Senior Cricket Report 18 & 19 January

We’ve been rewarded for the second week in a row for hard work off the field which has enabled us to get all 3 home games on again today. Well done to everyone who assisted in getting all 3 home matches on, on a day when only 7 out of a possible 28 matches across the 5 grades in SydneyShires got on. We had 11 blokes lying on covers whilst pegging them down in cyclonic conditions late yesterday, ensuring all 3 grounds were re-covered for today. We are also very fortunate to have the best groundsmen in the business and we thank them again for all their incredible work this week! The reward was 3 crucial wins across 2nd, 4th and 5th grade against local rivals Strathfield. Unfortunately, both 1st grade(playing at Airey Park) and 3rd grade(playing at Bark Huts) were called off very early this morning.
  • 2nd grade had their fifth win in a row and it was a crucial one against a team 1 point behind them and we now sit in 2nd spot in 2s. We sent Strathfield in at Rothwell Park and with Strathfield at 1-66 we had plenty of work to do and after a couple of rain delays the bowlers and fielders fought back well to restrict the Gorillas to a Duckworth-Lewis revised 8-126 off 40 overs, with Harry Lee leading the way with 4-37. We always seemed in control in the chase thanks to an aggressive 63 off 62 balls from hard hitting Karl Vendrasco and a valuable 17 from Ben Miller…well done Fav and the guys-well deserved!
  • 4th grade lost the toss at Ron Routley Oval and were sent in in a rain reduced 37 overs a side match and batted very well to make a very competitive 9-168 with Gaurav Khadse making 29, Finn Harris 27, Pat Roach 27 and Jimmy Threlkeld 20 at the end. Strathfield got off to a flyer and were 0-47 before we picked up a crucial first wicket and the guys were then able to slowly peg back the run rate and momentum. At 4-91 the Gorillas were probably on top but good bowling from Gaurav Khadse, capping off a very good game, with 3-41, skipper Sunny Khalkho with 3-29 and big Will Wright with 2-17 saw Strathfield lose 6-38 and they were dismissed for 129 in a rain interrupted chase…great win by the boys!
  • 5th grade moved to equal 2nd spot with a hard fought win over Strathfield. Bowling first at St Lukes Oval we were able to dismiss Strathfield for 106 with Athul Rajesh taking 3-26, Zoya Thakur 2-11 and Josh Harrold 2-17. We were in a bit of trouble at 3-31 but a fine 43no by Ali Smith and a quickfire 24no by Athul Rajesh got the guys home comfortably 5 down…well done Tabs and the boys!
  • Our Under 24s have unfortunately gone down to Warringah in today’s semi-final in a last over thriller at Weldon Oval. Batting first the boys batted very well to post 6-219 off 50 overs with skipper Aidan Gardner leading from the front with a fine 91no and he was well supported by Oliver Williams with 41 and Xavier Tregeagle 25. We picked up an early wicket but just couldn’t get regular breakthroughs at the key times, we had Warringah 4-122 and despite picking up late wickets to have them 7-204 we just weren’t able to get home and they batted well and deserved their win and we were passed in the final over 7 down with Adrian Dawson taking 2-47. Congratulations to Aidan and all the boys and to manager Alex Favotto on another bloody good season and your time will come soon.
  • In today’s lower grade games Briars Gold had a good win over Auburn Gold. Batting first we made 200 with Osman Kayani making a run a ball 60, Roark Campos-Donohoe 37 and Fazal Chishti 25 and we then knocked Auburn over for 188 with Roark taking 2-31 and Osman 2-48.
  • Our young Academy team went down to Pennant Hills Pumas, we made 104 with Jack Harris making 25 but were passed 4 down with Rahil Ahmed taking 2-13.
  • Briars Maroon restricted Mounties Gold 9-152 off their 40 overs with Manfred Besier taking 3-25 and Jack Eccleston 3-30 and after a good start the guys lost 6-9 to be knocked over for 108 with Kegan Powell making 32, Luke Antoniadis 37 and Anthony Cianco 20no.
  • Our Classics(over 50s) side had a tie with Strathfield today. We made 9-124 with Andy Macky making 37 and Paul Cramsie 30no and then dismissed Strathfield for 124 with Steve Rous taking 3-29, Joseph Scarcella 3-15 and Sadanand 3-17.
In our chase for a 13th Club Champs in a row this is how it looks for the top 4 clubs with 3 rounds remaining;
  1. Warringah 805
  2. Briars 771
  3. North West Sydney 763
  4. Mounties 738
Warringah are obviously in the box seat having had the bye but we have jumped two places and made up some ground this weekend and we will keep fighting til the end!

Senior Cricket Report 11 & 12 January

On a rain affected day we have done an outstanding job to get all 3 home games on (two third’s of matches across the top 4 grades were washed out today) resulting in 3 wins and one very narrow loss from 4 grades. Massive thanks to everyone who contributed to getting 1sts, 3rds and 5ths on at home, we got ahead of the rain and laid covers on Tuesday and with the help of our amazing groundsmen we were able to get all 3 home games on today. All grades also wore black arm bands today in honour of Briars legend Aldo Cantori who we sadly lost earlier this week.
  • 1st grade pulled off a miraculous win over the current competition leaders Mounties/Southern Districts. We lost the toss after a delayed start at Rothwell Park and we were sent in and navigated rain delays and lightening delays to post a competitive 7-117 off a reduced 42 overs. Ash Squire held the innings together with a fine 38, Andrew Jalalaty made an aggressive 17 and Matty Roper a vital run a ball 16no. Mounties lost a couple of early wickets but seemed to be cruising at 3-72 before Matty Roper turned the game with a match winning spell. Mounties lost 7-20 to be dismissed for 92 thanks to Matty’s incredible 5-17, Ash Squire’s 2-24 and Jack Kovacic’s 2-24…super win by 1s particularly considering only one other 1st grade game got on!
  • 2nd grade had a comprehensive win over second placed Mounties/Southern Districts at Greenway Oval. Bowling first we knocked Mounties over for 76 with John Papathanisiou doing the early damage with 3-12 and Peter McKell cleaning up the bottom order taking an amazing 5-13 off 9 overs. The guys were never really troubled in the chase and cruised home 3 down in the 19th over and picked up a bonus point with Aarav Rajnikanth finishing 18no and Oliver Williams 12no….great win by 2s!
  • 3rd grade will feel they let a vital win slip away today missing a valuable 6 points on a day when all other 3rd grade matches were washed out.The match at Ron Routley Oval commenced late and we bowled first and knocked comp leaders Mounties/Southern Districts over for 78 with Damian Price taking 3-17, Amar Warpe 2-15 and an incredible 4 run outs. In reply we were 1-35 before losing 4-0 and then struggled for the rest of the chase eventually falling just 2 runs short.
  • 4th grade were unfortunately washed out in their match out at Greenway Oval number 2.
  • 5th grade also pulled off a remarkable win at St Lukes Oval against Georges River. We were sent in and battled hard to post 9-103 off our 40 overs with the last wicket partnership of 19 proving vital. Dave Young made 20 opening the batting and Mick Towells a crucial 19no at the end. Georges River were seemingly in great shape at 1-54 and then 3-80 before Athul Rajesh weaved his magic taking 5-11 and in combination with Alex Colreavy 2-12 we were somehow able to knock the competition leaders over for 94…a sensational win by 5s!
  • Our Under 24s have had a comprehensive win over Balmain/Souths in today’s must win match to progress through to about their 10th semi-final appearance in a row. With the winner of today’s game progressing through to next Sunday’s semi the boys needed to be on their game, and they were excellent in accounting for the tigers at Rothwell Park.We won the toss and sent Balmain/Souths in and at 2-40 the match was teetering but superb bowling by Johnny Papathanasiou with 3-27 and Xavier Tregeagle 3-36 swung the game in our favour and despite some late order hitting we were able to knock them over for 126 with skipper Aidan Gardner taking 2-13 and Jack Benchoam 2-30. The boys were never really troubled in the chase and got home in the 33rd over 2 down with Xavier capping off a great game finishing 37no, Harry Pounds made 30 and skipper Gardner 29no. Excellent win boys and congrats to Gards and the team on another semi-final, it looks as though we will be playing Warringah again next Sunday at Weldon Oval.
  • In today’s lower grade games our young Briars Academy’s winning run came to an end after going down to the Pennant Hills Panthers. Batting first we made 4-103 off a reduced 30 overs with Josh Harrold making 59no and Jack Harris 32 but the boys were passed 7 down with Rahil Ahmed taking 2-15 and Josh Harrold 2-24. Both Briars Maroon and Briars Gold were washed out today.
  • In today’s Masters(over 40s) game our 5th placed Briars side knocked off 3rd placed Epping. We made 130 with Adnan Kabir making 40no and Sinish Nair 25 and we dismissed the Bulls for 109 with Steve Rous picking up 3 wickets and Prakash Parker and Adnan Kabir 2 each.
With 4 rounds remaining Warringah, who have had the bye, are obviously very well placed in the Club Champs race but we will fight until the end, chasing our 13th in a row and this is how it looks for the top 4 clubs after this weekend;
  1. Warringah 780
  2. Mounties/Southern Districts 732
  3. North West Sydney 727
  4. Burwood Briars 718

Senior Cricket Report 21 & 22 December

A reasonably good day today with 3 wins from 4 across the top 4 grades against Lane Cove.

  • 1st grade’s batting struggled on a tricky Tantallon Oval deck and were dismissed for 86 with Ash Squire making 24. Despite a few early wickets we were passed 6 down with Ash taking 3-18.
  • Another fine century from in-form Mitch Harrison set up the 2nd grade win. Batting first we finished 6-241 off our 50 overs with Mitch making 113no, skipper Alex Favotto a hard hitting 69(off 66 balls) and Oliver Williams 33. In reply Lane Cove were dismissed for 165 with Joshua Lee taking 4-38, Matt Roper 2-18, Jack Benchoam 2-25 and Peter McKell 2-31.
  • 3rd grade had a solid win over the Covies. We knocked them over for 163 with Sanket Karkare taking 3-48, Riley Pengilly 2-20, Doug Cullen 2-20 and Will Wright 2-32. We passed Lane Cove 5 down in the 35th over with Ben Miller making 35, Matt Harrington 33, Sanket Karkare 28 and Alex Palmer 20.
  • 4th grade had a comfortable bonus point win. We rolled Lane Cove for 74 with Greg Metcalfe taking 3-18, skipper Sunny Khalkho 2-22, Josh Harold 2-6 and Gaurav Khadse 2-19 and we cruised home 1 down in the 17th over with Patrick Roach finishing 40no.
  • 5th grade played Roseville today and restricted them to 7-139 off their 40 overs with Athul Rajesh taking 4-31 and Michael Gordon 2-29, and in reply we fell 40 runs short with Harry McCarthy and Ali Smith both making 25.
  • Our young Briars Academy side made it 4 wins in a row for them with a comprehensive win over Auburn Gold today. The boys knocked Auburn over for 94 with Anthony Clarke’s 16 year old son Oscar starring with 3-16, Benjamin Ronan did the early damage with 3-13 and Josh Harold took 3-19. Josh capped off a great game finishing 59no whilst Ness Vasa made 26no and the boys won 2 down in the 24th over. Well done boys!
  • Briars Maroon bowled well to dismiss Mounties Black for 118 with Jack Eccleston(below)taking the remarkable figures of 6-16 off 8 overs and Joshua Jiju took 3-2 off 4 overs. The guys were then in early trouble at 3-7 before Keegan Powell with 31, Joseph Kalachian 27, Mandeep Oberoi 27no and Manfred Besier 13no saw them home to record their first win of the season-well deserved Eugene and the guys!
  • Briars Gold dismissed Auburn Eagles for 169 with skipper Peter Warne taking 4-29 and Roark Campos-Donohoe 3-27. The guys were also in early trouble before Roark gave them a chance with a fine 37 but they fell short and were dismissed for 106.
  • In today’s Classics(over 50s) game Briars had another very good win. Batting first we made 140 with Nic McGilvray making 33 and Mark Ridge 20 and we then knocked Balmain/Souths over for 132 in a thriller with Greg Dinner taking 3-19.
So we head to the Christmas break and the Club Champs looks something like this for the top 6 clubs;
  1. Mounties/Southern Dist 703
  2. North West Sydney 690
  3. Warringah 683
  4. Briars 611
  5. Balmain/Souths 541
  6. Auburn 406
Our goal to win an incredible 13 Club Championships in a row will be a massive challenge but not impossible and we will have a red hot crack in the new year! This is how all of our teams are placed heading into the break;
  • 1st grade-3rd
  • 2nd grade-6th
  • 3rd grade-5th
  • 4th grade-5th
  • 5th grade-5th
  • Under 24s-2nd(Thunder Division)
  • Chappelow Cup-Academy 6th, Gold 14th, Maroon 15th
  • Masters(over 40s)-4th
  • Classics(over 50s)-3rd
  • Vintage(over 60s)-10th
The second half of the season kicks off on Saturday 11th January and it’s a tough one-dayer for the top 4 grades against Club Champs leaders Mounties/Southern Districts and training re-commences on Wednesday the 8th January at the Briars Nets from 430pm.
Wishing you all and your families a very Merry Christmas and a happy and safe new year.
There’s only one Burwood Briars!

Senior Cricket Report 14 & 15 December

An excellent day today with a clean sweep of Lindfield across the top 4 grades and another great win by our 5s against Strathfield.
  • 1st grade were surprisingly sent in at Rothwell Park and got off to a flyer thanks to skipper Max Squire who made a fine 51 and Brenton Wright who belted 40 off just 30 balls. Ash Squire turned back the clock with 51 off 54 balls including 5x6s, Harry Pounds made 29 and Tom Moffitt 25, and we finished 9-241 off our 50 overs. Lindfield looked solid at 2-103 but our spinners turned the screws and we knocked them over for 177 with BJ capping off a great game taking 4-36 and Ash Squire 2-31.
  • 2nd grade had a comfortable win over Lindfield at Lindfield Oval. Lindfield batted first and were in trouble at 6-53 before a partnership enabled them to make 132 with Harry Lee superb with 5-26, Matt Roper did the early damage with 3-22 and Jack Benchoam took 2-40. Mitchell Harrison continued his great season making 60no, Karl Vendrasco made a hard hitting 48no and Hugh Sims a handy 17 early and the guys cruised home 3 down and picked up a valuable 6 points!
  • 3rd grade had to fight hard but grabbed another important win today. Lindfield batted first at Ron Routley Oval and finished 8-186 off their 50 overs with Sanket Karkare taking 2-35. We got off to a great start and were 0-76 thanks to Sanket who made an aggressive 53 off 61 balls and Adrian Dawson 28 before we lost a flurry of wickets but a crucial captains knock of 34no by Phil Maxwell, 22 from Michael Hannelly and 9no from Amar Warpe got the guys home 8 down.
  • 4th grade also had a very good win over the Stags. Lindfield elected to bat first at Acron Oval and were knocked over for 117 thanks to 3 wickets each to both Greg Metcalfe and skipper Sunny Khalkho and 2 to Will Wright. We picked up the 6 points 4 wickets down with Matt Harrington making 53 and Will Sims 34 and we were 9-161 when stumps were drawn.
  • Our 5th grade had another very good win today over Strathfield. Batting first we made 9-151 off our 40 overs with Michael Gordon making 39, Ali Smith 28, Pat Roach 21 and Zoya Thakur 20 and we rolled the Gorillas for 103 with Zoya leading the way with 3-28…great win
  • It was ‘Back to Briars Day’ down at Rothwell Park today and the Under 24s delivered a hard fought win over a tough Mounties/Southern Districts side. Mounties won the toss and batted and got off to a flyer before regular wickets stemmed the flow of runs and the bowlers combined well to dismiss them for 142 in just the 40th over with Jack Benchoam taking 3-44, Xavier Tregeagle 2-21, and crowd favourite Vrish Pendyala 2-13. The guys batted well but not without a few challenges to pick up a crucial win 5 down in the 44th over. Xavier backed up his bowling with a fine 44, skipper Aidan Gardner looked very good making 42 and Aarav Rajnikanth 21no and Oliver Williams 16no guided the boys home.
  • In today’s lower grade games our Academy side continued their winning run with a comfortable win over North West Sydney. The boys rolled the Hurricanes for just 94 with 14 year old spinner Arjun Singh leading the way with 4-22, and Rahil Ahmed did the early damage with 3-8. The boys cruised home 3 down in the 29th over with Josh Harrold making 37no, Ness Vasa 21, Owen Healey 18, and Tiger Bocking 14no.
  • Briars Gold made the competition leading Mounties Gold work for their victory, batting first Gold made 8-122 with Roark Campos-Donohoe making 49 and Mandeep Oberoi 42no but the guys were passed 5 down in the 35th over.
  • Briars Maroon had the bye today.
  • Our Masters(over 40s) side had another good win today, batting first at St Lukes Oval we made 7-182 off our 40 overs with Adnan making 43no and Rajeev 40no and we then knocked Balmain/Souths over for 158 with Palani Veeran starring with 5-25.

Senior Cricket Report 7 & 8 December

Rain has washed out day one against Lindfield in the top 4 grades today.

  • 1st and 3rd grade will now play 50 overs a side one day games starting at 10am next Saturday against Lindfield whilst 2nds and 4ths will play 120 overs in a day games starting at 930am(because there was play in one other game in those two grades today). Our 5th grade have also unfortunately been washed out in their one day match against Auburn at Mona Park today.
  • Our Briars Academy side have had another impressive win today. Batting first we made 4-137 off our 40 overs with Englishman Oliver Sheen starring again with 55, Owen Healey made 34 and Tiger Bocking 16no. We were always in control with the ball and dismissed Mounties Black for 95 in the 37th over with Josh Hardiman taking a superb 4-11, Josh Harrold 2-22 and Arjun Singh 2-22.
  • In today’s other game Briars Maroon were comfortably defeated by Warringah after being dismissed for 63.
  • Our Master(over 40s) side had another good win today. We dismissed Northbridge for 108 and got the runs 4 down.

Senior Cricket Report 30 November & 01 December

Rain has unfortunately played havoc with today’s games.
  • Our 1st and 3rd grade sides were both washed out at Roseville’s home grounds, 1sts were looking to defend 247 and 3rds were to resume at 6-75 chasing 207.
  • On the flip side a huge well done to all of our guys across the club who worked hard all morning and into the afternoon using blowers and heaters to ensure we played today at our 3 home grounds.
  • 2nd grade declared at their overnight score of 5-152 after dismissing Roseville for 84 last week. We started around 3pm and were left with just 44 to press for outright points and Roseville were 3-68 in their second innings when the game was called.
  • 4th grade were rewarded for their hard work, we made 257 last week and we eventually got underway at 130pm today and the guys bowled well to knock Roseville over for 81 after they were 2-50 at one stage. Skipper Sunny Khalkho who took 4-28 and Will Wright 3-12 led the guys to a comfortable victory.
  • Our 5th grade fought hard but went down narrowly to Warringah. Sent in at St Lukes we were 5-20 before Athul Rajesh 51 and Alex Colreavy 20 rescued the innings and we made a competitive 104. The bowlers combined well but we were passed 8 down with Alex Colreavy taking 3-15 and Zac Thorne 3-26.
  • Our Under 24s have been comfortably defeated by defending premiers North West Sydney at Kanebridge Oval today. Sent in on a tricky deck after a delayed start we never got going with the bat and were restricted to 7-114 off 36 overs with Mitch Harrison making 43 and Adrian Dawson 20no. We were never in the hunt with the ball and were passed in the 30th over by the Hurricanes.
  • In today’s lower grade games our young Academy team had an impressive win over Strathfield Black. We made 8-97 off 38 overs with Tiger Bocking making 24 and skipper Simon Thorne 21. The boys bowled and fielded very well to dismiss Strathfield for 86 with Ollie Sheen starring with 5-11, Ben Rohan was superb taking 2-3 off 5 overs and Arjun Singh took 2-24..well done boys!
  • Briars Maroon were 7-40 when rain ended their match against Georges River and Briars Gold were washed out against Strathfield Gold at Bark Huts without bowling a ball.
  • Our second placed Classics(over 50s) side made 77 against Parramatta before the storm ended the match.

Senior Cricket Report 23 & 24 November

A pretty good day across the top 5 grades today.

  • 1st grade batted first at Roseville Chase and were in early trouble at 4-39 before a 132 run stand between the in form Harry Pounds with 93 and Aidan Gardner with a fine 78 wrestled the advantage back and we were dismissed right on stumps for 247 with Matt Roper also chipping in late with 21.
  • 2nd grade had a great day and have already picked up first innings points on day one. Bowling first we knocked Roseville over for just 84 with Jack Benchoam(below)continuing his very good season taking 5-35 and Stevey Davis 3-18. Our openers Mitch Harrison 55 and Hugh Sims 48 put on 101 to grab first innings points and we finished day one 5-152, a lead of 68.
  • 3rd grade have a battle on their hands after day one. Roseville made 207 with Amar Warpe picking up 4 wickets and skipper Phil Maxwell 3 and we lost early wickets before finishing the day 6-73 with opener Vrish Pendyala 34no.
  • 4th grade batted very well on day one at Ron Routley Oval, English import Ben Miller looked very good again making 94 before being run out, Dave Young made 46 and Lloyd Andrews 29 and we were dismissed right on stumps for 257.
  • Our 5th grade had another excellent bonus point win, this time against Lane Cove. The bowlers combined well to dismiss the Covies for 110 with Zac Guthrie taking 2-20, Athul Rajesh 2-21, James Bellamy 2-24 and Josh Lawrence 2-27. The guys cruised to victory without losing a wicket in the 19th over with Pat Roach making 73no and Josh Lawrence 40no.
  • Our Classics(over 50s) side maintained their second position on the ladder with another good win today. The guys restricted Castle Hill RSL to 5-162 off their 40 overs and then picked up the win 7 down..well done guys!
  • In today’s lower grade games our Academy side made 6-120 off their 40 overs with Owen Healey making 31 and Oliver Sheen 24 however Pennant Hills Pumas snuck home 7 down with Rahil Ahmed taking 3-19 and Aryan Trivedi 2-22.
  • Briars Gold made 9-122 with Yahiya Mehar making 45no and Jack Bailey 21 but they went down to Roseville.
  • Briars Maroon made 8-127 with Keegan Powell making 41 and Joseph Kalichian 33no but they were passed by Strathfield Black.

Senior Cricket Report 16 & 17 November

A good day today with 3 wins from 4 grades against the always tough Georges River.
  • In a replay of last years 1st grade Grand Final we took on River and it was a similar result with Briars comfortably knocking them off at Bexley Oval. Declaring at our overnight score of 7-293 the bowlers struck early and at 5-30 we were in control and despite some late order resistance we eventually dismissed Georges River for 132. Cameron Holmes with 3-26 and Jack Kovacic 2-32 did the early damage before Benny Van Den Nieuwenhof continued his excellent season taking 3-48 and Xavier Tregeagle wrapped the game up with 2-14…great win guys!
  • 2nd grade had a well earned first win of the season at Rothwell Park. Georges River resumed at 2-27 chasing our 228, they were 4-49 but a crucial partnership had them seemingly in control at 4-121 before a careless shot right on tea by their set batter put the game back in our favour. We turned the screws after tea but were made to fight for the win with Jack Benchoam taking the final wicket with the second new ball and River were dismissed for 179. Bench finished with 3-10, Matty Roper 3-36 and Harry Lee 3-45..well done Fav and the 2s!
  • 3rd grade also had to fight hard for their win defending their day one score of 221. Amar Warpe with 3-32, Jimmy Threlkeld with 3-53 and skipper Phil Maxwell with 2-20 off 13 overs strangled Rivers batting and the guys picked up a well deserved win knocking them over for 150 with about 30 minutes remaining…well done 3s!
  • In 4th grade Georges River resumed at 8-190 and were dismissed within two overs for 191 with Greg Metcalf taking 3-52. The guys seemed to be building well at 2-45 before losing 5-20 in the middle order and the late order fought hard but were eventually dismissed for 126 with Lloyd Andrews making 32 and skipper Sunny Khalkho 22.
  • Our young Academy team won a tight one over Briars Maroon today. Academy made 9-120 off their 40 overs with Oliver Sheen leading the way with 46 whilst Mandeep Oberoi took 4-9 and Manfred Besier 2-31 for Maroon. Maroon fell just 12 runs short in a cliffhanger with Mandeep capping off an excellent game making 33no and Jack Eccleston 25. For the Academy side Josh Harrold with 4-14 and Benjamin Ronan with 3-14 clinched the win.
  • Briars Gold went down to the competition leaders Pennant Hills Pythons today. Penno were knocked over for 136 batting first with Roark Campos-Donohoe taking 3-21 and Bilawal Javed 2-16 for Gold and in the chase we made 98 with Naman Dodia not out on 23.
  • In yesterday’s internal game at St Lukes the Thorne XI side made 7-181 with Oliver Sheen making 50no and Oscar Clarke(Clarkey’s son) 31no whilst Josh Hardiman took 3-29 and James Bellamy 2-30 for the Hardiman XI side. The Hardiman XI side made 126 in reply with Kench making 30 and Hardiman 24 whilst Zac Thorne took 3-10 and Jack Harris 2-39 for the Thorne XI.

Senior Cricket Report – 9 & 10 November

A solid day one against Georges River across the top 4 grades today.
  • In a replay of last years 1st grade Grand Final Briars took on River at Bexley Oval and on the back of two great knocks we have finished day one 7-293. Opener Tommy Moffitt was superb with his 87 and Harry Pounds(below) continued his great season bringing up his first 1st grade ton and finished 120no in an outstanding innings.
  • 2nd grade fought back well after being 8-130 just after tea to make a competitive 228. Peter McKell made a hard hitting 79(5x4s, 4x6s) after being dropped before he’d scored, Damian Price a valuable 41, putting on 70 for the 9th wicket with Pete, and earlier Mitch Harrison made a stylish 40. We have Georges River 2-27 at stumps.
  • 3rd grade batted well early thanks to a opening partnership of 100 between Sanket Karkare and Will Sims but lost a flurry of late wickets to be dismissed for 220 right on stumps. Sanket made a brilliant 91, Kale Barton-Bissaker 30, Will Sims 28 and Oli Williams 24.
  • 4th grade toiled hard all day at Ron Routley Oval and restricted Georges River to 8-190 with skipper Sunny Khalkho taking 2-24 and Greg Metcalfe 2-52.
  • Our 5th grade continued their excellent start to the season with an emphatic win over North West Sydney at Kanebridge Oval today. Batting first after winning the toss we made 5-184 off our 40 overs with newcomer Ben Miller making an impressive 86 off 78 balls and Harry McCarthy a patient but crucial 54(both guys below). In reply we dismissed the Hurricanes for 134 with Zac Guthrie taking 2-23 off 8 overs and Jack Harris 2-12…well done 5s!
  • In our lower grade games today Briars Maroon were all out for 122 with Eugenia Morozoff making 47 but they were passed 6 down by Penno with Taha Jamal taking 3-13.
  • Briars Gold made 101 with skipper Jack Bailey making 26 and Hamish O’Brien 24 and were passed 4 down with Zac Martin taking 2-20. Briars Academy finished 7-138 off their 40 overs with Sheen belting a fine 65 and Daniel Boyd 28 but the youngsters were passed 7 down by Georges River.
  • Our Classics(over 50s) side had a very good win over Wenty Leagues today at Rothwell Park. We made 9-181 with Andy Macky making 41no and Steve Rous 37 and Wenty Leagues were 9-167 at the end of their 40 overs with Greg Dunn taking 4-38.

Senior Cricket Report – 02 & 03 November

Briars Cricket results against Pennant Hills.
  • 1st Grade were dismissed for 139 chasing Penno’s 182 with Aidan Gardner looking good with 30no, Brenton Wright made 24 and Tommy Moffitt 23. We had Penno in trouble at 5-21 in their second innings with Matty Roper taking 4-29 but we couldn’t maintain the momentum with light drizzle making it difficult to bowl and Penno were 6-78 when the game was called.
  • 2nd Grade resumed at 3-40 chasing 166 and were on and off with the rain and never got going with the bat and were eventually dismissed for 129 with Sam Cullen making 25, Harry Lee 22 and Johnny Papathanisiou 20no.
  • 3rd Grade were defending 9-285 and provided the day’s only highlight. The guys toiled hard in tricky wet bowling conditions to dismiss Penno for 199 with Riley Pengilly taking 3-43 whilst Amar Warpe, Damian Price and Doug Cullen picked up 2 wickets each.
  • 4th Grade were chasing 217 and like 2s, were on and off the field a number of times with rain delays and only got to face 36 overs today. The guys recovered well after being 4-47 to finish 5-153 with Michael Gordon making a fine 51no and Jake Narayan 45no and the game ended in a draw.
  • 5th Grade restricted Pennant Hills to 6-139 off their 40 overs with Jack Harris taking 2-14 and we were 3-6 early before some good batting by Harry McCarthy with 43 and Alex Colreavy 16 gave us a chance but the guys lost 6-27 and were dismissed for 95.
  • Under 24s have made it 3 from 3 this season with a comfortable bonus point win over Georges River. After dismissing River earlier for 125 the boys cruised home 2 down in the 26th over with Xavier Tregeagle making a fine 47, Mitchell Harrison(below) an aggressive 35 and Harry Pounds looking very good again with 28no…great win boys!

Briars Cricket lower grade results for the past weekend:

  • Briars Maroon fell just 3 runs short making 218 chasing Auburn Eagles 221. With the ball Manfred took 3-49 and in the chase Vatsal made 61, Adam Macic 35 and Manfred 31.
  • Briars Gold made 6-144 off their 40 overs with Yahiya making 44 and Jack Bailey 33 but were passed 7 down by the Pennant Hills Panthers, Yahiya capped off a good game taking 3-12.

Senior Cricket Report – 12 & 13 October

A very solid day against Epping across the top 5 grades as we battle for the Turnbull/Richardson Trophy. We lost the toss in all grades and were sent in to bat in all top 4 grades and the batsmen took advantage of some good batting decks.
1st grade made 254 at Rothwell Park with all of the top order chipping in. Tommy Moffitt made a fine 67, Brenton Wright belted his second 50 in as many weeks, Ash Squire made 32, Xavier Tregeagle 32, Harry Pounds 26 and skipper Max Squire 22. We had 7 overs at the Bulls and they are 0-10 at stumps.
2nd grade smashed 3 declared for 298 off just 66 overs at North Epping Oval thanks to two fine centuries. Skipper Alex Favotto smashed 103 off just 88 balls and newcomer Mitchell Harrison was impressive with a fine 107, whilst Karl Vendrasco made an aggressive 59no. It proved to be a great declaration as we have the Bulls in all sorts at 5-37 at stumps with Stevey Davis taking an amazing 5-14.
3rd grade also batted very, very well on a cracking Ron Routley strip and made 5-295 with Vrish Pendyala making 70, Adrian Dawson 54, Oliver Williams continuing his fine form with 52 and brother Toby Williams excellent with 56no.
4th grade were very good making 9(dec)287 at Epping Oval with youngster Riley Pengilly making 70no, Will Sims a hard hitting 51 and skipper Sunny Khalkho 45. Like 2nds, the declaration proved a masterstroke, and we have the Bulls 5-33 at stumps with Amar Warpe taking 4-9.
5th grade also lost the toss, but Epping decided to bat and were rolled for just 42. Zoya Thakur was superb taking an incredible 6-6 and we cruised to victory without losing a wicket and picked up a bonus point with Finn Harris making 22no and Dave Young 21no. So, 5th grades bonus point win gives us 7 points in the fight for the Turnbull/Richardson Trophy-the winner is determined by the most club champs points across the grades for the round between the two clubs.
Briars Gold had North West Sydney 6-44 but couldn’t capitalise and they made 8-153 with Alex Colreavy taking 3-25 and Ismail Mehar 3-40. We were 0-45 but fell 30 runs short in the chase.
Briars Maroon restricted Strathfield to 9-199 with Manfred Besier taking 4-53 and Adeel Shah 2-11 and we made 133 with Manfred 56 and Jack Eccleston 42 putting 81 on for the final wicket.
Our young Academy team had a good learning day today, going down to Auburn by 9 wickets after being knocked over for 86, with skipper Simon Thorne making 22.

Senior Cricket Report – 05 & 06 October

Burwood Briars Cricket had a comprehensive bonus point win in 1st grade with 3 losses across the lower 3 grades against Warringah.
1st Grade sent Warringah in at Weldon Oval and rolled them for just 112 with Ash Squire taking 3-30, Harry Lee 2-14 and Brenton Wright 2-20. BJ then opened the batting with Ash and the guys cruised to victory in the 24th over two down with BJ belting a quick fire run a ball 58 and Ash 39.
2nd Grade bowled first and restricted Warringah to 7-212 off their 50 overs with with Jack Benchoam taking 3-36 and Matty Roper 3-42. The guys were never really in the chase and were dismissed for 103 with Karl Vendrasco making 21.
3rd Grade batted first and made 9-167 with young Oliver Williams batting superbly for his 61no and Doug Cullen made 29. We fought hard with the ball but were passed 5 down with Doug Cullen taking 2-28.
4th Grade were beaten comfortably, Warringah made 7-303 with Mick Towells taking 2-20 and we were dismissed for 133 with young Reily Pengilly making a fine 53no.
In 5th Grade today Georges River made 6-206 with Zoya Thakur taking 3-29 and we were dismissed for 110 with Mick Gordon making 30.
The Chappelow Cup games were played on Sunday.
Briars Gold had an impressive win over Mounties Black. Batting first we made 6-150 after being 3-9 early with Yahiya making a fine 53 and Finn 41no. The guys bowled and fielded really well to knock over Mounties for 120 with Yahiya having a great game taking 3-20, Alex Colreavy took 2-24 and skipper Peter Warne 2-24.

Briars Maroon batted first and made 109 with Taha Jamal making 40 and Kyron Thapa 24. We had Roseville 5-55 before they passed us 6 down with Taha capping off a good game taking 3-31.
Our young Academy team had a tight 1 wicket loss against Mounties Gold. The boys made 99 with Hardiman and O’Brien both making 19 and they had Mounties 9-85 but just couldn’t get the last wicket, Aryan bowled superbly to take 6-27 off 8 overs.

Senior Cricket Report – 29th September

Some good wins in today’s lower grade Chappelow Cup games.

Briars Academy; Our young team had their first game together as a new team and kicked off their season in style with a nail-biting win over Strathfield Gold. Batting first, the youngsters made 98, with Healey scoring 32 and O’Brien 23. We were able to knock Strathfield over for 92, with Harrold taking 4-22 and Trivedi 4-25. Well done, boys!

Briars Gold; also had an excellent, hard-fought win over Strathfield Black today. Batting first, we made 5-136, with Yahiya Mehar scoring 46 not out and Chris Gordon 42. The guys had to work hard in the field and dismissed Strathfield for 129, with Gordon capping off a good game by taking 2-14, while James Bellamy, Ismail, and Yahiya Mehar each took 2 wickets.

Briars Maroon; They went down to Pennant Hills. Batting first, we made 88, with Jamal scoring 33, but we were passed for 2 down.

The Masters (over 40s); Today, Briars dismissed Castle Hill for 158, with Steve Rous taking 4-28 and Palani 4-36. The guys fell just short in the chase, being dismissed for 140, with Rajeev scoring 30 and Sunil 22.

Wednesday training sessions commence this week, so we will see you at the Briars Nets from 4:30 pm.