Endeavour Hills captain-coach Vaughan Baxter oversaw the club’s most successful season in its 30-year history in 2008/09. 27495 Picture: Luke PlummerBy Marc McGowan
FEW pundits expected Endeavour Hills Cricket Club to make an impact this summer.
Captain-coach Vaughan Baxter admits now that he envisioned only two or three victories for his side after losing nine first XI players in the off-season.
The final results – sixth place and a club-best six wins, three draws and only four losses – exceeded even the wildest of expectations.
The four defeats came in one-day clashes to the top four teams and the Hills finished just a game and percentage outside of the finals.
The returns from Premier Cricket of Endeavour Hills juniors Neil Peake and Matthew Foenander, and stalwart Richard Saniga, proved vital for the club in its 30th year.
English recruit Richard Evans did not display previous Hills import Karl Turner’s talent, but was solid enough with both bat and ball.
But possibly most pivotal of all was the new-found camaraderie at Sydney Pargeter Reserve.
Much of that is owed to Baxter, who managed to cobble together six members from the Hills’ 2007/08 second XI premiership squad with the recruits.
Spinner Shane Peake encapsulated the change at the club.
He wound up scoring 160 runs at 16 and, most importantly, claiming 34 wickets – the second most in the competition – at 16.5.
All this from a player who struggled to earn a spot in the club’s first XI in the old regime.
Batting was a problem area for Endeavour Hills, but Evans’ (20 wickets at 17.7) and Foenander’s (17 at 21.4) significant contributions and Chris Peake’s (10 at 22.8) and Saniga’s (12 at 36.6) cameos ensured bowling was not an issue.
Fifteen-year-old medium-pacer Lachlan McIver spent the entire year in the ones, also suiting up for Endeavour Hills’ under-17 side, and impressed in several matches.
Veteran Peter Edwards and wicketkeeper Neil Peake led the Hills’ batting with 266 and 255 runs respectively, while late bloomer Lenny van der Werff had the best batting average of 31.5 from his seven first XI matches.
Van der Werff managed his debut ton – against former club Noble Park – and well and truly earned his call-up after averaging 41 at second XI level.
But opener Justin Merlino, who was demoted for the last two games of the year, was a major disappointment after carrying such high expectations into the season.
A 76 at second XI level in his last innings for the summer offers hope that he can become a solid contributor in the top grade next season.
Baxter was disappointed in his own performances, but was delighted with the club’s overall results.
“From a ones perspective, we had a very successful year and, from a club perspective, it was successful considering we lost so many players,” he said.
“The disappointing part was that, apart from the one-day side (which Brett McDonald skippered to ultimate glory on Saturday), no-one played finals.”
Baxter, who is heading to Manila to live for two years for work but will play the first half of next summer, pointed to 17-year-old pair Liam Cummins and Martin Gaitely as examples of the young talent coming through.
But he said the key to further improvement in 2009/10 would rely on the recruitment of a quality new captain-coach, a top-order batsman and an opening bowler.
“If the club can recruit a couple of good cricketers, I think that’s all the side’s away from possibly playing finals next year,” Baxter said.
