D. 0/13, Thomas K. 0/6.

 

All Nations - 1st Innings

Mathioulakis J. . . b Wolfe 1 7

Akin T . . . . c Whelan b Hodges 7 4

Thomas K . . . . . . b Caterson 0

Saad A . . . . . . b Caterson 10

Vydelingum M . . . . . . lbw Caterson 0

Vout P . . . . . . . lbw Saunders 0

Nayna A . . . . c Caterson b Saunders 10

Kofoed G . . . . . b Saunders 9

Scott T . . . . . . run out Falconer/Bacon 4

Nicholls G . . . . . . . b Caterson 1

Walker D . . . . . . . not out 0

Sundries 20

TOTAL 146

Bowling - Caterson T. 4/55, Wolfe S. 1/45, Saunders R. 3/12, Hodges S. 1/15.

Bentleigh ANA won on 1st Inning by 27 runs.

 

The Second Eleven also made the finals, but unfortunately bowed out after losing its preliminary final to Chelsea Heights. Throughout the year consistent performances with the bat were shared between players, however, no one really shone through. Seasoned campaigners in Frank Loiacono (180 runs at 45) and Jack Smith (178 runs at 45) were the best performers despite both being in the side for only half the season. Skipper Bob Dolman toiled hard all season with his son, young “leggy” Ryan Dolman, both taking 18 wickets each at averages of 20 and 14 respectively. Off the field ANA celebrated its’ 70th year of its involvement in the CMCA. It was an historic night that was as successful as any event the Club has had in its history. Apart from acquainting themselves with old (ex) team mates the highlight of the night was the naming of ANA’s “Team of the Century”, which included players whose feats were unparalleled. Overall, despite not all teams reaching the finals, ANA had a very successful year. Its’ top three sides made the finals, two of them achieving Premierships, and most importantly, the Club regained its deserving Longmuir Shield status. With its goals that were set at the start of the season being achieved, the season was one of the most satisfying in recent times.

 

So, the story has been told, and after seventy years the Bentleigh ANA Cricket Club is as strong as it has ever been. From the initial founders of the Club to the present day administration, one thing has always remained the same - The Club is bigger than the individual, and must survive. Arguably, success at First Eleven level over the last 25 years, has not been as forthcoming as the Club would have liked. But it must never be forgotten that only through its’ wealth of juniors did the Club pull through the turbulent 60’s, and only through it’s faith in players coming up through those junior grades, was the Club able to win it’s last “A” Grade Premiership. Over the years, as many other clubs in the Bentleigh District and City of Moorabbin have come and gone, so too, one day, this Club may meet its end, but, one only has to look at the work and efforts that have gone in over the years to appreciate the love and admiration for the Club that so many have had and enjoyed. Hopefully, with this loyalty and spirit still so abundant today, someone may sit down years from now and write the story of the Bentleigh ANA Cricket Club, “A Century of Success”.