**Let’s keep a long-running saga as basic and as short as possible. On December 3 last year, the CCCA District game between GEMBROOK and CRANBOURNE MEADOWS did not go ahead. The reasons for this happening are endless, ranging from a wedding taking place in Adelaide right through to terrible communication between the clubs. In its wisdom, the CCCA awarded both teams six points each for a draw. Fast forward now to February 14, and several clubs called a meeting with the CCCA to put forward a proposal that both clubs should get zero points. The CCCA Board agreed with its member clubs, and the participating clubs were stripped of their points. In a nutshell, it meant EMERALD would play finals and CRANBOURNE MEADOWS would miss out. Fast forward again to Tuesday 7 March – four sleeps before finals – when an appeal by CRANBOURNE MEADOWS was heard by an independent panel, consisting of some high-ranking VCCL officials….with the appeal being successful. The Rebels were back into finals – Emerald out! Fast forward again to Friday 10 March, 6.45pm, where a follow up appeal from Emerald was heard by a Region 8 Independent Panel in an upstairs restaurant in Syndal. Emerald’s appeal failed and Cranbourne Meadows went on to lose its semi-final against DEVON MEADOWS the next day. We’ve kept this as basic and as simple as possible, and haven’t even mentioned the ramifications of this saga on one other club in the CCCA, but rest assured, this issue has caused a massive amount of angst and we haven’t heard the last of it.
**Cricket Snicks needs to apologise to PAKENHAM president Phil ‘Mitsu’ Anning for the timing of our score updates on Sunday. Watching the game between TOORADIN and KOOWEERUP unfold, we called ‘Mits’ twice during the early afternoon to get updates of what was happening between his Lions and CARDINIA at Toomuc Reserve. The first phone call coincided perfectly with the wicket of Lions’ skipper Dale Tormey, while the second conversation was interrupted by these words “We’re in more trouble…Smithy’s been stumped.” Chris Smith was on his way…and so too were the Lions slim chances. Sorry about the jinxed phone calls Phil!
**Freshly-minted BEACONSFIELD premiership captain Mark Cooper was at Tooradin on Sunday, watching his former club KOOWEERUP progress to the CCCA grand final. Coops confirmed he had recommitted to the Tigers for next year, before explaining what he thinks he needs to be competitive in DDCA Turf 1. If you’re an opening bowler; a number-three bat who can score at a solid rate; or a middle-order bat looking for a change of scenery; pick up the phone and give Coops a call…he’d love to hear from you!
**The intersection of cricket finals and football preseason is rearing its awkward head again, with two key players from the blockbuster Turf 1 semi-final in DDCA sustaining football-training injuries on Monday night that ruled them out of selection for Saturday. HALLAM KALORA PARK’s Kev Kean rolled an ankle, while SPRINGVALE SOUTH captain Ryan Quirk fractured a foot, and was forced to watch the game on crutches.
**Extraordinary scenes in the DDCA Turf 4 Grand Final on Saturday as SPRINGVALE SOUTH batter Adam Read clocked a six off the final ball of the game to secure another premiership for the Bloods. Needing five to win, Read smacked the ball down the ground and was duly mobbed by his teammates who sprinted into the centre.
**There were a few verbal disputes in the crowd at both CCCA semi-finals on the weekend. Things got a little heated at PAKENHAM, and a few words were exchanged, after the Lions chased leather all day at Toomuc Reserve on Saturday. Thankfully, some wise heads calmed that one down. And down at TOORADIN, a very well-known life-member and supporter of KOOWEERUP was asked to leave the Tooradin Sports Club after making his feelings known in no uncertain terms after a dodgy LBW decision against Demons skipper Michael Giles. Even some Tooradin players, who copped some dodgy decisions of their own on the weekend, reckon the Giles LBW decision was the worst they had ever seen. It pitched outside leg, hit him high, and he hit the ball…apart from that…he was plum!
**Umpire numbers are down significantly at the moment, and we’re not sure what the answer is to bring them back, but what we do know is that more pressure is being applied on umpires than ever before. One of the captains that has made it through to this week’s CCCA grand final was heard telling his team to go up as one, be passionate with your appealing, and drag them out…because some umpires will crack. With that sort of approach – everyone appealing for everything – teams are having an impact on umpires and more bad calls are going to come!
**Congratulations to the umpires who officiated the Turf 2 and 3 Grand Finals on the weekend. Ashley Barrow, a former Big Bash and First-Class umpire, got the honour with the well-regarded Terry Helleren in Beaconsfield’s clash with Cranbourne, while Trafford Ellis and Rory Ludowyk got the privilege in Turf 3. Turf 1 preliminary final officiators Andrew Chapman and Cyril Grealy are expected to retain the role for the big dance in that competition this week. The appointments were announced at the Umpires Grand Final function at the Dandenong RSL last week, with Alan Wookey, DDCA president Mick Hawking and secretary John Brooks in attendance. The Most Improved umpire and Best First Year Umpire were both awarded, going to Peter Cramphorn and John Pollard respectively. Ludowyk and Cornel D’Silva, meanwhile, were given life memberships. Thanks to all the umpires who have stood in the middle this season: it’s a thankless job and the game wouldn’t go on without you.
**The CCCA is genuinely worried about behaviour in general at the moment, and even went to the trouble of calling a couple of local police stations last week to see if a presence could be seen at particular venues on the weekend. One station didn’t pick up the phone, and the other showed no interest at all. It’s possible we could see CCCA supplied Security Guards roaming some grand final venues this weekend.
**CRANBOURNE MEADOWS took the concept of ‘ring-ins’ to a new level in their District semi-final clash with DEVON MEADOWS on Sunday, with one player returning to the field after the tea break with his phone in his pocket. He held onto it for a couple of overs before realising his mistake and asking a supporter to return it to his bag on his behalf.
**Cricket snicks has been fascinated by SPRINGVALE SOUTH’s Jackson Sketcher’s decision to wear his woollen vest in any weather conditions this summer. While the overcast conditions on Saturday made the decision more understandable than in previous weeks, the HALLAM KALORA PARK supporters took great delight in serenading him with the Charles Montgomery Burns classic “See my vest” as he departed the field after his first-ball duck.
**Props to Lois Twohig and Parkfield Reserve which were both in magnificent condition to host DDCA grand finals on Saturday. A great advertisement for the Maroons and Bandits clubs with both pitches in good condition for an end-of-season contest.
**Commiserations to Warragul and District Cricket Association club CATANI, which went down in the semi-final to HALLORA by just two runs. Riley McDonald was the pick of the bowlers as he claimed 3/23 off 14 overs, helping to constrain Hallora to 196. Skipper James Vela scored 68 and was helped by Liam Adams’ 40 in response, but they received little assistance from the lower order, with the next-best run-scorer being 18. It proved fatal, with Catani needing six off the final ball to tie – and 10 off the last over to win – falling just short.
