Seasons in the Sun (Part Fourteen): Percentage on a postage stamp?

Runs flow at a little ground in the suburbs as The Leader calls for percentage and the Lower Plenty Thirds reach the Bradman score.

Seasons in the Sun (Part Twelve): Striving for the finals

Callum O’Connor and his Lower Plenty Thirds are in a post-Christmas fight for a finals berth. New players may help prospects: “Jacob gives it a good crack – he plays some sublime pulls, cuts and drives. As soon as he stops missing the ball, we’ll have another handy bat in the Thirds…”

Seasons in the Sun (Part Eleven): The Needle and the Benefit Done

Callum O’Connor chronicles the Lower Plenty Third XI’s run chase, and (reluctantly) reveals his contribution to the effort.

Seasons in the Sun (Part Ten): How to entrench a nickname

Callum O’Connor and the Lower Plenty Thirds are facing Montmorency in the last game before Christmas. The line-up has changed but the day still brings a Clayton’s toss, a former club mate and all the chat of the local playing field.

Seasons in the Sun (Part Nine): “Survivor Bowling”

Defending a huge 4/351, Lower Plenty Thirds could experiment in the field. Callum O’Connor tells of ‘Survivor: Bowling,’ a reality-TV-style bowl-off. “…Some men are born great. Others bowl slow-slow mediums and have hat tricks thrust upon them…”

Seasons in the Sun (Part 8): Gathering Clouds

Lower Plenty Thirds and Mill Park played Saturday in the shadow of Phillip Hughes’ passing. Callum O’Connor and his team mates had more on their minds than the scorebook.

Phil Hughes

Callum O’Connor on how Phil Hughes’ tragic death has impacted the local cricketer.

Seasons in the Sun (Part 7): That Pompeii feeling

Callum O’Connor and the Lower Plenty Thirds are defending 9/247. Would it be enough? Is cricket a batsman’s or a bowler’s game? What happens if the Lalor Stars read Callum’s match report midweek? Would Vesuvius erupt?

Cricket’s a (hat) tricky game

Gigs has a day out.

Seasons in the Sun (Part 6): Fine times and $2 fines

The Stars (“Are you blokes Lalor or the Lalor Stars?” “No, we’re the Stars”) are up and about against the Lower Plenty Thirds. Their $2 fine regime should see them a tidy end-of-season trip.

Dean Jones @ East Coburg Cricket Club Sports Night

Great night to be had at the East Coburg Cricket Club on 2nd December with Test legend Dean Jones as guest speaker. Contact George Georgiou and let him know you’ll be coming along.

Seasons in the Sun (Part 6): Doing it on the bit

Callum O’Connor’s Lower Plenty Thirds win in a canter with some helpful batting tips from Peppa Pig that that set up a match winning opening stand.

Seasons in the Sun (Part 5): Late scratchings and run outs

Late scratchings, a heavy track and a testing head wind don’t deter the Lower Plenty Thirds. Callum O’Connor says that if you can’t bowl them out, you can always run them out. (Should we pass this on to Boof? – Ed.)

Seasons in the Sun (Part 4): Slogging, slagging and sledging

Calllum O’Connor continues the season of the Lower Plenty 3rd XI with a bit of niggle helping the team get home for a win on the weekend.

Seasons in the Sun (Part 3): The Charms of Cricket

Callum O’Connor’s series on the charms and travails of local cricket continues. (Worth reading for the nicknames and vernacular alone. Dry, laconic Australian humour is alive and well – Ed.)

Seasons in the Sun (Part 2) – Leg Theory

Callum O’Connor’s cricketing travails continue as his opening spell is Harmisonesque. What to do when the skipper offers redemption via an over at the death?

Coarse Cricket Comes To Tassie

Geoff Lockhart opens the batting on a series of yarns about local cricket in Northern Tasmania. Why is a good fridge always more important than a good opening batsman?

The Fab Fourteen – finals glory for Sharks’ 5ths

Henry Miller once noted “The ordinary man is involved in action, a hero acts. An immense difference.” The Shark’s 5th XI cricket side was once the domain of the ordinary man. This is no longer the case.

A Cinderella Story-Part 2

Raj Singh completes the story of Pembroke Old Scholars making it to the hallowed turf of Adelaide Oval. Goliath evened the score, but David was happy to be back on the big stage after a couple of millennia.

Cricket: You’ve just got to go local

Ian Hauser wanders north into the foothills of the Great Divide, to watch the local cricket finals in “Dog on the Tuckerbox” country around Gundagai and Tumut.