LATEST NEWS

UNSWCC ANNUAL GOLF DAY

UNSWCC's Annual Golf Day and Breakfast will once again be held at St Michaels Golf Club, Monday 18 June.

Watch the final round of the US Open Golf then take part in a four-ball team Ambrose event.

The Golf Day is always a fantastic event at a top class golf course.

Tickets cost $180, which includes 18 holes of golf, golf cart, open bar service and finger food.

For more information see the registration form .

PHOTOS FROM THE BLUES DINNER

Photos from UNSWCC's very successful night at the UNSW Blues Dinner have been put up on the Club's Facebook page.

For those unaware, UNSWCC's hardwork was recognised with the Club receiving the award for Club of the Year and the First Grade side receiving the award for Team of the Year.

David Dawson's outstanding season was recognised when he received the prestigous Blue and he was also named joint male athlete of the year. This is a fantastic achievement, well done Dawso!

SEASON 2011-12 PRESIDENT'S WRAP

We celebrated First Grade's first Minor Premiership since the 1980-81 Premiership year. Unbeaten in two-dayers all year, and losing just three regular-season games in total, 1s were an extraordinary 14 points clear of the field with two rounds to play. A washout against Parra in round 18 and a dead-rubber loss in Round 19 meant we finished just a couple of points ahead, but we led the competition from November to its conclusion.

Indeed our only losses all year other than the semi-final were in T20s to Wests and a Peter Nevill-led Easts and in one-dayers to Grand Finalists Randwick-Petersham and Sydney Uni. Moreover, the Randwick sides that beat us were extraordinary - last weekend's line-up for example included 3 Test players in Katich, Khawaja and Hauritz, 3 first-class players in Scott Coyte, Burt Cockley and Englishman Nick Warren, and 3 other State representative players in Nathan Price, Adam Coyte and Adam Semple.

Of course we had some wonderful players of our own. The best pace attack in the competition (Tremain, Van Der Gugten, Pat Molinari, Jimmy Byrne and Tim Lang) was supplemented by our ambidextrous spinner Louis Talay plus Mitch Gowland's chinamen and superb fielding, exemplified by James McNeil's 8 direct-hit runouts for the year. All our main batsmen - Matt Birrell, Gowlo, Dawso, Greg Clarence, Tim Lang, James McNeil and Jimmy Byrne - cracked 300+ runs and 10 of the core XI scored 50s or 100s (including a 200* from Dawson and 198 from Gowland.) Indeed we scored more runs and took more wickets than any side in the competition, and essentially doubled the batting average of the teams we faced.

Overall, then, we can be extremely proud of our effort. The spirit and skill in the side were tremendous and, ably led by coach Tim Lang and skipper David Dawson, they represented the club extremely well and stamped UNSWCC as a genuine force to be reckoned with - as a star-studded Saints line-up discovered in the Qualifying Final, when we knocked them over for 127 and chased the runs 4-down against Copeland, Hazlewood and others.

Secondly, that we had no fewer than 3 players debut for NSW this year. Right-arm quicks Timm Van Der Gugten and Chris Tremain played 3 Shield and 2 Ryobi Cup matches between them - with Bull's victims including Tom Beaton and Luke Ronchi and Tremors knocking over luminaries including Chris Rogers (sorry JR!), Cameron White, Travis Birt, Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Finch (twice). Meanwhile Bees keeper David Dawson was rewarded for his 1000+ runs in Grade (first in Sydney by 300+ runs) with a game for NSW as a specialist batsman.

Dawson, Tremain, TVDG and left-armer Pat Molinari also all represented the NSW Second XI in the Futures League, while Timm also recently debuted for Holland, our second Dutch international after Tom Cooper. (Yes, it's true - you do get an Orange cap as well as a Bumblebee on First Grade debut to save two presentations!)

Thirdly, our underage teams - Poidevin-Gray (U21) and AW Green Shield (U16) - both made the finals, the first time this has happened. Indeed it was the first time our Green Shielders have ever made the finals, full stop. Not only that, they went within 3 balls of winning the whole thing, Saints chasing down and impressive 237 in the last over of the Grand Final, itself a cracking game of cricket.

We also fielded a seventh side for the first time in several years. The team competed in the Tim Creer Cup competition and made it to the semi-finals before being knocked out (Georges River hit a six off the second last ball to win!)

Fourthly, we improved significantly in the Club Championship, from the cellar stairs (if not the cellar itself) the year before. Although we finished 10th, we were as high as 6th entering the last round before being whitewashed by Sydney Uni, something we fully intend to rectify next year.

Fifthly, we have enjoyed an outstanding year of events, fundraising and camaraderie with the club's Friends and extended family. The Test Breakfast was a conspicuous success with a stellar cast (Jim Maxwell grilling Mark Taylor, James Sutherland and Usman Khawaja like James Pattinson grilled the Indian top order) and a wonderful turnout of 170+. We raised substantially more than in previous years (without any increase in price) and will therefore be able to extend our coaching and scholarship programs further in 2012-13.

Hopefully all of you who came along will return, and the rest of you will get along. We are hoping to crack 250 on January 4 next year.

The Matt Sanders-led Golf Day was also excellent as usual, with the switch to St Michaels very well-received. It is on again on Monday June 18 so put it in your diary.

We also welcomed the Doncaster Hotel back as a sponsor, and have just inked a deal (I love saying that!) with Bendigo Bank, Clovelly, which will provide another little boost to the balance sheet.

Finally, the club committee and volunteer base continues to grow, meaning we are better and better placed to achieve our goal of being one of the best performing clubs in Sydney AS WELL AS a place that players and volunteers continue to love and want to be a part of. The more volunteers the merrier, of course, so drop me a line if you're keen to get involved. Our philosophy is "a lot of people doing a little" rather than "a few people doing a lot" so any time you can offer is very welcome.

That said, there are numerous people who have contributed vast amounts of time and effort to the club this year, as (in many cases) they have for many years. Too many to mention here (check the Annual Report when it comes out instead) but to our coaches, captains, practice co-ordinators, scorers, managers, parents, secretary, treasurer, chairman of selectors, committee members, groundsmen and anyone else I've missed a very hearty thank you. 2011-12 was a season I won't forget in a hurry.

You can also see a raft of photos from the season here or on our Facebook page

UNSWCC ANNUAL DINNER SATURDAY APRIL 14

UNSWCC's Annual Dinner will be held Saturday 14 April at the Club Bar, The Roundhouse.

The Annual Dinner is always a fantastic event and all players, past and present, are encouraged to come along with partners.

The flier for the event can be found here

WHEN Saturday 14 April 2012

WHERE Club Bar, The Roundhouse, UNSW

TIME 7.00 for 7.30pm

COST $100 Per Person
$80 Partners/Guests
$85 UNSW Students & U18s

RSVP to Paul Serov by Wednesday 5 April
p.serov@unsw.edu.au or text to 0425 315 640

DRESS Jacket & Tie

Season 2011/2012 has been (and continues to be) a massive one for the UNSW Cricket Club.

First grade are minor premiers and currently right in the middle of finals action. Our AW Green Shield not only made the finals for the first time, but made it all the way to the Grand Final where they lost a thriller against St George at the VG. PG’s made it to finals. Our brand new seventh grade team, playing in the Tim Creer Cup, have made it to the semi-finals and will be seeking premiership glory. And our women’s club have had three team in the finals as well.

On the representative front we have probably had a biggest year ever. Timm Van der Gugten and Chris Tremain have made their Sheffield Shield debut, 1st grade skipper David Dawson made a welcome return to first-class cricket, while club alumni Dan Christian is currently in the West Indies with the Australian ODI and T20 team (and was 12th man for a couple of Tests this summer).

FIRST GRADE AND TIM CREER SIDES THROUGH TO NEXT ROUND OF FINALS

Congratulations to UNSWCC's First Grade side and the Tim Creer Cup side who have both moved through to week two of the finals.

If both sides win this weekend they will be in the grand finals.

First Grade defeated St George at the Village Green on Saturday/Sunday by six wickets. Recent NSW Shield debutant Chris Tremain starred with the ball, taking 5/61.

The TCC side's game was abandoned due to wet weather. All Tim Creer Cup qualifying finals matches were abandoned, therefore UNSWCC went through to the next round.

First Grade will now take on Randwick Petersham this Saturday/Sunday at the Village Green and the TCC side will take on Georges River Sharks at Lance Hutchinson Oval this Saturday.