Credo Cricket Laneway Carnival,

Finals Round – “Battle for the Flashes”

This is the week of the
finals and for the past 3 weeks we have seen some of the best action,
excitement and fun that Laneway Cricket in Melbourne has ever produced. Australian cricket folklore has always seen the Ashes as the ultimate prize but for those in the Laneway “The Flashes” Trophy is what they play for. Baptist Place proved to be the perfect venue for this to take place with over 60 people gathering to witness the finale of this fine tournament.

Game 1 – “The B Grade Flashes”

Alley Cats - (Middletons/Living Room) Vs

The Dumpsters - (Lazarus Centre/PWC)

The Alley Cats and The Dumpsters have always been rivals in the laneways. Ever since dumpsters started to appear in our laneways the alley cats of Melbourne would try and find food to survive. The Dumpsters in response would try anything to keep them out: locks, new
designs, hiding places and thus, the battle was on for the 2009 B Grade
“Flashes.”

The Alley Cats got off to a good start by winning the toss and electing to bat first. Tracey and the ever enthusiastic Stretch opened the batting hitting a solid 20 runs. Andrea and Tracy were next up and
scored at a cracking pace making an impressive 32 runs to bring the team total to 52. Next up was Andrea and Kathy who once again showed a lot of skill in making 26 hard fought runs. Albert particularly found this out as he tried to bowl slow for the first ball of his over showing some grace but Kathy in emphatic fashion belted him in the air for 6 - again and again she hit him out of the laneway scoring 16 runs from his over. The pick of the bowlers for the Dumpsters were Pete and Dylan who restricted the Alley Cats into finishing with a solid 78 runs.

The action was hot in the laneway as the Dumpsters took to the batting crease. Ted and Victoria made a wonderful opening of 36 runs as the Alley Cat bowlers toiled hard finding their line. Albert and Pete were the next pair in and showed particular poise in making a huge 46 runs. Albert’s battle with Kathy resumed as she bowled him on his first ball but Albert finally got some revenge hitting Kathy for six. That got the total to an almost unassailable score of 82. Dylan and Dwayne the next batting combination needed to hold their nerve for the Dumpsters to take out the victory. They did this in great fashion getting their team to an impressive 113 run-win however this did not reflect the closeness of
the match. The Alley Cats were unlucky once again (as they have been all season) with some close calls not going their way. The match was played with a lot of fun and great spirit with each team cheered by the crowd at every twist and turn. The B Grade “Flashes” going to the Lazarus Centre/PriceWaterhouseCoopers Dumpsters.

Game 2 – “The A Grade Flashes”

Milk Craters - (AWT Water/Credo Cricketers) Vs                 Bin Juices - (Salvation Army 614/Mallesons/ CricketVictoria)

Now it's time for the ultimate prize the Laneway Cricket Carnival 2009: the A Grade “Flashes”. The stage was set with the in-form Milk Craters having won their last two matches to reach this stage while the Bin Juices haven’t lost one yet. Last time these competitors met was in Round 1 with the Bin Juices claiming the honours. This was a tasty dual - the crowd were on the edge of their packing crates in anticipation with over 50 people in the laneway. It was a tight start for the Bin Juices as
they were sent in to bat. Wazza and Chris making 16 runs for the opening pair, Shane and Simon made a further 17 runs and Pommy and Sharee brought the total to 50 runs. This was a relative small total for the Bin Juice team compared to others scores they have made this season largely due to some impressive bowling by the Milk Crater team with Big Rich and Woodsy being the standouts.

The Milk Craters were keen to not let this one slip and opened with Rich and Kieran. But the Bin Juice bowlers did not give up, restricting the pair to only 16 runs. Woodsy and the big hitting Allen were next up - Allen has a unique style with his uppercut shots making the most of the runs in the air. The pair got the Craters to 49 runs, within a hairsbreadth of the win. The last batters for the Craters were Koos and Brad who have played well together all season. Their skill and enthusiasm for Laneway were very evident as “The Laneway Cricket Carnival 2009” ended with a bang with Koos and Brad hitting 38 runs to win it for the Craters. The team ended up with a total of 86 runs; a well deserved victory.

Other Awards……

Brad from the Milk Craters was voted best batsman by his peers taking out the best batter award for the season. The bowling award was won by Stretch from the Alley Cats. His amazing bowling and emphatic appealing have been highlights of laneway this year.

Final Word…..

I would like to thank all participants for making the Laneway Cricket Carnival 2009 such a great event for the city of Melbourne. Your attitude and character have been an example of what we can do as a city no
matter what background we are from. It is an encouragement for all of us who played and watched to see the unity involved between all players. I would also like to thank Urban Seed Staff, Cricket Victoria and the City of Melbourne for the many roles played in helping to make this event possible and such a rewarding l success. So, I hope you all keep safe and train hard until I see you in the Laneways
next year in 2010. 

Peace to you all,

Philip Yew

Laneway Cricket Carnival Coordinator
Mob: 0414321451

Email: phil.yew@urbanseed.org.

Note: If you would like further involvement with Credo Cricket, either to receive an email every now and then or even play some cricket, (indoor, outdoor, laneway) .Please feel free to give me a call or let me know via email and I can arrange some options. If there are any other questions or queries please feel free let me know.  Thanks Phil

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