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11 months ago



Batting for Barbados

Lyon Cricket and The Hills Cricket Academy have united to create this fundraising lunch after the sudden collapse of their tour operator, devastating many dozens of young players, parents and coaches, and placing upcoming tours and clinics in jeopardy. With thanks to Canterbury Leagues Club, CUB, Tim Gilbert (MC), Tahir (Comedian), Mike Whitney, Steve O'Keefe, Dan Christian, Brett Lee, Moses Henriques, Gavin Robertson + many more, we invite you to join us in the beautiful Canterbury Leagues Showroom for a fantastic afternoon of entertainment, fine dining, a few drinks and a return to the stage of the legends themselves......SIX and OUT!!

*Ticket includes a premium 2 course lunch + Beer, Wine & Soft Drinks
*Table bookings are a maximum of 8 people only.
A cash bar will be available, with ATM facilities on site.
Great Raffle Prizes + Silent & Live Auction items up for grabs!
Plenty of parking on site in the Leagues Club car park or Taxi/Uber Drop Off
Dress is smart casual.
DATE
Friday 28 June 2024 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM (UTC+10)
LOCATION
Canterbury Leagues Club
26 Bridge Rd, Belmore NSW 2192

Try Booking -

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11 months ago



The enigmatic Brian Riley was a colourful character of Sydney Grade Cricket in the late 60s, 70s and 80s.

Tom Brooks was a Cricket umpire who stood in 23 Test matches and had previously played 16 first-class games as a fast bowler for New South Wales..

Together they didn’t get along. Riles feud with Tom Brookes started around 1969 and continued throughout much of Riles's grade career and here's how it happened:

In a Poidevin Gray game played at Waverley Oval circa 1969, Petersham was batting and Riles was at the crease facing seamer and great medium pacer Dave Gibson. It was an overcast day, Tom Brookes, test umpire was officiating and Gibbo was steaming in from the scoreboard end of the ground.

Gibbo sends down a shortish ball to Riles, Riles tries to play a forcing shot off the back foot, Gibbo makes a half-hearted appeal, not supported by anyone else on the ground, and Tom Brookes raises the finger and gives Riles out.

Riles immediately says to Tom in his inimitable style – “Tom you are f#@**$! kidding!!”.

Instead of then walking off to the pavilion via point he proceeds slowly down the middle of the pitch towards Tom Brookes. Everyone on the field is waiting with bated breath; is he going to hit Tom, swing a bat at him or what. Riles's reputation has preceded him.

None of that – when Riles gets within reach of Tom, Riles takes of his rim glasses and places them on Tom Brookes head with the comment. “Take these Tom, you f#@**$! need them more than me”.

With that Riles storms of the pitch swearing and cursing all the way to the grandstand. Vintage Brian Riley but he was only 20 at the time and a lot more umpires were to incur the wrath of Brian Riley over the ensuing years.

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11 months ago



Geoff Foley was a popular and valued member of Queensland’s First Class & limited overs teams of the 1990s and played in 2 winning Sheffield Shield finals in 1996/97 & 1999/2000.

He burst on to the scene as an opener in 1990 scoring 155 against a Pakistan attack including Imran Khan, Waqar Younis, Abdul Qadir & Aaqib Javid and dismissed Imran in Pakistan’s second innings,

In an interview with the BBC in 2018 when asked if anything wakes him in the middle of the night, the Pakistan President replied the possibility of nuclear warfare with India and Geoff Foley.

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11 months ago



Looking to take up that batting average?

Every batter, regardless of whether you're playing at the MCG or the local park has to hold a set of essential skills that can take their game to a whole new level. Let's talk our top five tips:

🏏 Stance and Grip: Start with a balanced stance. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Hold the bat firmly but not too tight, with your top hand’s thumb and forefinger forming a ‘V’ pointing down the back of the bat.

🏏 Watch the Ball: Keep your eyes on the ball from the bowler’s hand until it reaches you. Anticipate the ball’s trajectory and decide your shot early.

🏏 Footwork: Quick and decisive footwork is crucial. Move your feet towards the pitch of the ball to play it with control and precision.

🏏 Backlift and Swing: Maintain a consistent backlift, bringing the bat up and back in a smooth motion. Swing through the line of the ball, ensuring a full follow-through for power and accuracy.

🏏 Head Position: Keep your head still and in line with the ball. This helps maintain balance and control, making it easier to place your shots.

These are your simple, repeatable steps to push those numbers up every time you step out onto the pitch 💯

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11 months ago



Lachlan Stevens was a gritty opening batsman and useful left-arm orthodox bowler who played for South Australia & Queensland.

In 2005-06 he scored his maiden first class century against Western Australia and contributed 66 in Queensland’s victory in the Pura Cup final.

A keen student and lover of the game, since retiring from playing, Lachlan has forged a successful coaching career, as coordinator of high performance at The Cricket Academy in Brisbane and later guiding Western Australia to the inaugural Twenty20 Champions League in South Africa.

He has also coached in Tasmania & is currently assistant coach of the Victorian Sheffield Shield side and coach of the Melbourne Renegades in the WBBL.

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11 months ago



In the last half of the 1950s and into the 60s, Norm O’Neill was up there with Australia’s top sports superstars. He was the most charismatic cricketer of his day and the game’s biggest crowd-puller.

With the sporting public in awe of the all-conquering St George rugby league team’s pace, power and skills, Normie was showing the same characteristics for the St George cricket team. Just as Reg Gasnier had added glamour and class to the St George football team to lift it to a new level, so Norm added those qualities to St George, NSW and Australian cricket.

Billy Watson, Brian Booth and Warren Saunders were all in contention for test spots, but it was Normie who captured the imagination of the sports and general media

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11 months ago



Howzattt presents – Profile of Champions - Lundi Mbane

“Every day may not be good but there is good in every day.”

Name – Lundi Mbane
Age – 40
City / town – East London
Province – Border
Employment – Border U/16 Head coach
School – Eric Mtonga High School
Cricket teams played for – Border Academy, Border Bears A and B teams, Warriors, Sa Invitation and Border Vets
Cricket career highlights – Took 5 for 20 for Border vs Dolphins. Took 7 for 15 for Border vs WP. Scored 88 not out for Border vs Titans.
Brief description of your cricket skills - All-rounder: Prefer to bowl first change and can bat anywhere. Explosive batter and able to clear the ropes. Athletic in the field.
Other sports played – Soccer and boxing
Interests / hobbies – Playing video games and watching movies.
Your sporting hero – Freddie Flintoff
Favourite quote – “Every day may not be good but there is good in every day.”

Your thoughts on Vets Cricket – After retiring from cricket, I thought that was it for me. All I could do now was help the young starts even though I thought I could outplay them. Thanks to Vets crickets I can now play for my province and represent my country. I’m really enjoying the chance to play again.

Link to get your downloadable digital E-Book for only R75 incl VAT. Paperback version only R125 incl VAT -

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11 months ago



We have seen some truly incredible moments in the competitions as well. From Jay Lenton earning the Moniker of the Prince of Manly Manly to watching Brett Lee dismantle the Gordon Top Order at Chatwood Oval, even the heroics of Northern District scraping through this year in an intense Super Over against Western Suburbs. The fierce nature of the competition means that the players are better equipped when they take the step up into the Big Bash League, none-more-so than Grand Final Day, when it was held at the SCG. But one match stood out in terms of sheer star-power and excitement and it all took place at a typically picturesque day at Drummoyne Oval on 10 December 2018.

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11 months ago



Knocking over a back catalogue of my uncle's books, gifted to me after his death, is an exercise in time traveling. Each one is like keeping a connection with the man, who along with my father, shaped me from a child, to a boy, to my own manhood.
This one, written by Greg Chappell following the controversial 1980-81 season, covers the ground he would cover again, with greater honesty, twenty years later. On this pass, he admits regret at the underarm bowling incident but defends it as being within the rules and the result of great pressure he was under, largely from an overcrowded summer and the burgeoning role of the national captain, post Packer. He is unrepentant on the Martin Snedden non-catch but only provided descriptions of the Sunil Gavaskar walk-off.
Of course, two decades later, he revealed that he was suffering heavily from depression when these events took place.
As a time capsule observance of the changing role of the Australian Captain, this book is placed right at the crossroads where the role changed. For that reason alone its interesting.
Elsewhere he muses on the calls for a third TV umpire but his conclusions that it wouldn't work are based on technologies he could not have dreamed off. The personal computer from Apple had only been in the market for four years. His calls for commentators to have less influence on the game are interesting in the light of that becoming a recurrent theme among Australian captains since.
Its a very simple read, as this was one of many Austin Robertson produced books that were pumped into the cricket market post Packer. Others included the Chappelli series, a few by Doug Walters and of course those great adjuncts to literature, the Max Walker books on the topic of hypnotising chooks.
Not great literature but its placement in time makes it interesting.

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11 months ago



Not quite the World Cup, but this is where it all begins in India 🇮🇳. Today at Siri Fort, Delhi, fifty junior cricketers are practicing in 47-degree heat, aiming to represent India and play in the IPL one day. They know that past players from the Madan Lal Cricket Academy, like Simarjeet Singh, are now playing IPL and first-class cricket.

In Australia, junior cricketers wouldn't be training in such severe heat, but the reality is these boys will soon be playing matches in similar conditions. Adapting to all weather conditions is essential for Indian and Australian coaches wishing to work in the subcontinent. The extreme heat may not be comfortable, but it's part of the journey for these aspiring cricketers and coaches. 🏏☀️

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11 months ago



Recently I’ve been doing a number of bowling analyses for some up and coming junior teenage fast bowlers. One thing that struck me was how often these young bowlers had their momentum mis-aligned through the delivery stride.

The most common problem was momentum heading towards fine leg at the beginning of the delivery stride (back foot landing), which often results in some sort of correction later in the delivery stride. Often this ‘correction’ is displayed as an excessive lateral flexion of the upper body to the off-side, to create a resultant ball trajectory at the batters stumps. This creates extra stress for the bowler, usually through their front hip joint, pelvis and/or lower back. Sometimes all three.

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