Brunswick CC Match Reports 18-26 Oct

There were some big scores and big bags over two weekends of cricket. Let's look at some match reports for the two day games in the subbies and one-dayers in the other grades.

First XI 3/255 V Strathmore 9/253

On a new look Gillon deck, SoS won the toss & invited Strathmore to bat. We missed a couple of early opportunities as Strathmore looked to set us on the back foot early launching an all out attack. We hung in there & Lou got the first breakthrough with the score 1/55, followed not long after when Lou then Ash got a double break - 3/80, and 4/113 when Kian struck. At tea with the score 4/140 off 42 overs the game was evenly poised. We held on tight & battled through until Ash broke through - 5/200. We controlled the next 15 or so overs & in this period we grabbed 5/32. A late attack saw the innings close @ 9/253. Our bowling after tea stuck to the task on what was an excellent batting deck with a lightning outfield.

Lou 2/74, Dan 1/70, Ash 3/50, Kian 2/30 & Mossy 1/23.

Day 2 saws us chasing a challenging target & losing Coops (1) early saw Shloak & SoS rebalance our innings. Shloak played some excellent shots to get to get to 25 before he nicked off. Kian (28) also looked in total control & headed for a big score before he was bowled around his legs sweeping.  3/82 & the game was in the balance, probably sitting 60/40 their way. However, from there Greg & SoS took total control putting on an unbroken partnership of 173.

I have not seen SoS strike the ball as well and as consistently as he did in this sublime innings on his way to 128*. Taking control, when the bowler missed, hitting 18 boundaries, then hitting a gap when needed to continually keep the score ticking over & placing the bowlers under pressure. Greg’s innings of 68* with 7 boundaries was highlighted by some exquisite cover drives, piercing a 6/3 field with the precision of a surgeon then a clip off the pads showing his ability to be a 360 player. I am looking forward to Greg showcasing his abilities with us this season as his innings was just pure class. We passed the score in the 51st over to get our season underway.

It’s the little things that bring success & everyone contributed in different ways to this win. With rain interruptions, covers going down then coming off, everyone pitched in without question. A big thanks to Hallsy who stepped in for Lou on Day 2.

Seconds 8/369 V Strathmore  Day 2 Washed Out

John Martyr 81

Harmanpreet Singh 147

David Bonavia 92

On winning the toss & electing to bat, John & debutant Harmanpreet put on a masterclass of stroke play, putting the Strathmore bowling group under extreme pressure. Putting on 155 for the opening stand, before John was unfortunate to fall for a well made 81 off 126 balls. Evan (0) fell shortly after followed by Ewan (7), with the Strathmore bowlers putting some pressure back on our bats.

Enter Dave Bon who decided he was there for a good time & not a long time & carved the bowling up with intelligent stroke play in a show of dominance. At the other end Harmanpreet continued to mix a solid defence with some scintillating cover drives, showcasing his powers of concentration & an ability to take advantage of anything loose. When Harmanpreet fell (147  off 219 balls ), it signalled the end of another 150+ partnership. Has there been a better debut? All class & humility.

Dave Bon (92 off 82 ) fell shortly after as the overs started to dwindle. The third big innings of the day established a totally commanding position at stumps. A few late wickets fell in the pursuit of quick runs JT ( 11 of 8 ), Hallys (1) & Pottsy (0), Ash ( 18* off 15 ).

Unfortunately we were unable to convert our dominance of day 1 to a 6 point or more result as Melbourne’s weather turned nasty throughout late Saturday & into Sunday ending any hope of play on Day 2.

Thirds Brunswick 143 vs Preston 6/395 

Fourths Brunswick 7/203 vs Preston 155 

Brunswick 4s faced local rivals Preston 4s in their first two-day clash, a fixture always full of rivalry and banter.

Day 1:

Preston won the toss and chose to bat but struggled early after Jeff Senz struck first for Brunswick. Captain Parth brought on spinner Alfie, who delivered a remarkable spell of 21 overs, 16 maidens, 4 wickets, suffocating Preston’s scoring. Young Zach added 2 wickets, and veteran Haddie wrapped things up with 2 wickets, bowling Preston out for 155. Brunswick ended Day 1 at 10/1 after a questionable LBW call on Zach.

Day 2:

Brunswick had a shaky start but recovered brilliantly as Christopher West (77) and Connor Shannon (45) built a crucial 128-run partnership. They guided Brunswick past Preston’s total before tea. The team then used the opportunity for batting practice, to Preston’s dismay. Haddie finished in style with a quickfire 21, sealing an emphatic victory.

With two straight wins and a dominant run rate, Brunswick 4s sit comfortably atop the ladder — with plenty more exciting cricket ahead.

Saturday C

Round 3 Brunswick 6/231 v Parkville District 159 Brunswick won by 72 runs

Kiran Long 67*

Safahat Sheikh 52

Sid Kumar 46

Bryce Sarah 3/38

George Holderhead 3/19

Venue: HG Smith Oval

Date: Saturday, 18 October 2025

Parkville District won the toss and, perhaps inspired by the well-grassed pitch or blind optimism, elected to bowl. 

🏏 Batting Masterclass

Kiran Long was the rock of the innings, carrying his bat for 67* off 122 balls — a masterclass in patience, placement, and polite refusal to get out. Kiran stitched together a 87-run stand with Shajib Sheikh, who blasted a lively 52 off 46 balls, and later added 68 with Sid Kumar, who breezed to 46 off 33 like he had somewhere to be. 

Brunswick finished on a commanding 6/231, leaving Parkville with a mountain to climb and no hiking boots.

🔥 Bowling Blitz

Shaik Hemad Faisal opened the bowling with control and venom, finishing with 1/26 from 9 overs — the kind of spell that deserved more wickets and maybe a hug. Debutant George Holderhead stole the show with 3 wickets in a single over, ending with 3/19 from 6 and a grin that could be seen from the boundary. Bryce Sarah joined the party with 3 wickets of his own, while Eddy Mason, Davinder Walia, and Ziad Bayzid each chipped in with one to wrap things up. 

Parkville were dismissed for 159, never quite recovering from Holderhead’s magic moment.

🧤 Behind the Stumps

Sid Kumar was immaculate as ever — 1 catch, 1 stumping, and zero byes. He made wicketkeeping look like a spa treatment: smooth, effortless, and oddly relaxing.

🎙️ Cheeky Player Quote

After the match, George Holderhead was asked about his triple-wicket over. His response? “I just closed my eyes and aimed for the stumps — turns out they were in the right spot.”

Final Word

A dominant win built on steady batting, a bowling ambush, and flawless glovework. The Cs are rolling into Round 4 with form, flair, and a few new nicknames.

Round 4 Brunswick 5/120 V Emerald Hill 119 Brunswick won by 5 wickets

James Sharman 55

Frank Gallagher 3/20

Bryce Sarah 2/22

George Holderhead 2/27

🔥 Bowling Brilliance

Brunswick won the toss and bowled first. After an early wicket, Emerald Hill took advantage of some inconsistent bowling and about 30 plays-and-misses to reach 1/58. From there, Brunswick’s bowlers turned the screws — triggering a collapse of 9/61 to bowl Emerald Hill out for 119 in 43.2 overs.

Frank Gallagher was in vintage form, returning 3/20 off 9 overs, including a stunning 4 maidens — a spell so tight it made the scorers double-check their pens. George Holderhead, Bryce Sarah, and Shajib Sheikh chipped in with 2 wickets each. 

🧤 Fielding Fumbles

Brunswick’s only blemish? Five dropped catches — a reminder that even on good days, there’s room for sharper hands and fewer gasps from the skipper.

🏏 Batting Class

Debutant James Sharman led the chase with a classy 55 off 84 balls, mixing patience with precision and soaking up pressure like a sponge in whites. James was well supported by fellow first gamer Gurmann Rana (14) and Sid Kumar (18), who kept the scoreboard ticking and the chase steady.

After a brief rain delay, Brunswick reached the target in 29.5 overs, finishing at 5/120 and locking in the win with 15 overs to spare.

🎙️ Cheeky Player Quote

After the match, Sid Kumar summed up the mood: “We dropped a lot of catches, but thankfully we caught the win.”

Final Word

A well-rounded win built on disciplined bowling, smart batting, and classic Brunswick grit — with just a few dropped catches to keep training interesting. On to Round 5.

Saturday D

Round 3 Brunswick 244 V  Sacred Heart 8/246

Tom Martin 44

Michael Rowland 50

Darcy Hoole 44*

Owen Paris 4/31

Angus Kelly 3/32

Round 4 Brunswick V Williamstown Colts 5/228 – Wash Out

Sunday C

Round 3 Brunswick 8/335 V Indigoes 5 9/254

Ricky Sidhu 131

Ray Dadwell 50

Pritpal Singh 3/48

Ray Dadwel 2/8

Round 4 – Wash Out

Sunday D

Round 3 Brunswick 114 V Moonee Valley 4  8/115

Al Saunders 29

Sam Kline 25

Johnny Baldwin 3/33

Henry Shippard 4/41

Toby Rowlands 1/15

Round 4 – Wash Out

Brunswick/Keilor Park Women’s T20 Match Report – Round 2 vs Youlden Parkville

Coming off a win in our first game of the season, our second game saw Brunswick/Keilor Park take on Youlden Parkville. Short our gun all-rounder Caitlin and spin bowler Julia, we fielded a determined side of seven and put up a strong showing.

We started off well, reaching a total of 2/123, led by confident batting from Izzy Raines (17*), Kylie Garth (15*), and both Sam Zaman and Emily White contributing 14* each. 

Youlden Parkville were a strong batting side and finished on 5/180 with 2 of their players scoring 50's. We had solid efforts with the ball from Sam Zaman (2/36), Izzy Raines(1/34) and Vaishnavi Ramesh (1/28), plus some great fielding from the whole team, with Emily White snaring a run out.

It was our first game on turf in a long time, usually playing on synthetic, but the team enjoyed the challenge. Despite strong winds, the weather held out and the spirit stayed high throughout the day. Despite the loss it was a fantastic effort all round from the squad!