Penrith Cricket Club 4th Grade Premiers - 2014-15
Penrith Cricket Club | April 17, 2026
By Glenn Venables
4th Grade Premiers, How good is it! Has a ring to it, doesn’t it?
The 2014/2015 season finished with the Reid Cup premiership trophy coming back to Howell Oval for the first time since the 1984/85 season.
The team that ran onto the field at Tunks Park in Round 1 all those weeks ago was significantly different from the one that held the trophy at the end of the season, with only 4 players from that team being there at the end. In saying that, most of the players from that team took opportunities throughout the season to play in First, Second and Third grade and make the most of their opportunities in those grades.
But with all that said, the entire year was one of the most stable player movement years I remember, with only 30 players playing in the team. This may seem like a substantial number; however, for a lower-grade team that is dependent on three other teams to hold their squads together, this was a low number, with over half of the 30 players only playing no more than 4 games for the year.
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The season didn’t get off to the start that we had hoped as we lost two of the first three games of the season, and we were staring down the barrel very early on as we lingered on the lower half of the competition table.
The season took a turn in the Round 4 game against Northern Districts, where we had made a mediocre 154 at home and at tea on Day 2, ND’s were 5/129 and doing things very easily. One word was used in that change room that would get us across the line in that game and throughout many games throughout the season: Belief. We walked out onto Bill Ball oval, having the belief in the other 10 lads on the field, what their jobs were and the ability to back that up. That belief ended with us taking 5/20 and winning the match by 5 runs.
That hour of play resonated with the playing group for the entire season, as the majority of games we played throughout the course of the season saw us have our backs to the wall on more than one occasion, but the belief that we could win would get us across the line.
We would go on to win the next 5 games in a row and only lose another 2 games for the entire season. Of those 5 wins, 3 of them were by 3 wickets or less, showing how much belief can turn those 50/50 games from losses to wins.
But that was the story of our season as we found ways to win and when we entered the semi-finals campaign full of confidence after outrighting Gordon comprehensively and routing Sydney Uni away, that belief got us across the line in all 3 games, none more so than the semi-final versus Northern Districts where we needed a draw to win and with ND’s hitting 211, found ourselves 7/186. As per schedule 2, the tailenders believed we could do it and got us across the line.
It was that win that advanced us to the well-documented grand final, and as we found it, the weather gods tested us, giving the team one day to force a result and take out the premiership. Since winning that match, and having one too many ales in celebration, reflecting on the mood and thoughts of the 10 other boys in that shed on the Saturday night, not once did I think that we would lose that match or give it a red hot crack at winning it.
At an individual level, we were blessed with the fact that there was not one passenger in our team. Throughout the season, there were always one or two players who would stand up, and it was never the same one or two blokes to do it, all eleven did their job on most occasions. Funnily enough, we would go through a premiership-winning season with not one hundred scored.
With the bat, this year saw Josh Betros and Ryan Hackney come into their own. Josh was always the “other” Betros in the club and had in all honesty, lived in the shadows of the other 2, but as one of the three members of “Dad’s Army” that we had in the team this year, Betty took it upon himself to be the leading run scorer for our team and be only 50 runs short of being the leading run scorer for the entire comp with his most notable innings being 96* against Hawkesbury, single handily winning the match.
Hackers also was a standout with the bat, finishing 7th overall in the 4th Grade run tally and showing a steel mentality that a lot of batsmen twice his age should learn from. Hackers has a temperament that I have never seen in a “kid” his age, and it’s been rewarding to watch him develop and grow in the last 12months to not only Captain the Green Shield squad to the semi-final, but to be a solid opening batsman. His heartbreaking 99 against Bankstown was his highest score (and one I was lucky enough to sit at the other end and watch), but his two innings against St George and ND’s in the quarter and semi-finals should be his proudest as he showed true grit and patience to bat sessions and do what the team needed him to do.
But it was with the ball that we dominated the competition. Our bowling “cartel”, as it was named, had a reputation throughout the comp as the best going around. Taran Finemore, Peter Gregersen and Jackson Edwards had stellar years with the ball. It’s hard not to be competitive when 3 of your top 4 bowlers take 40, 36 and 22 wickets each in a season (and make the other opening bowlers’ 17 wickets seem mediocre!).
Taran became the spearhead of the attack when he was dropped from 3’s, but instead of sulking, he used that as inspiration and went on to take 40 wickets in the grade. His damaging 4/33 against Sydney Uni and 4/31 against St George in the quarter final were a master class of aggressive new ball bowling, and his spells throughout the finals series were something other teams sat back and applauded.
Jackson had a yo-yo start to the year, starting in 3’s, playing 2’s, then ending up in 4’s. “Sheldon” took a while to find confidence in his bowling and fit into the team, but once he did, the opposition knew about it. Without doubt, Jacko was the quickest bowler in the comp. He had players on the back foot and missing balls as they were hitting Lidds gloves. Jacko can really take confidence out of the way he played throughout the backend of the year and understand that sustained pressure as a bowler is the key to taking
wickets, which he showed in the final, taking out the player of the match.
Then there is Peter Gregersen... If you don’t know who Grego is, you haven’t been at Howell after a game or at training for more than 5 minutes. The loudspeaker, the imbecile and the clown but also the heart and soul of the team; Grego coming off back to back player of the season awards (just ask him) found himself in third grade, and doing a good job there for the start of the season, but after missing Round 4 due to an end of season soccer trip, Grego found himself back in 4’s where he would stay for the rest of the season. The confidence and energy that Grego radiates is infectious. Whether it be him barking on the field (Which Jake
Day emulated throughout the season, much to the delight of the team, talking up how he would take 4 wickets when he comes on to bowl and then actually do it, or run around the change rooms shenanigans, the team rallied behind him. Without a spinner for the back end of the season, Grego responded well to having to bowl up to 18 overs straight, as he consistently took wickets with his nude swingers, and batting at 8, getting us over the line on several occasions (and fittingly hitting the winning runs in the grand final). Being only 22, many people think that he is an old man, but in fact, he’s just had a hard life! But in all seriousness, if Grego can continue to play the way he did this year and galvanise the team the way he did, he will be on many of the leaderboards at Howell and be a fantastic clubman. Of the other players that were a part of the premiership team:
Sagi Pradhan – Sag’s came back into the squad as a fill-in when we were short of players early in the season, but Sagi couldn’t be held back as he owned the opening spot with Hackers. His experience and talent were something that the younger guys aspired to emulate, and I personally think Hackers learned a lot playing alongside him at the top of the order. Sag’s innings against St George and ND’s in the finals series inured, were amazing, and his run chase against Sydney in the final was the catalyst for the team getting across the line.
Jake Day – Jakey started in 3’s with a lot of noise about his all-around abilities from the season prior. Being at an age where his body is growing at a rapid rate, he was learning to adjust his bowling technique and batting physique around that. Jakey didn’t have the start that he would have liked. His 53 against Easts was a monumental innings and an innings that proved to everyone that he has the talent to compete in higher grades. The backend of the season was a major confidence boost to him personally and although he didn’t bowl as much as he would have liked, the innings at Sydney Uni where he took 1/8 off 5 overs before aggravating a side strain showed that once he gets action spot on, he will destroy line-ups and his temperament in the run chase in the grand final was again a sign of what’s to come; a player to watch in 12 to 18 months’ time.
Ed Brown – Eddy (Or Forehead Gump to the team) came into the fold late in the season. Playing most of the season in 3’s, Browny quickly cemented his spot in the middle order and also the young kids’ ear. Quick between the wickets and a gunshot from the mouth, Browny kept Hackers and Lidds in check throughout the season and provided many a laugh, culminating with cubicle 1 at Drummoyne rupturing. Statistically, Browny would have liked a few more runs under his belt, but his not-out innings in the grand final and his wickets against Sydney Uni and in the grand final were massive moments. His presence on and off the field was thoroughly enjoyed by the lads, and it was good to see someone of his calibre be rewarded with a premiership after returning from our rival, Hawkesbury.
Tyran Liddiard – Young Lidds, where to start... Lidds had a superb year behind the stumps to follow up his breakthrough season last year. Taking 39 dismissals and being the leading wicketkeeper in the comp by plenty shows how consistent he was throughout the year. Lidds was one of 3 to have been lucky enough to have been coming off a premiership in 5th grade the year prior (Hackers, Sagi, Taran, the others) and that experience showed throughout the season. Lidds was probably the one to grow the most this year, personally, not physically, as he gained confidence with his ability behind the wickets and more so with the bat. Alongside Grego down the bottom order, Lidds showed a lot of top-order batsmen how to do their job and also showed the team the amount of heart he has for a 2-foot-tall 16-year-old. Keep your head on your shoulders, and you’ll go places. Also, watch out for Shorty’s chest, and you won’t knock yourself out in warm-ups!
Finally, there was Matt Kimble. The VC of the team and my right-hand man, Kimbo and I have played a lot of cricket together over the years, and there were a lot of questions asked when Kimbo held his spot three games out from the semis, and our top order batsman was averaging 7.23. But like all finals campaigns, you need old heads in your team to help guide the younger kids around, and true to form, that’s when Kimbo stood up. His breakthrough innings against Sydney Uni with an unbeaten 79 was the catalyst to lead the batting line-up, with an average of just a tick under 40 for the entire finals series. It wasn’t just his batting presence that the team revelled under, but his leadership skills, especially when I wasn’t around, or visiting a hospital ward mid-game. For me personally there were last-minute phone calls trying to pick squads and bouncing ideas over an ale or two, and I want to thank you for that support and finally getting our premiership 17 years later!
There are many other players I could name and shame here, but for the rest that made contributions throughout the year, I’d like to thank you for the efforts and commitment you showed, especially Nathan Maskell for his 12th man duties throughout the finals campaign. Finally, I’d just like to single out a couple of people who, behind the scenes, have worked tirelessly to help both the team and me out throughout the season.
Pete Hackney, Brad Day and Glenn Liddiard, our team mascots, you boys have been there nearly every game and haven’t blinked when we’ve needed covers, cordial, rub downs, advice, lifts, pretty much anything. Thank you for all your time and effort.
Mr and Mrs Finemore, Kel Liddiard, Mrs Day and Mrs Edwards, our team managers, thank you for organising tea every week without fail (and early tea that one time). Your hard work didn’t go unnoticed.
The committee for their tireless work day in and day out, running it all. Having sat on the committee in the past, I know the work, effort and sacrifice that goes into it all, so thank you for your ongoing support
Liam Zammit and his work at Bill Ball. There has been a lot of bad noise around the state of the wicket at Cook Park; however, the efforts and expertise of Zammo have turned that around. The wickets that were produced for the home finals, especially, were as good as any high-grade standard, and your work should be applauded.
It’s Clubman/Club Women like yourselves that are the driving force behind success, and I want to again personally thank you all.
To cap such a successful season with a premiership is something that we will never forget and band us together for many a year. I look forward to the momentum that this victory will bring to the club over the coming years and to seeing how far some of these very talented young players will go. Love the Cats!
