West Bendigo Cricket Club

Welcome everyone to the 2024/25 EVCA cricket season!

West Bendigo will be fielding teams in Division 2/3 and we are excited to announce the return of our Womens team after a break last season.

Players will need to register on Play HQ before they are eligible to play and that can be done through the following link:

https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/register/05c524

Please note that there is a small fee required to be paid to Cricket Victora when registering.

West Bendigo are also offering the option of paying fees upfront this year with players able to pay $320 before the start of the season. This covers all match fees fees for the year and a playing shirt will be provided. Women's fees are TBA.

Training will be held every Tuesday/Thursday and will commence from Tuesday the 17th of September, 4:30 - 6pm. Once daylight savings begins, trainings will start later.

Captains will be announced later this week.

PlayHQ

Training will start from this Sunday, 9am-11am. This is a chance to roll the arm over and jump in front of the bowling machine.

Look forward to seeing you there!

The club held its Presentation night at the clubrooms on Wednesday night.
A big thanks to the committee for organising the night and to Pauline for cooking the BBQ.

Award winners for the season were:
Division 3
Champion - Darren DeMarchi
Bowling Award - Eddy Neame 13 wickets
Batting Award - Darren DeMarchi 285 runs
Captains Award - Aaron Carter

Other achievements in Div 3 was Eddy Neame taking 5/22 against Axe Creek including a hat-trick!

Blake DeMarchi was the recipient of an award donated by life member Trevor Armstrong that he wanted to see go to a young and promising cricketer. Make sure you put the new bat to good use Blake and well done on surviving Travs Q & A session 👍

A big thanks goes to Grant Brown for steering the ship in Div 3. Captaining can be a hard and at times thankless job but Browny as always still had his sense of humour when doing the presentations.

Division 1
Champion (recipient of the Ron Gray Club Champion Award) - Tarran Kilcullen
Bowling Award - Tarran Kilcullen 19 wickets
Batting Award - Marcus Williamson 317 runs
Captains Award - Tristan Boykett

Other achievements in Div 1 were Tarran taking 5/27 against Axe Crrek, Marcus making his first Div 1 hundred with 112 against Marong and Trav with yet another century making 110 against Sedgwick.

A big thanks must go to Tarran for his efforts as Div 1 captain under trying circumstances. To captain the side and also have an outstanding individual season deserves a lot of credit.

Mitch Harder in his 1st season as club coach presented the Coaches Award which went to Andrew Brown. A big thanks goes to Mitch for the efforts he has put in all year as coach.

It may have been a tough year on the field and it's easy to look from the outside at on-field results only but they don't tell the story of the positive direction the club is heading in. Marita outlined how things are progressing off the field and there are certainly exciting times ahead.

While disappointing to not have a Division 2 side for the majority of the year the tough but correct decison to still field a Division 1 side will always be the West Bendigo way.
A massive thanks needs to go to the players who stepped up knowing that wins may be hard to come by but despite this still gave their full effort each and every week.

The AGM will be held in May. A date is to be confirmed.

Get on the Redbacks. 🕷🕸🕷🕸🕷🕸

🎉League Presentation Night 🎉

Darren De Marchi has won the most dismissal in Division 3 section 1. Daz took an incredible 14 catches this season to take out the award. Well done mate!

MATCH REPORTS
Div 1 finished their season with a tough assignment up against Mandurang. Its never been a happy hunting ground out at Pearce Reserve and that again proved to be the case.
Batting first Mandurang made 301 declared to give us a hit before stumps. Taz the best of the bowlers with 2/90.
After a couple of promising weeks with the bat unfortunately on this occasion things started badly and then didn't get any better after that. Bowled out for 64 with Tristan 13* the best followed by Mitch and X. Tras with 12 each.
The 2nd innings was slightly better but we could only muster up 98 to go down outright. Mitch with 20 the best.

LAST WEEK
Div 3 took on Mandurang, won the toss and had a bat. While a few got starts we could only get to a total of 94. Ben 31, Dave 21 and Daz 20 got the runs. At the break it didn't seem like enough, but it nearly was.
Mandurang replied with 6/95 to get the win but it was harder work than maybe anticipated. Dave with 3/23 put in a good all round performance and Mason 2/26 was the other multiple wicket taker.

For their last round Div 3 took on the strong Mia Mia. After learning from last week we won the toss and sent them in to set the score to chase. And they took up the challenge to set a pretty decent score, 218.
Aaron took 2/20 with the ball.
It was going to be a tough chase and that proved to be the case. 48 all out with Bill the best with the bat with 13*.

While that is the end of the on field stuff for this season the next function is the Presentation Night. Stay tuned for details.
The the on field success may not have happened this year but it is important to get along and celebrate the individual performances throughout the year.

Get on the Redbacks. 🕷🕸🕷🕸🕷🕸

MATCH REPORTS
Div 1 were into the 2nd week against United. After batting first last week United declared at 279 and sent us in for a hit. Early wickets put us in trouble but solid batting from the middle order saw the total get to 169. Not enough for 1st innings points but some good contributions from Cody in particular with 69 and Marcus (32) and Gaz (23).
10 short of avoiding the follow on United sent us back in with the aim to bat the day out. Dylan up top with 32 batted well and then Taz at the end with 24* saw the job done. A solid performance to avoid the outright against one of the top sides.

BACK TO BACK WINNERS!
Firstly my apologies for no match report last week so we need to go back and mention Div 3s win against Axe Creek. After travelling the countryside the lads were back at home and hopefully remembered to bring arvo tea.
Batting first Axe Creek made 146 which seemed getable on our home deck. Mitch the chief destroyer with 3/25.
A solid opening partnership set things up with Daz going full Bazball and making 47 in quick time and then Jayden saw things home with a very good 48*.

And this week it was Sedgwicks turn to take on the Div 3 lads. Again at home with Sedgwick having a bat first and making 204. Jayden 2/20 and Mitch 2/22 the multiple wicket takers.
A solid target to chase but getable if we batted well.
Again Daz showed he was in form with the bat and posted a half century (53 retired) before Jayden posted one himself (54 retired) to get us into a winning position with only a few runs to get. Jayden had good support from Dave who made a well batted 38 and Aaron chipped in with a handy 23.
A couple of late wickets didn't deter things and we finished 6/205 to notch up the win and make it two in a row.

Get on the Redbacks 🕷🕸🕷🕸🕷🕸

Ton up, ton up, TON UP!
Well done to Trav who brought up yet another Div 1 century. A not out and carried his bat but unfortunately it wasn't quite enough to chase down Sedgwicks 267.
Chan the next best with the bat with 22. A better game all round and something to work with heading towards the end of the season.

The Div 3 Traveling Wilburys car pooled again and headed out to Bagshot this week.
Bagshot posted a very tough to chase 270. Mitch the multiple wicket taker with 2/21. In reply a solid start with the bat saw Daz make 43 and Mitch 26 in a solid all round performance but wickets fell at regular intervals and in the end we totalled 7/130. A solid effort to bat the overs and not get bowlers out.
Get on the Redbacks 🕷🕸🕷🕸🕷🕸

Weekly Report
Div 1 took on Sedgwick at home in front of the watchful eyes of some past players who were no doubt reliving the old days and exaggerating the stories of how good they used to be.

Sedgwick batted first and a good bowling effort saw our boys have them 5 down at tea but some lower order hitting saw them reach 265 and that was enough to declare and give us a bat before stumps. Marcus 2/66 and Mason 2/42 the multiple wicket takers.

A solid effort by Trav (18*) and Taz (13) saw us bat the overs remaining to be 1/33 at stumps. Taz a bit stiff to be out last over of the day but with Trav still at the crease and plenty of batting to come the lads are a big chance in this one.

Div 3 did a bit of car pooling and made the trek out to Mia Mia. We bowled first with them getting 251 off their 36 overs. Jayden 3/36 and Eddy 2/36 being the best of the bowlers. In a scorers nightmare everyone had a bowl, did everyone get to wicket-keep too?

In reply a solid start by Browny (23) and Mitch (17) saw us reach 39 without loss but unfortunately that then became 4/39. A bit of an uphill battle from there but Bailey with 21 helped the final total reach 92.

A big thanks to all the past players that came along and had a great day and thanks to the committee for organising the day and BBQ tea.

Get on the Redbacks 🕷🕸🕷🕸🕷🕸

Div 1 was back in 2-day action away to Emu Creek.
We decided to bowl first with the Chooks getting to 202 in their first innings before declaring and sending us in. Wickets were shared with Marcus the best of the bowlers with 3/37. Andrew with 2/30, Taz with 2/73 and Sajith 1/20 the other wicket takers.
Unfortunately with the bat things didn't go to plan with us bowled out for 86 to give the Chooks first innings points. Cody showed his batting ability to top score with 43. The others to reach double figures were Tristan (16) and Sajith (13)
Aim for next week is to bat and try and avoid the outright.

The mighty Div 3 was back in action with a one-dayer against Mandurang at the home of cricket.
Mandurang batted first and got 267 off their 36 overs. Wickets were shared with Eddy being the only multiple wicket taker with 2/36.
For the 4,563rd time (that might be unders) Browny (49) went out to open the batting and had Barkley (20) with him. A promising start by the lads with the first wicket not falling until 70 but a little collapse to be 6/100 put us behind the rate required.
Some l***y hitting by Jayden (26*) and Daz (17*) got the final score to 133 but it wasn't quite enough.

PAST PLAYERS DAY
The club extends an open invitation to all past players to come down to Ken Wust Oval on February 3rd to watch the Div 1 take on Sedgwick.
Starting from around 1pm it would be great to see some familiar faces to reminisce about the old times and show our support to the current players

Go Redbacks 🕷🕸🕷🕸🕷🕸

Div 1 was back in action after a Bye last week up against a strong Spring Gully side. Away from home we were up against it but the Crom had dropped their past 2 games so we went in with a chance.
Winning the toss was the only highlight early as we slumped to 3/7 to be in trouble but a middle order fight back led by Sajith (25) and Taz (31) ended up getting the total to 118 and something to bowl at.
Unfortunately it was never enough as Spring Gully passed the score 1 down and eventually made 289.
Best of the bowlers was Cody with 1/43 off his 8 overs.
Next week sees Div 1 return to 2 day action against Emu Creek away while Div 3 get back into it at home (Ken Wust) against Mandurang.

Go Redbacks 🕷🕸🕷🕸🕷🕸

Post match catch up at the Bendigo Club tonight 6:30-7:30. Let's get down and celebrate the first game back and support our sponsor.

Training tomorrow and Thursday from 4:30.

It would be good to get as many as possible there as it makes the coaches job easier and also allows our batters and bowlers to get a good workout in. We will also have a former EVCA player at training tomorrow to offer some bowling advice and coaching.

Awesome work by our very own Aaron and Blake. Aaron puts his Christmas lights up and fundraisers for the Royal Children Hospital. If you have any spare change, please get to Eron Street, Kangaroo Flat and support our teammate.

I’ve also heard that Santa will be there tonight with the chance of getting a photo with the big fella. If you have kids, this is an awesome opportunity to see Santa and see good Christmas lights.

Nerves and excitement in O'Connell's EVCA division one debut Sophie O'Connell reflects on her first EVCA division one game.

Thanks to everyone who turned up to our Season Launch on Friday! It was awesome to see everyone getting involved in the lawn bowls.

With the season starting this weekend, please make sure you sign up for West Bendigo CC on PlayHQ. There are instructions below in the previous post about how to do it. If you need help, let us know!

It is now time to register to play cricket for the upcoming season!

1. Visit PlayHQ.com
2. Search for West Bendigo Cricket Club
3. Select the club
4. Click on the Register tab at the top of the page
5. Select your Competition (BDCA is the Women’s comp, EVCA for the men’s)
6. Follow the steps to register

Please note that there is a charge of $22.50 from Cricket Australia that covers your player insurance for the season. This is a one-off payment so if you play in another comp, you only need to register and wont need to pay twice.

All players must register to be available for selection.

All merchandise orders can still be placed through the Store on TeamApp

PlayHQ The home of grassroots sport. Register and participate or view fixtures, ladders and results on PlayHQ

Training tomorrow!

Training will be at Ken Wust at 1pm tomorrow.

Please try and get their if you can

Carlton vs Sydney, Friday night @ The Bendigo Club

Please come down and support our sponsor. We are selling raffle tickets between 6 and 7:30, so get there, grab a ticket and try and win the meat tray before the footy starts!

It was a great first day of training today, thank you to all those that attended.
Welcome to our new Redbacks - Ben and Tash, it is great to have you on board. We can't wait to see what you have in store for the upcoming season
Finally, thankyou to Mitch for a training session that blew out some cobwebs and kept all participants engaged.
Next training sessions is the same time, same location - hope to see you there!
Go Redbacks 🕷🕷🕷

Reminder training starts tomorrow at 1:00pm!

Go Redbacks 🕷️🕷️🕷️

Thanks to all those that attended the Meet the Coach session today, it was great to see you all

Training will start next Sunday the 13th August from 1:00pm at the Garden Gully Reserve Cricket Nets (8 Ashley Street, Ironbark)

Please come along today to meet Mitch the coach

1:00pm @ The Bendigo Club

We are very excited to announce the appointment of our coach for the 2023 / 2024 season.
Mitchell Harder comes to us with a wealth of coaching experience with many personal cricketing achievements along the way.
We will be holding a “meet the coach” day on Sunday the 6th August at 1:00pm at The Bendigo Club. It would be great to have as many of our players attend, introduce yourself to Mitch and hear what his plans are for the upcoming season.
We are now looking to appoint our Captains in our Mens Div 1, 2, 3; and also our Women’s team. Please send through your expressions of interest to [email protected]

We are very excited to announce the appointment of our coach for the 2023 / 2024 season.
Mitchell Harder comes to us with a wealth of coaching experience with many personal cricketing achievements along the way.
We will be holding a “meet the coach” day on Sunday the 6th August at 1:00pm at The Bendigo Club. It would be great to have as many of our players attend, introduce yourself to Mitch and hear what his plans are for the upcoming season.
We are now looking to appoint our Captains in our Mens Div 1, 2, 3; and also our Women’s team. Please send through your expressions of interest to [email protected]

The West Bendigo CC held its AGM on Friday the 16th of June and the Committee for the 2023/2024 is as follows:
President: Peter DeSalvo
Vice-President: Marcus Williamson
Secretary: Deonee O’Connell
Assistant Secretary: Marita Rinaldi
General Members: To be appointed

We would also like to advise that the positions for Coach and all Captain position for the upcoming season are now open. Please send through your expressions of interest to [email protected]

Go Redbacks 🕷🕷🕷

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our club person, past-president and all round great bloke, Rob Robertson.
Rob was a very active member in the community and we were thrilled when he joined the West Bendigo Cricket Club in 2016 and quickly progressed from Vice-President to President where he held that title for 5 years.
During that time he was instrumental in a number of changes and initiatives which put West Bendigo back into the spotlight. He was actively involved in ventures outside the club but always committing to make the WBCC a better place on and off the field.
The Women’s cricket team was established during his leadership and he was able to introduce Lisa Chesters MP to our club whereby she was our biggest advocate for women's cricket and also instrumental in the guidance and direction on how to progress our redevelopment works which he was still conducting meetings with council in late 2022.
He re-established the Ken Wust Oval Sports Action Group and was quickly appointed President of this group and was able to represent all sporting groups in meetings with Council.
Aside from all these President duties, he was the person you could call at midday on Saturday and he would put on the whites to help out and if not required to play, he would randomly turn up at all games and treated all members as equals.
Even during his poor health he followed the club, kept in contact with many of the players and even dropped into a few matches. He was incredibly unselfish.
The club is a better place for having Rob and his family around and we send our thoughts to his children Tyla and Connor at this time.

All teams back on the park this weekend!

Div 1 are hosting Spring Gully at The Bendigo Club Ground and hoping to continue the form at home.

Down the road at the Spring Gully Oval, we have our Div 2 boys keen to get a win on the board after their constant hard work and efforts.

Div 3 have tough competition this round against Bendigo City Sports Club at Finn Street, hopefully they can continue with the form from last week and chalk up a win.

The Women are up against the undefeated Golden Square at The Bendigo Club Ground, but hoping to have a strong competitive match like the last time we played them

Go Redbacks 🕷🕷🕷