Over the holiday break, Newington cricketers travelled to Melbourne to take part in the Newington-Wesley Cricket Exchange. Two students share their experiences below.

The annual cricket exchange with the Wesley College began on the 15^th of January. The Newington cricket touring party flew to Melbourne arriving in the afternoon. The first match the Junior XI had was a T20, against Wesley college. The conditions were overcast with a light drizzle persisting throughout the match. The match started with Newington batting first. We were in trouble as we lost a couple of early wickets, but impressive batting performances from Edson Whattam (8/ME) and Lachlan Bird (9/MA) lead us to a strong total of 140. Wesley’s batting was blunted by some fine bowling from Newington and they were restricted to a modest total of 80 runs. After the match, we went home to the billets provided by the Wesley families. All of our team enjoyed the hospitality and kindness provided.

The next two days consisted of two 40 over matches against Wesley College played in a scorching heatwave. We won both of our matches fairly convincingly. Some highlight performances include William Durrant (8/LE) 4 wickets in a match and Stefano Ottavio (9/ME) 50. For the second last day of the tour, we were privileged to spend a day at the Australian Open Tennis. It was amazing to watch some of the world’s top tennis players battling it out in the intense heat.

Our final match was scheduled for Friday and the team arrived at the ground early. Unfortunately, the temperature quickly soared above 40 degrees and the match was abandoned. It didn’t stop the Newington boys playing a quick scratch match amongst themselves.

Overall it was a successful tour for the Newington junior team. Many thanks to the Wesley College and Newington team managers.

Tully Suttie (9/LE)

There was an air of excitement among the 17 boys as we gathered in Sydney Airport and met Mr Light and Mr Turner. After our swift hour-long flight, we were met at the airport by Mr Egerton, and, as many of us hadn’t had any breakfast, we stopped at Macca’s to fuel ourselves for our first game, a T20 later that afternoon against Wesley. While still on the bus, we got news that we were batting first. So, straight off the bus and onto the pitch went our openers, but despite a gutsy 22 from Ben Sanders (12/PR), the scorecard read 69 all out at the conclusion of our 20 overs. Looking to make amends, our bowlers started positively, with Ollie O’Shea (12/JN) bowling beautifully and claiming an early breakthrough thanks to a chest-mark in the deep from Gus Burton (12/KL). However, despite claiming five Wesley wickets, our opponents cruised to victory, leaving us with plenty of things to work on ahead of the Tuesday/Wednesday two-day match. After meeting our billets, everyone headed to Tim’s house, where an impromptu game of backyard cricket began. Wesley’s star Jerome proved handy with bat and ball but was no match for Gus Burton, who hooked him out of the premises, while Jordan Phibbs (12/ME) provided some laughs in the outfield after falling into a fence. 

Tuesday morning brought the start of a two-day match, and Wesley won the toss and elected to bat first on a very warm day. Four wickets from Lucas Ward (12/MO) left them reeling at lunch at 6/60, but they managed to help themselves to 156 all out. In reply, wickets fell quickly for Newington, leaving lots of work to be done on day two. That evening, the Wesley billets took the boys out to the MCG, where the Melbourne Stars were playing the Sydney Sixers. Despite the game being a dead rubber, the Newington boys had something to cheer about as Nic Maddinson’s 61 not out powered the Sixers to a nine-wicket victory.

Newington resumed on Wednesday morning in a precarious position, and fifteen minutes was all it took for the innings to be wrapped up. Wesley batted again and showed some attacking flair, declaring at lunch. Newington started positively, with Clancy Barrett (11/JN) making a good start at the top of the order. However, the loss of wickets in clumps proved costly, despite master blaster Joe D’Arcy (12/PR) carting the off-spinner for 18 of the best runs witnessed on the tour. Despite the defeat, the boys were excited for a change of scenery, and after a couple of hours rest, the bus left for Haileybury. Greeted by our billets at the Keysborough campus, the boys enjoyed a quiet night in and it was great to watch Alex Carey hit 100 for the Adelaide Strikers.

Thursday was tennis day. After obtaining our ground passes, the boys split off into groups, with most tending to spend time in the shady Hisense Arena, where we witnessed Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia proceed to the next round. It was a great rest day and amazing to experience professional sport firsthand, and one that the boys will remember forever. Most boys got the bus back to Haileybury, where they were again met by their billeting families. Everyone rested up for what was to be a big final day in Victoria.

Friday brought a forecast of a top of 42 degrees, so play was started early in a 30-over format. Batting first, Newington set 132, with Clancy Barrett’s 56 a standout, and Cal Sharp (10/JN) playing the supporting role with most runs through the third man region. Despite Lucas Ward again claiming wickets and Joe D’Arcy bowling beautifully, the attacking Haileybury batsman just got over the line with a couple of overs left. With a few hours until our flight, the boys enjoyed a refreshing swim in the school pool, continuing it after lunch. Eventually, everyone was ready to head to the airport, and before we knew it, we were back home, grateful for the awesome experience which had been handed to us. Special thanks must go to Mr Turner, Director of Cricket, Mr Light and Mr Egerton for putting up with the boys and giving up their holiday time to accompany us. Hopefully, the Melbourne boys coming up to Sydney next year will enjoy the same great experiences that our boys have.

Tom Whitnall (12/PR)