Xavs storm in grand final

Tuesday 9 March 2010
Semi final: OXCC 1sts def. Old Wesley 8/102 (28 overs)
Semi final day at Xavier was always a contentious one during the week with both the OXCC and Old Wesley keeping an eye on the weather maps. If the heavens opened, the Xavs would have a carpet ride into the grand final. Mother nature didn’t disappoint.

The day started early with the covers coming off at about 11.00am to what was a juicy deck to bowl on and captain Rush didn’t hesitate to send the Purples in when the coin landed on tails.

Luke Howard wasted no time dismissing the Wesley opener after a sharp catch from Josh Young at gully third ball of the game.

Conor O'Flaherty bowled with bite from the scoreboard end and the first 4-6 overs were quite tight from the openers before leaking a few runs towards the end of their spells. Wesley were 1/0 but forged a good partnership in the coming over’s to have the visitors well placed at 1/64 after 10 overs on a bowler friendly track.

Middle over specialists Julian Timms and Josh Young took the challenge of putting the clamps on the Wesley batsmen and destroying there middle order while they were at it.

After a wild first over from Timmsy, he throttled through his remaining 7 in fine style, cleaning up 4 scalps with true swing bowling which left the ‘Purple People’ baffled.

Youngy as always hit the pitch hard and hurried the batsmen claiming a couple of wickets himself.

When resident spinner Cosgrave started his spell, the clouds above were mimicking a scene from 'War of the Worlds'. There was no doubt the rain was coming but visibility was at an astonishing level for 3pm.

Howie taunted the batsmen in the dim light and fieldsmen were ducking for cover, it was that dark. Finally, the umpires called a halt for bad light… but, seconds following, mother nature did her thing and lashed Xavier and Melbourne with a furious storm which technically finished the game in 5 minutes. The Xavs boys made attempts to put the covers on whilst being pelted with huge pieces of hail and did a fine job at that.

30 minutes on, the umpires officially ruled the game a washout and the men in red are again thru to another decider.

Although it was a washout, the OXCC were all over the opponents after a stellar bowling performance, and fully deserve to take on Old Scotch in the best-of-three game grand final series, starting this Saturday.

Well done lads, not far away now!

Bowling
Howard 5-3-18-2
O’Flaherty 5-0-31-0
Young 7-4-13-2
Timms 8-2-4-25
Cosgrave 3-1-13-0

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Unbeaten Xavs maintain domination

Wednesday 13 November 2009
The Old Xaverians 1sts began 2010 where they left off in 2009, by thumping the MCC by a whopping 191 runs to remain unbeaten after nine rounds.

The 2nds continue to play tough cricket but narrowly went down to the Old Scotch 2nds by one run in a thriller.

1sts smash Scotch, 2nds bury Brighton

Tuesday 17 November 2009
Round four of the 2009/10 MCC Club XI season proved a memorable one for the OXCC, with both the 1sts and 2nds recording victories, albeit in very different fashion. The 1sts maintained their unbeaten start to the season and remain in the top couple on the ladder after proving too strong for the Old Scotch 2nds, while the OXCC 2nds completed a thrilling run chase against Old Brighton, winning with one wicket in hand.

1sts: 243 def. Old Scotch 2 8-187
The OXCC 1sts faced up against the old foe in Scotch on a picturesque afternoon at Xavier College. Stand-in skipper Hamish Buckley won the flip and had little hesitation having a bat on a crumbling day two deck accompanied by a lightning outfield.

Brother combo Dan and Martin Rush opened up with the willow and wasted no time in getting the men in red off to a flier. Boundary a plenty and a heap of entertainment for the on lookers was halted when Dan was bowled by a grubber with the score on 48. Martin continued on his way with skipper Buckley, who was looking ever ominous at the crease before spooning one to mid wicket.

Matt Cosham joined the eldest Rush at the crease and the pair put on 61 for the third wicket which would prove vital in posting a big score. Coshy was brutal in his display which was fantastic to watch and kept the scorers on their toes. M.Rush chipped in with a very important 40 at the top before holding out to cover and soon after Coshy’s innings came to a close after a sharp caught and bowled 60 runs later.

Liam Grigg took up the mantle of keeping the scorebook ticking without a heap of support from the tail. Griggy played wonderful cricket shots all around the wagon wheel to post a very crafty 42 before being bowled in quite comical circumstances.

When Connor O was bowled in the 39th over, the Xavs had posted a substantial score of 243 with most of the top order grabbing a piece of the pie. Rory Harbeck made a blob at no.7 so will be the inaugural dice thrower at training on Wednesday.

After the array of afternoon tea had been devoured and Dan had been woken up from the high jump mats, the Xavs made their way to the middle. Luke Howard and Connor O’Flaherty took the new seed and bowled a great line and length although Tummel for Scotch did get a hold of a couple, but his reign was short lived as he ran off the ground and went home to assume a prior engagement.

From then on the Xavs were never troubled. Timms and Harbeck bowled well up to drinks and with the score at 75 at the break, the game was all but parceled up. Cosgrave had a rare afternoon with the ball struggling to claim a scalp for the first time in his OXCC career, of course he blamed the footmarks, as any great bowler would. Harbeck claimed three wickets in three overs and was on a hat trick in his 5th over before a half tracker ended that hope.

In the end, Scotch were happy to put up the wall and bat out there allotted overs. All the quick men bowled very well with Connor O unlucky not to pick up a scalp but was the most economical.

Training Wednesday as usual… please get there early as possible for the first roll of the dice.

Batting:
D.Rush- 36
M.Rush- 40
Buckley -19
Cosham - 60
Walker - 9
Grigg- 42
Harbeck- 0
Cosgrave- 2
Howard- 7
Timms- 6 n.o
O’Flaherty- 1

Bowling:
Howard- 8-0-33-2
O’Flaherty- 8-3-21-0
Timms- 8-1-29-1
Harbeck-8-0-46-3
Cosgrave-8-0-39-0

2nds: OXCC 9/114 def. Old Brighton 113
The OXCC 2nds were lucky enough to get their first win of the season which hopefully puts us on good track to have a crack at the finals, or at the very least be able to shake it up against some of the bigger schools.

Predicting a hot, sunny day, we ventured down to Brighton to take on the ‘Tonners’ who were sitting below us on the table. Stand-in Skipper Quinn lost the toss and we were sent out to bowl on a reasonable looking, yet very slow, wicket. Brighton came out attacking from the get go and raced away to a very good start. Some sloppy fielding early did not help the cause as our two openers Jerry McDonnell and Timmy Trahair toiled hard to try to break an opening partnership. Jerry bowled with some pace and bounce and we soon had the first wicket of the day. Trahair bowled a fantastic spell, eight overs straight up the hill, into the wind on a hot day and finished with 1/28 off 8. His last four over’s going for just 7 runs with 1 wicket by a great catch in slips by the debutant Josh Young. After early problems the fielding picked up with Young and Lachal showing great agility in the field with Lasher getting a run out as the pressure mounted for Brighton with the runs not coming.

Butts and Mo show replaced the opening bowlers and again put the pressure on Brighton. Butler bowled very tight not allowing anything off his bowling and managed to snaffle a wicket as well. His 7 overs for 14 really put us in a winning position and with Moe reaping the rewards of the tight bowling got the important wicket of their skipper and we were well and truly into the tail. Andy Lash and Wispy Watson managed to snare the last 3 wickets with Andy getting his first wicket for the OXCC, and Watson getting 2/0 with his little offies, which would be fair to say were dipping, bouncing, floating, flustering the batsmen, but were not turning an iota. All out for 114 was a fantastic effort by the team and our best session of the season. However after being rattled for 95 and 51 the previous two matches it’s fair to say that this game was a long way off being over.

When Matty Rowse and Jobe Watson opened together for us last year they put on 160 for the first wicket, so many in the shed were quietly confident on how we would start, and we were not wrong, with Rowsey getting off to a flyer. Unfortunately that would be all she wrote for Rowsey after a mix up with Watson was run out for 7. His wasn’t overly happy with his partner after the mix up which the rest of us thought was fair enough. In came Jason who succumbed to a calf injury which saw Rowsey having to come out and be a runner for him. It was obviously hampering him and he didn’t stick around for too much longer. Josh Young went on from his impressive fielding to steady the innings with an important partnership with Jobe which took us to 83. Watson played brilliantly for his 45 which was very much a man of the match performance. Youngy went for 12 and Corsi came in and again looked solid and we thought surely Jobe and Pig would get the runs for us. It was not going to be that easy.

Watson fell to a ball that didn’t bounce much and Lasher went for a 3rd ball duck and we had lost a couple of quick ones. Quinn joined Corsi, but soon Pig was back in the sheds for 8 and we were staring to look a little wobbly. Jerry Mac came in but was run out for 0 trying an ambitious 3, and Trahair came and went for a duck also which brought in our number 10 and we were starting to look very, very shaky*. Moe made a quick fire 3, but after being 3/83 and looking set to chase down the total comfortably we had completely balls up and were now staring down the barrel at 9/98. It’s fair to say our middle to lower batting this year has not been great. Butler came in at 11 which was quite a good result as the man can certainly bat, not your average number 11 in this competition. For 5 very nervous overs Quinn and Butler managed to get the runs required and the OXCC 2nds luckily got their first win of the season.

Many positives came out of the game which unearthed a couple of new players and we were on top of our game with the ball. Again our batting let us down but the signs are that we are improving and hopefully can continue that upward trend. It’s important for all to get down to training as we will be seeing a lot of changes in the team in the coming weeks and all throughout summer.

Bowling
Jerry Mac - 6/-/24/1
Tim Trahair - 8/1/28/1
Nick Butler - 7/3/14/1
Matt O’Hanlon ­ 5/-/34/1
Andy Lasher ­ 2/1/10/1
Jobe Watson ­ 2/1/0/2

Batting:
Jobe Watson ­ 45
Matt Rowse ­ 7
Jason Miles ­ 2
Josh Young ­ 12
Maurice Corsi ­ 8
Andy Lachal ­ 0
Dave Quinn ­ 15*
Jeremy McDonnell­ 0
Tim Trahair ­ 0
Matt O’Hanlon ­ 3
Nick Butler ­ 6*

*We were stuffed.

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Xavs off to a flier

Monday 26 October 2009
The Old Xavs 1sts got season 2009/10 off to the perfect start with an emphatic six-wicket triumph over old Melburnians in Brighton on Sunday. The second were bowled out for 95 against Caulfield, however fought very hard to narrowly miss victory, with Caulfield reaching the target seven wickets down (2nds match report unavailable).

1sts: 4-144 (30.4 ov) def. OM1 142 (39 ov)
Match report by Joe Rush
Season 09/10 got underway for last year's runners up a week late due to ground troubles the previous week, but none the less a very strong team made the way down the highway to take on local rivals Old Melbournians at the unusual location of Brighton Beach Oval.

The pre game rituals picked up from where they had left off with the OXCC front man, Joe Rush, losing the toss and the OM’s skipper had no hesitation in having a bat on what looked a hard and fast deck.

Luke Howard and Julian Timms welcomed the season with the new seed and bowled well in tandem keeping the scoring to a minimum. Timmsy was rewarded with the wicket of the aggressive opener to have OM’s 1/18 whilst working hard into a stiff sea breeze. Soon after Howie knocked back the middle peg of the no.3 to have the home team on the back foot at 2/25.

Last years league bowling MVP, Matt Cosgrave, bowled an excellent opening spell before drinks capturing a couple of wickets and on a hat trick at one stage, and debutant Rory Harbeck bowled a very accurate and disciplined line and length into the breeze to keep the clamps on. At drinks OM’s were 4/60.

After the short interval OM’s managed to string together a good partnership which was highlighted by excellent running between the wickets. The men in red certainly didn’t help the cause with some lackluster fielding but when Cosi captured Gibson with a sharp catch from Tex Walker at cover, the OM’s were right up against it.

Dan Rush put his hand up as a handy bowling option for the year bowling eight overs into the the breeze and capturing three wickets. Liam Grigg who was keeping wicket did an excellent job all day to keep the pressure on the home side.

Howard, Timms and Harbeck all bowled well in both spells and when Howie wrapped things up the OM's were all out for 142, which didn't seem enough a flat deck and with the OXCC possessing a strong batting line up.

After a couple of sandwiches and a bit of a pep talk, the OXCC batsmen swung into action aiming to cut down the OM’s bowling attack in quick fashion. Dan Rush took up his customary roll, opening with Matt Cosham. Dan was taking a few overs get his radar right but still managed to get the team off to a solid start after his opening partner, Coshy, was caught behind for 4. Blocka Rush and no.3 Pirate Buckley rekindled the excellent partnership they have established over the past season or so by putting on 60 for the second wicket and had the OXCC well in control before the drinks interval.

Blocka Rush was dismissed briefly before drinks for a well made and entertaining 49 to go with his three wickets. The skipper joined Bucks at the crease and kept things ticking over before Bucks was bowled by the OM’s spinner to have the score at 3/89. Pat Walker joined Rushy in the middle to put the game away in a matter of overs. Rush found some form, slapping the part time leggie onto South Road a couple of times and Patty also starting seeing them better after getting some time in the middle.

When the skipper was bowled for a Rush quinella of 49, the deal was all but done with another debutant Shaun Cross coming in to clean the last few digits up to help secure the OXCC its first win of the new campaign with some 10 overs to spare. It was a very comfortable chase for the men in red.

Only three wides were registered from our bowling ranks, no ducks were made, and everyone was on time so our ‘punishment dice’ has escaped a roll in week one.

It was a very encouraging start for team with a very strong squad to choose from… As we go into the carnival break, it's paramount we continue training and training well. If you can't make it to training, please let Joe Rush, Hamish Buckley or Matt Cosgrave know, otherwise I will presume you are unavailable for the upcoming game.

No training this week but will be outside the following Wednesday from 6.15 to do some fielding before we hit the nets. Try and get there as early as you can as we battle with light for the first few weeks.

Well done.

BOWLING (O-M-R-W)
L.Howard 8-0-38-2
J.Timms 8-1-28-1
M.Cosgrave 8- 1-19-3
R.Harbeck 7-0-22-0
D.Rush 8-0-38-3

BATTING
D. Rush 49
M. Cosham 4
H. Buckley 13
J.Rush 49
P.Walker 20*
S.Cross 1*

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Season 2009/10 arrives

Wednesday 7 October 2009
The 2009/10 MCC Club XI Competition season is not far away, and the Old Xaverians Cricket Club will once again field two teams, with the 1sts set to kick the season off with a home game against Old Melburnians on Sunday 18 October. The 2nds have a round one bye.

The club has held a couple of training sessions in the indoor nets at the Stephenson Centre at Xavier College, and will continue to do so on Wednesday nights from 6:30pm.

All is in place for the club to have another successful season.

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Xavs fight till the end, just pipped in GF

Sunday 8March 2009
The Old Xavs 1sts narrowly missed out on securing the club its first MCC Club XI premiership since 2000/01 after going down in heartbreaking fashion to Old Scotch in the last over of game three of the grand final series.

GRAND FINAL GAME THREE: Old Xavs 159 (39 ov) def. by Old Scotch 8-161 (39.1 ov)
The Xavs won their second consecutive toss and chose to bat on a hardening Scotch main oval wicket, and looked to have put their game two difficulties with the bat behind them when new opening combination Hamish Buckley and Dan Rush put on 57 in less than 10 overs for the opening wicket to give the Xavs the perfect springboard.

After Rushy was caught on the boundary for an entertaining 34 from 25 balls, Bucks and David Webb took the score 96 and the Xavs were in a commanding position, before Bucks was out for a well made 42 on drinks.

When skipper Joe Rush and Webb were both sent back immediately following the resumption, Scotch had regained the momentum, and apart from a 32-run stand between Leigh Hansen and Nick Hulett for the seventh wicket, the Xavs never completely recovered and were bowled out for 159, a competitive if slightly small total in the good conditions, taking into account the huge, sluggish outfield.

But with a flag on the line, the Xavs came out and gave it their all, with first innings pest Whitelaw brilliantly caught in the gully by Patty Walker off Leigh Hansen with the score on 10. Further wickets with the score on 31 and 33 had the Xavs on top, although Scotch's best batsman, Orr, was given a couple of reprieves and the game was in the balance.

At 5-65, a flag was within sight, but at this stage the Scotch captain, Ashton, came in needing a runner, and together with Orr put on 70 and gave the ascendancy back to Scotch.

Another wicket at 139 gave the Xavs real hope, and when Orr was trapped in front by Hansen, who had bowled superbly all day with his sharp left armers, Scotch needed a run a ball from two overs with two wickets in hand, with excitement at fever pitch levels.

Unfortunately their no.10 was able to get a few through the in field and sneak one through gully off the first delivery of the final over to leave the Xavs just short of what would've been a well deserved flag.

With an extremely, young, talented and close group, well led by Joe Rush and with men of the calibre of Carl Nunan having such a huge influence on the club, the future looks bright, and the boys will no doubt be back even more determined to break the premiership drought in 2009/10.

BATTING
Hamish Buckley 42
Dan Rush 34
David Webb 29
Joe Rush 0
Matt Cosham 6
Pat Walker 5
Leigh Hansen 10
Nick Hulett 23
Matt Cosgrave 2
Jeremy McDonnell 1
Julian Timms 0 no

BOWLING (O-M-R-W)
Jeremy McDonnell 4.1-1-22-0
Leigh Hansen 8-2-21-3
Nick Hulett 8-0-29-0
David Webb 8-0-42-1
Julian Timms 4-1-17-2
Matt Cosgrave 7-1-28-1

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Xavs get 'bad one' out of the way

Saturday 7 March March 2009
GRAND FINAL GAME TWO: Old Xavs 126 (39 ov) def. by Old Scotch 3-127
After the Xavs completely dominated game one of the grand final series against Old Scotch on the Roche at Xavier, the series moved to Scotch for game two the following Saturday and the less said about the result the better, suffice to say a below par batting effort allowed the Scotchies to square the ledger and send the series to a deciding third game.

After winning the toss and batting on what appearaed a good deck but in reality provided assistance to the bowlers, the Xavs never got going, and after being 3-15, were eventually all out for just 126, with the hosts getting the runs for the loss of three wickets.

Leigh Hansen (21) and Matt Cosham (33) provided some resistance, and David Webb worked hard late for 28 off 29 balls, but that was about it.

Not much to take out of the performance in the field, so the boys must now regroup for game three.

BATTING
Pat Walker 0
Dan Rush 0
Hamish Buckley 10
Leigh Hansen 21
Matt Cosham 33
Joe Rush 0
David Webb 28
Nick Hulett 8
Matt Cosgrave 5
Jeremy McDonnell 6
Julian Timms 9 no

BOWLING (O-M-R-W)
Jeremy McDonnell 7.2-0-42-1
Nick Hulett 5-0-22-0
David Webb 3-1-8-0
Matt Cosgrave 5-0-30-1
Matt Cosham 1-0-4-0
Julian Timms 4-1-16-1

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Xavs one win from glory

Sunday 1 March 2009
GRAND FINAL GAME ONE: Old Xavs 6-237 (40 ov) def Old Scotch 143 (29.4 ov)
A phenomenal Dan Rush century and a Jeremy McDonnell 'fiva-fa' were the catalysts behind the Old Xavs 1sts moving to within one victory of securing the club its first MCC Club XI premiership since 2000/01, following a 94-run demolition of Old Scotch in game one of the best-of-three grand final series at Xavier on Sunday.

Rush's amazing vein of rich form continued as he blasted 116 from 97 balls to propel the Xavs to 6-237 from 40 overs, before Jed McDonnell produced a fine spell of quick bowling to snare 5-33 from eight overs as the Scotchies were dismissed for just 143 in reply.

On a hard, if slightly green Roche Oval wicket, complemented by another quick outfield, the Xavs were sent in and quickly found trouble when Pat Walker was skittled in the first over. From there, however, Rush and Hamish Buckley put on a 158-run partnership to take the game away from the visitors and hand the grand final series ascendancy to the Xavs, who finished the season two games clear of Scotch on top of the ladder.

Despite a shaky start, Bucks batted himself into form to finish with 45 from 79 balls in the quintessential supporting role, as Rush followed his previous three innings of 45, 84 and 55 by belting his first ever OXCC ton. His innings surprisingly didn't include a six but did comprise 16 powerful boundaries. A late cameo of 39 not out from Dan's brother and club captain Joe, including two mammoth sixes from the final over, ensured a big total for the Xavs attack to bowl at.

In overcast conditions Jed set the tone magnificently by comprehensively bowling Whitelaw in the opening over and the Xavs were away. His second wicket came in his fourth over when he had Orr caught behind, and when Ashton was dismissed in the 12th over with the score 4-41, the Xavs were within sight of victory.

At 6-51 Scotch were in all sorts of trouble, and after some stubborn late resistance, Jedda returned to the attack to snare another two wickets to take his innings tally to five, and the Xavs were one game from premiership glory.

Game two will be played next Saturday 7 March on the Scotch main starting at 1pm, with all friends and family members of the OXCC urged to attend and support the boys as they seek to wrap up the series in straight sets. If required, game three will be back at Scotch on Sunday 8 March.

BATTING
Pat Walker 0
Dan Rush 116
Hamish Buckley 45
Leigh Hansen 9
Matt Cosham 2
Joe Rush 39 no
David Webb 5
Nick Hulett 4 no
Matt Cosgrave
Jeremy McDonnell
Julian Timms

BOWLING (O-M-R-W)
Jeremy McDonnell 8-0-33-5
Nick Hulett 6.4-1-23-2
Julian Timms 4-1-13-1
Leigh Hansen 3-1-16-1
Matt Cosgrave 5-0-37-1
David Webb 3-0-13-0

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Xavs into granny after belting Brighton

Sunday 22 February 2009
SEMI FINAL: Old Xavs 8-256 (40 ov) def. Old Brighton 211 (37 ov)
The Old Xavs 1sts will be out to win the club its first MCC Club XI competition premiership since 2000/01 in the best-of-three game grand final series against Old Scotch starting next Saturday after recording a memorable 45-run semi-final victory over rival Old Brighton on the Roche at Xavier on Sunday.

Sparked by magnificent half centuries from Dan Rush (55) and Matt Cosham (68), the Xavs, who finished the home and away season two games clear on top of the ladder from Scotch, posted an excellent 8-256 from the allotted 40 overs after skipper Joe Rush sensationally won his first toss of the entire season and elected to bat on a flat wicket accompanied by a lightning fast outfield in warm conditions.

Fourth-placed Old Brighton, who defeated the Xavs in the 2006/07 grand final and knocked the Xavs out of the finals in a tense semi final last year, were on track to challenge the target with their best batsman (McGuire) at the crease and with the score 1-117 with 17 overs still remaining.

But the entire Xavs team showed tremendous character and were not going to allow Brighton to end their season again, and after McGuire was dismissed for 76 at 5-179 by Matt Consgrave, who continued his outstanding season by taking 4-40 from eight overs with his offies, the Xavs rolled through the remaining Brighton batsmen to dismiss the visitors for 211 and book a spot in the deciding series.

Dan Rush, who faced just 38 balls for his 55, continued on with his sparkling form after his amazing 84 last week, and got the Xavs off to a flier with great support from Pat Walker (18). The pair put on 68 at a run-a-ball for the opening wicket and the hosts were away.

A slight top order stutter saw the Xavs move to 3-99 after 16 overs and while the run rate was excellent, the top side was in danger of relinquishing its early momentum. However Matt Cosham (68) and Leigh Hansen (38) came together to put on a superb 107-run stand for the fourth wicket from just 15 overs, ensuring a large total.

The Brighton opening batsmen clearly adopted a steady approach to the start of their club's innings, putting on 49 in 13 overs before Pat Walker snared a great catch in the gully off the bowling of Julian Timms. While the required run rate continued to hover around eight, Brighton were clearly gaining momentum in the middle of their innings.

in the final 15 overs, with their season on the line, the Xavs fielded and caught superbly, with two run outs effected and Brighton clearly overwhelmed by the immense pressure.

Overall it was one of the most satisfying victories the club has experienced in recent times, and now the Xavs need to win two of the three possible grand final encounters over reigning premier Scotch across the next two weekends to snare the sought after MCC Club XI premiership.

BATTING
Dan Rush 55
Pat Walker 18
Hamish Buckley 3
Leigh Hansen 38
Matt Cosham 68
Joe Rush 5
David Webb 17
Nick Hulett 14 no
Jeremy McDonnell 3
Matt Cosgrave 1 no
Julian Timms

BOWLING (O-M-R-W)
Jeremy McDonnell 8-1-36-0
Nick Hulett 6-0-19-0
Julian Timms 4-0-20-1
Leigh Hansen 5-0-32-1
Matt Cosgrave 8-0-40-4
David Webb 6-0-45-2

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Xavs destroy Wesley, finish on top

Sunday 15 February 2009
1sts: Old Xavs 2-184 (17.4 ov) def. Old Wesley 183 (39 ov)
The Old Xavs 1s secured top spot on the MCC Club XI ladder after the completion of the home and away portion of the season, and will host a semi final at Xavier next weekend after a Dan Rush masterpiece catapulted the side to an extraordinary eight-wicket victory over Old Wesley on the Plunkett Oval on Sunday.

After Wesley, who were playing for a spot in the finals, made 183 in batsman-friendly conditions, Rush, in one of the most incredible pieces of power batting witnessed at the OXCC, blasted 84 from 39 deliveries as the Xavs mowed down the target in just 17.4 overs for the loss of two wickets, an extraordinary performance.

The day started well, despite being put in the field after yet another lost tossed, wicketkeeper Dan Molan snared a one-handed gem off the second ball of the day to give Jed McDonnell an early scalp and the Xavs were away.

The reasonable deck, warm conditions and extremely quick outfield didn't stop the Xavs from playing some excellent cricket and keeping the visitors to 6-83 after 22 overs, however a late surge that included plenty of luck for the batting side meant the required target for the Xavs was a challenging 183. Matt Cosgrave (2-25 off eight overs) was again the pick of the bowlers, his offies troubling and restricting, while Jed McDonnell (1-22 off seven) and Josh Douglas (1-31 off eight) were also exceptional.

While 184 to win may have seemed like a tricky target, as they have done all season long the Xavs top order got the side away to a flier, and despite the early loss of Pat Walker, Dan Rush and Hamish Buckley put on a batting clinic to take the side to 2-118 in the 13th over, when Rushy departed, with victory in sight.

Rushy's innings consisted of six 6s and seven 4s, with his final 36 runs coming from just nine deliveries. One unfortunate Wesley spinner found the going particularly tough. His attempts to beat Rushy for flight didn't quite work out, and he conceded 58 from just three overs, most from the blade of D.Rush, who had spectators and parked cars in particular danger with his thunderous straight sixes.

Unlike many other matches this season, there was to be no OXCC middle order stutter, with Buckley batting superbly on his way to an unbeaten 47 from 40 balls, while Dan Molan enjoyed a quick outburst of 35 from 18 balls that kept the crowd well and truly entertained after Rushy's departure, and ensured a 4:45pm conclusion to the match.

Now, a spot in the grand final is at stake, with the Xavs to host the fourth-placed team (TBC), with the winner straight through to the best-of-three game decider.

The 2s, meanwhile, couldn't quite finish their season on a high and went down to Old Haileybury at Fawkner Park on Sunday. More details to come.

BOWLING (O-M-R-W)
Jeremy McDonnell 7-0-22-1
Josh Douglas 8-1-31-1
Nick Hulett 8-0-40-3
Matt Cosgrave 8-1-25-2
David Webb 8-0-53-1

BATTING
Pat Walker 4 (10)
Dan Rush 84 (39)
Hamish Buckley 47 (40) no
Dan Molan 35 (18) no
Matt Cosham
Joe Rush
David Webb
Nick Hulett
Matt Cosgrave
Jeremy McDonnell
Josh Douglas

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Xavs secure finals berth

Sunday 8 February 2009
1sts: Old Xavs 209 (35 ov) def. Old Caulfield 142 (39.5 ov)
The Old Xavs 1sts outclassed Old Caulfield on Sunday at Glenhuntly Park, winning by 67 runs and in the process securing a top-two ladder finish with one round of the MCC Club XI home and away season to play.

It was a day of extraordinary storylines, with it all starting when captain Rush continued his horrendous season-long streak of losing the toss, but amazingly the Xavs were sent and would bat first for the first time this season, after the Caulfield skipper was scared off by the constant drizzle and soft, green deck.

The bowler-friendly conditions, augmented by the extremely slow outfield, didn't deter the Xav openers, with Patty Walker and Dan Rush crushing 40 from the first six overs before Patty was sent back. Dan (45 off 33 balls) continued on his merry way, blasting balls to all parts of the ground, eventually dismissed in the 10th over just short of what would have been a well deserved half century.

Hamish Buckley looked comfortable at the crease from ball one and played some glorious shots on his way to a fine 53 from 47 balls, with the Xavs at one stage 3-122 in the 17th over and eyeing off a score in excess of 250 with Bucks on fire.

But the huge total didn't eventuate, and while the final score of 209 was still very competitive in the conditions, regular wickets fell towards the end meaning only 35 of the allotted 40 overs were used.

The Caulfield openers batted audaciously in a bid to have a crack at the 200+ required, however once the first wicket fell, the Xavs were in control and never allowed the hosts to register a realistic required run rate.

David Webb (3-26 off seven overs) was the pick of the bowlers, with his accurate left arm mediums causing Caulfield all sorts of troubles, while Leigh Hansen must be commended for his fine eight-over spell, which unluckily didn't snare a wicket, however he conceded just eight runs. Jeremy McDonnell (1-15 off six overs) bowled very well with the new seed in his return to the side, while Matt Cosgrave (1-23 off eight) was typically reliable with his mesmerising offies.

The fielding, in general, was excellent, with captain Joe Rush leading the way with a personal best four catches, including one absolute gem at cover which defied gravity, while Jed McDonnell also snared a ripper at fine leg.

The win means the Xavs have locked up a top-two finish and a home semi final in 2008/09, a magnificent effort. The regular season concludes next Sunday with a hitout against finals aspirant Old Wesley. The 2nds, meanwhile, had their Saturday fixture with the MCC called off due to the oppressive heat, and will conclude their season with a clash with Old Haileybury next Sunday at Fawkner Park.

BATTING
Pat Walker 12 (13)
Dan Rush 45 (33)
Hamish Buckley 53 (47)
Joe Rush 17 (17)
Matt Cosham 9 (10)
Leigh Hansen 0 (2)
David Webb 18 (17)
Nick Hulett 8 (18)
Matt Cosgrave 11 (17)
Jeremy McDonnell 13 (23)
Matt Skidmore 0 (5) no

BOWLING (O-M-R-W)
Jeremy McDonnell 6-2-15-1
Nick Hulett 7-0-42-2
Leigh Hansen 8-3-8-0
Matt Cosgrave 8-1-23-1
David Webb 7-1-26-3
Matt Skidmore 3-0-16-1
Joe Rush 0.5-0-4-1

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Xavs smash Bloods, toss streak extends

Sunday 1February 2009
The Old Xavs 1sts found themselves back on the winners list with an emphatic four wicket triumph over Old Haileybury in round 12 action on the Roche at Xavier on Sunday, however a story developing just as much momentum as a Joe Rush lofted on drive is the fact the aforementioned skipper has now extraordinarily lost 12 out of 12 tosses in 2008/09. with the OXCC 1sts having batted second on every occasion.

1sts: Old Xavs 6-164 (19 ov) def. Old Haileybury 159 (36.1 ov)
While many still acknowledge that having runs on the board is the best place to be in a game of cricket, it hasn't been that way for the Old Xavs this year, with the team sitting second on the ladder with just one loss and two rounds to play before finals, after amazingly chasing down Haileybury's total of 159 in just 19 overs.

The loss of three late Xav wickets made the chase look a little more difficult than it actually was, with Patty Walker (57 off 41 balls) capitalising on an early piece of luck to register a swashbuckling half century and ensure the Xav 1s maintain their standing as one of the competition's premier sides this season.

Earlier in the day, after skipper Rush predictably and ridiculously informed his comrades they were again taking to the field first, in very warm conditions, with a flat track and outrageously quick outfield to negotiate, James McDonnell produced a fine spell of pace bowling to snare 3-30 from eight overs and set the Xavs up.

The Bloods did experience a mid innings resurgence and went to drinks at the 20 over mark only three wickets down and nearing 100, however upon the resumption the Xavs applied a great deal more pressure and bowled very well, restricting the visitors to a modest total with Josh Douglas (3-28 off seven overs) and Matt Cosgrave (2-19 off eight) outstanding.

With 160 to get, half-centurion Walker and Dan Rush (22 off 26 balls) blasted 73 from less than 10 overs to set the Xavs up, before Matt Cosham (29 off 21) chimed in at the end with a valuable cameo to ensure victory.

All three Rush brothers (Dan, Joe and Martin) belted extraordinarily large sixes to keep the small but appreciative crowd entertained, and while it wasn't the team's finest all-round victory, there are plenty of good signs leading into next Sunday's clash with Old Caulfield.

This week the OXCC 2nds, due mainly to unavailability of several players, were forced to forfeit their round 12 match, however will be back on deck next week.

Bowling (O-M-R-W)
James McDonnell 8-1-30-3
Nick Hulett 9-0-34-1
Leigh Hansen 4-1-18-1
Josh Douglas 7-0-28-3
Matt Cosgrave 8-2-19-2
Martin Rush 1-0-18-0

Batting
Pat Walker 57 (41)
Dan Rush 22 (26)
Hamish Buckley 0 (1)
Joe Rush 13 (11)
Matt Cosham 29 (21)
Martin Rush 11 (7)
Leigh Hansen 5 (4) no
Nick Hulett 5 (1) no
James McDonnell
Matt Cosgrave
Josh Douglas

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Ruthless Xavs monster Hedgeburners

Wednesday 14 January 2009
MCC Club XI 2008/09 Round 1 (rescheduled)
Old Trinity 9-147 (40 ov) lost to OXCC1 3-150 (26.1 ov)
Saturday 10 January 2009, Trinity, Bulleen

After captain Rush extraordinarily lost his eighth straight toss, for the eighth straight game the Xavs took to the field first, beneath sunny skies.

The deck was hard as nails and the outfield nice and sharp so the Xavs were confronted with tricky conditions with the new seed, but you wouldn’t have known it with McDonnell regularly beating the bat and Hulett keeping it very tight from the other end.

Malla was rewarded with a wicket, swallowed by Halpin at slip, and Smithers continued to keep the batsmen tied down but without much luck.

The left arm brigade continued after the opening spell with Timms and Hansen, who in the past has been more at home over the fence and Marcellin and the Venital Club, terrorized the hedge burners top order with the cherry jagging all over the place.

After the lime cordial had gone down the hatch, spinning sensation Cosgrave continued his ever improving record by capturing three scalps while the fast men continued their work from the top end. Smithers finished his spell in very tight fashion and Leroy and Malla finished there spells very adequately, keeping a tight line and well supported by the close in fielders.

Even with a handy last wicket stand, Trinity posted a modest 9-147 after its allotted 40 overs, with a highlight being the fielding of club great R.Hawker.

Debutant Lex Vasdekis and Pat Halpin opened the Xaverian innings in positive and solid fashion. Patty looked in good touch as his beautiful cover drives were coming to the floor and Lex was very positive on the front foot before getting a little tickle behind and being caught by the keeper.

Batting star Hamish Buckley entered the fray without having a hit for a few weeks and although his standard drives and cuts were evident, he was trapped on the crease and bowled by the Trinity leggie.

Captain Rush strolled out two down and with a ransom on his head, with the pressure mounting after failing in all previous innings.

Rush and Halpin put pay to the Trinity total in quick fashion with very positive stroke play in what was a big partnership and deflated the Trinity men in quick time.

Halpin was eventually caught and bowled for 49 but Rush continued on and targeted Halpin’s windscreen, taking to the Trinity attack, playing himself into some form.

Rush and Cosham assured the win for the OXCC with some 14 overs to spare 3 wickets down in what looms as an ominous warning to the coming opposition.

It really was a great start to 09’ for the men in red with a very comfortable victory.

Bowling
James McDonnell 8-3-18-1
Nick Hulett 8-4-15-0
Leigh Hansen 8-2-31-2
Julian Timms 8-1-46-2
Matt Cosgrave 8-2-29-3

FOW: 1-0, 2-32, 3-32, 4-47, 5-81, 6-84, 7-109, 8-109, 9-111

Batting
Pat Halpin 49 (52)
Lex Vasdekis 8 (22)
Hamish Buckley 15 (20)
Joe Rush 65 no (54)
Matt Cosham 9 no (7)
Leigh Hansen
Rohan Hawker
Nick Hulett
Matt Cosgrave
James McDonnell
Julian Timms

FOW: 1-31 (7.2), 2-51 (11.3), 3-127 (23.6)

Drinks: (20 ov) 2-99 - Halpin 37 no, Rush 35 no

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Downpour drowns out derby

Tuesday 16 December 2008
The highly anticipated 2008/09 OXCC Derby unfortunately didn't eventuate last Saturday as a Melbourne downpour dashed any hopes of getting any play. It left the 1s undefeated and in a great position going into the festive season break, while the 2s have played some excellent cricket and can take plenty into the back half of the season.

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Rain halts 1s streak as 2s fall to Purple
Monday 8 December

The top-of-the-ladder OXCC 1s remain unbeaten in season 2008/09, however their winning streak was temporarily adjourned with Saturday's clash with Trinity at Bulleen eventually washed out, while the 2s found the going tough against Old Wesley in a match that produced a result on the same day. Up next... the highly anticipated annual OXCC derby this Saturday afternoon.

1sts: Old Trinity 177 (38 overs) drew OXCC1 1-30 (6.1 overs)
The OXCC 1st XI made its way out to the Trinity sports complex at Bulleen on a clear Saturday afternoon to lock horns with the old enemy.

In what is becoming more of a practical joke, captain Rush lost the toss and for the seventh week in succession we were ordered out to the bowl on what looked to be a road.

There were four changes to the side from the previous week's win so a few adjustments were in order. Josh Douglas and Lee Hansen opened up the bowling. There was plenty of movement for the fast men but the Trinity openers were having little trouble in finding the gaps and clearing the infield.

First change bowler and OXCC debutant, Josh Hanger, finally broke the opening partnership at 47 and from then on was a steady and gradual loss of wickets for the hedge burners. Hanger and elevated club stalwart Matt O’Hanlon did ball well together and with another four wickets from in-form spinner Matt Cosgrave, the OXCC were right on top on what was a flat deck and lightning outfield.

The wickets kept tumbling and after the spells of Hanger, O’Hanlon, Cosham and Cosgrave, the openers came back on to finish off the tail off in the 38th over, with the OXCC were set a reasonable target of 177.

As the OXCC openers were heading out to set upon chasing down the target, the rain clouds did look ominous and after several stints trying to get the innings underway, the rain got the better of the umpires' nerves and we were made to sit tight until it cleared.

By the time and Trinity players crawled over to the covers and slowly but surely got them on, the rain had stopped but a substantial amount of rain had hit the wicket and slowed the outfield down.

When we finally got on, Hansen was caught behind for 0 and batting gun Hamish 'Pirate Pete' Buckley was demoted down the order due to an earlier spill, and the Xavs seemed to be in a little bit of trouble.

Rush Jr and Pat Walker nudged the ball round for a few overs but the Trinity bowlers were now bowling landmines. The pitch was plugging and jagging everywhere.

When we had the next downpour of rain, the captains got together and decided to halve the points. In hindsight it was quite a good result for the men in red as the runs would have been awfully hard to run down on a ruined pitch, and very slow outfield. It also didn’t help having a crippled Buckley and Dan Rush.

All in all there is plenty to improve on going into the Derby.

Bowling
Douglas 8-1-20-1
Hansen 8-0-38-1
O’Hanlon 5-1-22-2
Hanger 5-0-21-2
Cosgrave 8-1-41-4
Cosham 4-0-22-4

Batting
Hansen 0
Walker 15 n.o
J Rush 9 n.o

2nds: Old Wesley 9/230 def. OXCC2 129
The OXCC 2nd XI was sent into bowl on a rock hard Xavier deck resembling more like a vision of Rudd's roads package.

Early wickets were hard to come by with Jed McDonnell bowling a very, very unlucky spell from the Kew End of the Oval. Nour and Corsi were unlucky to grass chances as the openers punished the attack. Nour and Pattison, under instructions to bowl a fraction short, eventually found their rhythm and with the runs starting to dry up the wickets started to fall.

Patto and Nour took the top batsmen and the Xavs looked to be ristricting the visitors to a less-than-competitive total. However, some wagging by the number 9 axeman saw Old Wesley push the run rate along in the final overs.

Patto and Quinn were the pick of the bowlers. The highlight however was Liam Ginnivan's leg side stumping of Zent... one of the true genius plays this year in this grade of cricket. In the words of umpire John: "ahh geez - i've never seen one of those before and i've been doing this for 35 years..."

At 1-51 in the run chase - the OXCC were travelling along very nicely with Hawker and Ginnivan dispatching the attack to all parts of the ground.

However Ginno was shortened up by a ball and skied a chance to a close fielder, then Dagger Kaine was castled quickly and that bought Maurice "Pig" Corsi to the crease.

Looking very composed, Pig and Jed Mac looked set to restore some balance when Pig was adjudged LBW - clearly too high unfortunately.

A steady stream of wickets fell around Garry Altis who was composed in his 21 but it was all in vain as the home side faultered to be all out for 129. A really disappointing way to end the chase.

Bowling
McDonnell 8-0-51-1
Trahair 7-0-38-1
Nour 6-0-33-1
Pattison 8-3-38-2
Quinn 7-0-32-1
Moon 4-0-25-1

Batting
Ginnivan 14
Hakwer 27
Kaine 0
Corsi 15
McDonnell 4
Nour 5
Altis 21
Quinn 12
Pattison 11*
Trahair 0
Moon 4

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Xav 1s continue rampage, 2s fall just short
Wednesday 3 December 2008

The OXCC 1sts continued their superb unbeaten start to the season, crushing Old Haileybury in round seven at Keysborough, while the 2nds put up a good fight but couldn't overcome Old Brighton on the Roche. This section and other sections will be updated with all the information from November in the coming weeks.

1sts: Old Haileybury 97 (35.1 ov) lost to OXCC1 1-101 (15.1 ov)
The first Saturday game for the year confronted the OXCC 1st XI as we made the glorious trek out to sunny Keysborough for the clash with Haileybury.

For the fifth time this season we were the first team out on the park with James 'Malla' McDonnell and Josh 'Dish' Douglas taking the new seed on what was a juicy wicket that gave up plenty for our fast men early.

Malla continued his magnificent start to the year with a glorious opening spell, bamboozling the top order but again without a lot of luck. Dish toiled away as usual into the breeze and was rewarded with two scalps after bowling his eight overs straight out.

The Xavs were seemingly in control with the home team struggling to pierce the field and losing wickets at regular intervals. The fielding was top notch from the men in red with all catches taken and general pressure very good. Julian Timms continued his consistent start to the year with good in swinging nuts that kept the batsmen tied down.

Matt Cosgrave again tormented the batsmen with his dazzling arm balls and confirmed his spot as the premier spinner in the comp with another four wicket haul.

Nick Hulett on his first game back from o/s bowled with a lot swing and bounce but again without much luck, but another positive step for the OXCC as we head into Christmas. Matt Skidmore bowled a nice little spell once he arrived and by the time the skipper knocked no 11 over with a half tracker, the Xavs were set only 97 for victory.

Openers Pat Walker and Leigh Hansen set about getting the total in quick time by opening flaying the opening bowlers around the swamps at Keysborough. The ex- Marcellin prodigies turned OXCC stars got us off to a positive start putting on over 50 for the first wicket.

Tex fell to a good catch at mid wicket on 32 but the damage had already been done and Hamish 'Pirate Pete' Buckley in and finished the LBloods in alliance with Leroy.

Although it wasn't the strongest team well come up against, it was clearly the Xavs' best all round performance with the bowling and fielding exceptional, and the batsmen doing all they had to do to chase down the small total.

Bowling (O-M-R-W)
McDonnell 6-2-14-1
Douglas 8-3-12-2
Hulett 6-3-11-0
Timms 5-0-17-0
Cosgrave 6-2-18-4
Skidmore 4-0-20-0
Rush 0.1-0-0-1

Batting
Walker 32
Hansen 36 no
Buckley 29 no

2nds: OXCC2 9-180 (40 ov) lost to Old Brighton 236 (39 ov)
Old Brighton put itself in on a typical Roche road offering very little in the way of support for the fielders. McDonnell and Trahair stormed in from their respective ends and were quick with a scalp with Timmy "Bones" Trahair skittling the opener with the score on 13.

From there Hunter and Pirrie set about dismantling the attack to every corner of the parl.

O'Hanlon and Quinn - well known figures in the Brighton Bubble - were brought on as first change bowlers with immediate effect.

Moe was dispatched to the boundary as Quinn, bowling a similar line to James Hopes, trapped the opener Hunter leg-before with the score now 2/84... Drinks after 20 overs and at 2/120 odd - this was proving to be a difficult day in the field.

McDonnell and Knox were sent in as the opening pair after Brighton amassed 236 with instructions to see off the openers and mount some scoreboard pressure.

Clearly Jerry Mac didn't quite hear the skip's instructions as he played all around a dart that pitched on middle and then straightened. Knox and then Forrest shared in some much needed runs and both were looking good until Knoxy was caught on 14. Playing in his first game for the Old Xavs, Dagger Kaine showed the poise and maturity of a five year player as he set about working the singles and 2s with Forrest and taking the team along to drinks without the loss of another wicket.

The waters and the Kirk's flowed freely and the decision to try and lift the tempo at the crease was given to the batting pair. Not long after looking to be at his best, Kaine was bowled for 23... Garry Altis arrived at the crease, much to the amusement of Danny Meehan and worked some magnificent shots off his pads to the rope.

However, Altis, then Adams and then Quinn for 12 - the Xavs were losing too many partners for Forrest. A great pull shot brought up Joe Forrest's second 50 in two hits as he looked in total control against the seaside attack. While Trahair and Pattison both batted with spirit, too many runs were needed in the final overs and the Xavs fell short... Forrest was eventually bowled for 75 in the final over - a magnificent knock from Melbourne's leading Building and Construction resolution barrister.

A great effort though to bowl the team out and then for our team not to be bowled out ourselves.

Bowling
McDonnell 6-2-30-0
Trahair 5.3-0-40-2
O'Hanlon 8-0-53-0
Quinn 8-0-48-3
Moon 5-0-40-4
Pattison 6-0-21-1

Batting
McDonnell 4
Knox 14
Forrest 75
Kaine 23
Altis 10
Adams 0
Quinn 12
Trahair 6
Pattison 9*
O'Hanlon 0*
Moon

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1sts skipper Joe Rush (left) was delighted with win number one, and also with the form of David Webb (right) who made a super half century to put Wesley away.

Young guns spur Xavs in win over Wesley
Monday 20 October 2008

The OXCC 1sts kicked off their season in style with a five-wicket win over Old Wesley at Syndal on Sunday. The 2nds, meanwhile, put up an excellent fight but fell 32 runs short down the road at Haileybury in round two action.

1sts: Old Wesley 7-169 (40 ov) lost to OXCC1 5-170 (31 ov)
After sitting out round one due to the unavailability of Trinity's ground (match rescheduled for early '09), the very young but talented 1sts led by newly appointed skipper Joe Rush lost the toss on the back oval at Syndal on what was another superb Wesley deck, but did exceptionally well to restrict the hosts to 7-169 from 40 overs in batsman-friendly conditions.

Matt Cosgrove, who recovered after turfing a sitter on the second seed of the day, was clearly the pick of the bowlers with an excellent spell of controlled off-spin bowling. He finished with 2-19 from eight overs and was well supported by Pat Walker (2-39 off eight) and Lee Hansen (1-19 off seven), while the fielding in general was terrific.

Dan Rush showed complete disdain for the opening bowlers and got the team off to a flier in pursuit of the target by hitting his first two balls he faced for four and six, while Patty Halpin looked classy on debut, and Hamish Buckley also showed off some of his willow-wielding skills. But while the run rate was good, we lost wickets regularly to be 5-98 after 19 overs and still 70-odd short.

David Webb and Lee Hansen came together to put on 72 at a run a ball, with Webby playing some sublime strokes all over the park to finish with and unbeaten 55, to ensure the OXCC 1sts got the season off to a winning start with a hard-fought triumph in what promises to be a very good year for the club, with an abundance of young class at the club's disposal.

BATTING
Pat Halpin 18
Dan Rush 20
Hamish Buckley 29
Joe Rush 4
Pat Walker 21
Leigh Hansen 13 no
David Webb 55 no
David Prowse
Nick Hulett
Matt Cosgrove
Nick Butler

BOWLING
Nick Hulett 8-2-34-1
Leigh Hansen 7-3-19-1
David Webb 6-0-35-1
Hamish Buckley 3-0-19-0
Matt Cosgrove 8-3-19-2
Pat Walker 8-1-39-2

2nds: Old Haileybury 184 def. OXCC2 152
Haileybury decided to bat on a Keysborough green top after skipper Charles Moon lost the toss again, but were quickly 2-20 thanks to the good work of Jeremy McDonnell and Tim Trahair.

The Xavs found themselves right on top at drinks with the hosts trickling along to 60, but the second allotment of 20 proved more bountiful for the Bloods with Patty Purcell and Joe Forrest dropping everything in sight, only to be compensated for by young James Forrest who snared a blinder at square leg.

Moon brought himself on with an immediate scalp and the Bloods were finally dismissed in the final over by McDonnell, while Matt O'Hanlon also fared well with the rock.

Rohan Hawker and Rory McCormack opened the batting, with a four through the gully region off the first ball signalling the intent of club great Hawker.  However, a steady stream of wickets and a slow run rate meant that at 3-50, the Xavs were in some trouble. 

Joe Forrest, having his first hit since February, strolled condfidently to the crease and set about a strong partnership with McDonnell to ensure some respectability.  However, at 8-100 odd and with one already retired due to a arm injury - a bleak afternoon was on the cards for the Xav Batters. 

A last innings partnership of 50 between O'Hanlon and Forrest meant that the 2nds were able to fight out the match admirably, with Forrest notching a beautiful 50. The defiant stand wasn't enough, but Moon and co. took plenty of heart from what was an encouraging performance.

BATTING
Rohan Hawker - 9
Rory McCormack - 10
Jed McDonnell - 14
Tim Trahair - 2
Joe Forrest - 51
Dave Quinn - 3
Sam Adams - 6
Pat Purcell - 0
Craig Bohyan - 2 retired hurt
Charles Moon - 8
Matt O'Hanlon - 21no

BOWLING
Jeremy McDonnell - 8/1/20/3
Tim Trahair - 8/0/43/2
Craig Bohyan - 8/1/24/1
Matt O'Hanlon - 8/0/36/2
David Quinn - 3/0/11/0
Charles Moon - 3/0/21/2
Sam Adams - 2/0/11/0

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Seconds hit early purple hurdle
Monday 13 October 2008

The OXCC seconds kicked the season off on Sunday but unfortunately couldn't overcome a strong Old Wesley team in hot, windy conditions at Wesley's Glen Waverley campus.

Skipper Charles Moon lost the flip and the Purples, or perhaps more aptly the Park Orchards commemorative XI, took full advantage of the flat deck and lightning outfield to post a commanding 6-274 from the allotted 40 overs, with the experienced opener belting 135.

Some rustiness in the field and fortunate batting didn't help, however David Quinn's medium pacers snared a couple of scalps, while Nick Butler and newcomer Matt Jones also toiled hard bowling into a very strong breeze.

While the OXCC side eventually fell 112 runs short of the target, the batting display was encouraging in that plenty of players had a decent hit, a positive considering for many it was their first whack in a game or training this season, and the team batted until the 40th over.

Club great Rohan Hawker opened the batting with purpose and made a very good 35, and received great support from No. 3 Nick Butler (32). At one stage the pair had taken the score to 1-73 after 13 overs, however we were unable to sustain the momentum.

OXCC debutant John-Andrew Stack impressed with 26, while Tim Trahair (14) and Rory McCormack (13) played some enterprising strokes.

All in all, the heavy defeat aside the round one encounter uncovered some promising new players and with a bit more match practice the OXCC seconds promise some good things in 2008/09.

This week the 1s kick off their slightly delayed campaign by following suit and heading to Syndal to take on Old Wesley, while the 2s head out to Keysborough to take on Old Haileybury.

Round 1 - Old Wesley v OXCC2
Sunday 12 October 2008, Wesley Glen Waverley

OW 6-274 (40 ov) def. OXCC2 162 (39.1 ov)

BOWLING
Nick Hulett 8-1-40-1
Nick Butler 8-0-46-1
Matt O'Hanlon 2-0-22-0
Matt Jones 7-0-40-1
David Quinn 8-0-59-2
Rory McCormack 3-0-37-0
Charles Moon 2-0-18-0
Tim Trahair 1-0-1-1
Pat Purcell 1-0-3-0

BATTING
Rohan Hawker 35
Nick Hulett 11
Nick Butler 32
David Quinn 0
John-Andrew Stack 26
Matt Jones 7
Tim Trahair 14
Pat Purcell 0
Rory McCormack 13
Matt O'Hanlon 3 no
Charles Moon 4

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Round one arrives
Wednesday 8 October 2008
Round one of the 2008/09 MCC Club XI Competition season is here, with the OXCC 2nd team set to kick things off for the club when it travels to Syndal to take on Old Wesley on Sunday afternoon.

The 1st team has to wait another week for its opening clash of the season, with ground availability problems meaning the opening day clash with Old Trinity Bulleen has been postponed until the new year. Click here for the full 2008/09 season fixture for both teams. Click here for the full 2008/09 season fixture for both teams.

To truly kick the season off in style, get to the Carringbush Hotel in Langridge Street, Abbotsford this Friday night, October 10, from 6:30pm, for the OXCC 2008/09 season launch.

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Xavs return for 08/09 tilt
Thursday 2 October 2008
The Old Xaverians Cricket Club has hit the Stephenson Centre indoor nets at Xavier College in preparation for round one of the 2008/09 MCC Club XI Competition season. Training is currenty taking place each Wednesday from 6:30pm.

The OXCC will again field two teams, with Joe Rush taking over from James McDonnell as the 1st team captain, while Charles Moon, David Quinn and Matt O'Hanlon will share the leadership duties for the 2nd team.

The first team will be looking to build on last year's nailbiting semi-final loss to Old Brighton and play finals for the third straight season.

The 2nd team will play their first match on Sunday 12 October, while the 1sts will open their campaign the following Saturday.