Welcome to North's 2011-2012 Website    

Latest News (as at May 14th 2012)

• Aussie import makes headlines in Hastings, UK:
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• Norths Annual General Meeting will be held Tuesday June 12th, 7pm at Northern Beaches Bowls Club!
• 2012/2013 Season SIGN-ON: Sunday 15th July at Wanderer's Football Park; regular Club Meetings 1st Wednesday of each month, commencing July, 7PM at NBBC
• FAREWELL TO YOUNG BRAD PAYNE   Yes, North's first ever overseas player is finally leaving our shores this Tuesday evening, April 17th, after a super successful 7-month Aussie cricket season, and everyone in the club wishes him safe travels home to see his beloved family & friends!! A wonderful experience for a young bloke, and for those who were fortunate to enjoy time with him in Mackay......come back again Bradders, and bring some of your Pommie mates with you next time!!
• NEW NORTHS CLUB SHIRTS NOW AVAILABLE!!  

• ONLY $35 EACH  Contact Wayne  on 0402860929 or Karen 0418778828 to order yours NOW!!

• ANNUAL CELEBRATION / AWARDS DINNER APRIL 13TH at Northern Beaches Bowls Club:
• Friday night saw the club celebrate yet another hugely successful season. Norths Club President, (& Vice-President of Crowhurst Park CC) Wayne Carvolth, paid tribute to the many people who work selflessly to support the club in both junior & senior ranks. Happy Birthday Wayne for April 13th!!
• Graeme Dunk, UK Tour chairman, gave a recap of what our little club has managed to achieve in fostering excellent relationships with our UK hosts Crowhurst Park, as well as gaining respect for on-field talent and off-field attitude and friendship from many other clubs wishing to play us on future tours.
• Roast meats, veges & gravy, plus mini-pavlovas & cheesecake slowed quite a few up!
• Our resident Pom, Brad, took to the microphone to touch on his 7 months downunder, lavishing much praise on the many Norths people who kindly provided a roof over his head, work and transport, not to mention creating his 'family & friends' network away from home!
• A lovely surprise for all was a Skype video hookup on the big screen with Gordon Pells & our own Dale from Hastings, UK!
• Wayne & Karen did an excellent job of involving all grade captains, club patrons, former players, and life members in recognising all team & individual efforts! With the club having so much to celebrate, proceedings took some hours, many people still enjoying themselves until midnight.
• click here to view photos of the night's proceedings......keep an eye out for a revamped webpage for next season!
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• new link to webpage quote by our illustrious club president! (scroll down that page to "Sussex Ladies...")
• Norths Senior dinner & awards night - See everyone at Northern Suburbs Bowls Club Friday night of April 13th, 6.30pm for Norths Senior end of year celebration dinner & awards night!! Contact team skippers or Karen C to book your tickets!
• click here for daily newspaper story on Norths A Grade finals win!
• North's win tight A-Grade Grand Final in final over of 50 over-a-side match against Walkerston, securing premierships in 1st, 2nd & 3rd grades! Walkerston batted first, and Norths opening bowlers opened their accounts early, Nigel having dangerman Luke Jackson out, playing on, and shortly afterwards Prawn snaring the second to a half-hearted cut to gully, the pressure of a quite slow run-rate a telling factor. The big scoreboard showed Scrubby 1/10 after 8 overs, 2/18 after 11, 3/46 at 24, 4/71 off 33, 5/87 after 35, a credit to Norths bowling attack. With overs running out, Walkerston bats had little option but to try to force the pace, in the process producing many lofted shots, resulting in several catches being put down uncharacteristically by Norths fielders. In the final 15 overs, Scrubby did well to effectively double their score, while losing regular wickets along the way, to finish all out for 170 from 49.3 overs. Jack took 4 wickets, Prawn & Nigel 2 apiece, with Joel, Smithy & Benny in support. For Walkerston, Luke Kennedy was their standout batter, making 70 from plenty of time at the crease, being patient early on before eventually finding the boundary on several occasions in the latter part of the team innings. Joel & Mitch opened proceedings for Norths, facing some initial decent bowling from both ends, with the pressure applied forcing a quick single attempt, which saw sharp fielding effect the run-out of Mitch from nowhere, bringing Shep to the crease. He survived some early close calls to go on and top score with a well-made 50, Jack almost matching him with 47, while Prawn (23) & Joel (21) made valuable runs. With Norths 8 wickets down, Kel struck a 6 on the first ball of the 50th over to win a close match, befitting of a Grand Final!        click here for photos of the day's proceedings
• read this Saturday's local paper story on the grand final buildup......click here
• Well, it seems A-Grade Grand Final match will go ahead from 2pm this afternoon, despite the chance of a few morning showers. All are welcome to come down to support the team in their battle with arch rivals, Walkerston......GO NORTHIES!
• recent local newspaper story on Norths A Grade recent final fixture leading up to today's "scheduled" grand final click here to read the spot  (700mm+ of rain fell across the district over the last week, with only 2 days of sunshine between that and this weekend.....it will need a miracle for play to be possible this afternoon. A decision is yet to be advised to the captains as at 7.40am...stay tuned!)
• a Feb 27 newspaper story tells of Norths T20 champions title......read it here
• All sport for the district is cancelled this weekend (March 17-18) due to the heavy consistent rain and localised flooding we have experienced this week, which is still falling as of this update, and which is expected for several more days yet....would be surprised if any play is possible next weekend as well, but stay tuned for more updates.
• New TV interview featuring Brant & Brad re: 1st grade game last weekend...click here to view it
• Norths guaranteed a spot in 1st, 2nd & 3rd grade Grand Finals!
• Results from Sunday March 11th one-day comp:
• 1st Grade: Norths batted first, posting 219 by the fall of their final wicket. Brad made 53, Joel 35, Troy 30 and Jason B 22. Souths were held to 10/151, with Troy & Jason bagging two wickets apiece, the remainder shared between the bowling attack.Great way to complete your final fixture fellas! Norths now go through to the Grand Final as proud minor premiers! 
• Results from Saturday March 10th one-day comp:
• 2nd Grade:  Yet another dominant performance by our lads, finishing on 6/225 from their alloted overs. Souths, in reply, were all out for just 88! Norths batting highlights included a terrific knock by Matt Catterall (98), supported by Dale (36), Tats (18), & Rob Brett (19n.o.). In the bowling department, Zac Wilson starred with 5/8 from just 3.2 overs, Rob Farlow taking 2/17 from his 5, and Kerrod Tortora 1/4 from 3. Norths finish comfortable minor premiers, and look forward to the upcoming Grand Final! Congrats to the team for another excellent season.
• 3rd Grade:  Norths Red & White faced off Saturday in their last scheduled fixture of this season before finals playoffs begin next weekend. Both sides paused before start of play for a minute's silence in honour of Sam Orr's mother who passed way this week, resulting in Sam missing this match to be with family down south. Norths White sat atop the competition, with Norths Red in 4th place, prior to this clash in quite warm & sometimes overcast conditions. Norths White batted first, finding the going tough, with Haylsey & Nathan Rand continuing on from last weekend's decent bowling form, restricting scoring thru tight line & length. Openers Greg (9) & Danny (7), were followed by Marc who survived a few close calls early on to then underpin White innings and persist almost to the end, the 9th wicket to fall, caught close to the boundary by BP to top score with a solid 40. Pitty (8) threatened before playing across the line to become another Rand victim, bringing the hard-hitting Ash to the crease, only to face a virtually unplayable ball from Nathan which cut back quite a way off the deck to rattle his stumps. Red now had White 4/53 off 11 overs. Shawn (1) was out soon after trying to pull Wazza over mid-wicket, caught very well in the deep by young Tim, who proved a handy injection of youth to Red in the field and with the ball! Damo (2), another dangerous batter against most attacks was next to fall given out caught behind by ever-reliable Husko off a feather. Kev (0) copped a beaut delivery from Tim which knocked over the stumps, and Brandon (Day) made 5 before being caught out spectacularly high above his head by his namesake Brandon (Taylor) at mid-wicket. Connor (9) was then caught behind off Mitch's bowling by Husko who had another solid day with the gloves, leaving Steiny not out on 7. Sundries (33) were second top score, which helped White to a total of 121. Nathan again bowled well for his 4/31 from 7 overs, Tim shone with 3/16 from 4, Wazza deserved his 2/20 from 7, Mitch took 1/9 from his 1 over, and Haylsey was unlucky to finish on 0/25 from his 6 overs bowled in high heat at commencement of play. Red's innings started reasonably well with Brando taking advantage of a few wider deliveries hitting 19 in no time but then being caught in the 4th over, centimetres off the ground by a splendid effort at deep cover by Connor. BP (7) started typically cautiously, surviving some excellent line bowling from Steiny, only to play all round a good ball from Brandon Day's first over. Woodsy & Husko then proceeded to play some promising cricket, taking the score to 47 before Husko (12) was adjudged lbw to a Connor delivery. Woodsy fell 6 overs later to a sharp catch off Connor's bowling, on a hard-fought 19, and when Darcy (2) flashed hard outside off to be caught at gully, Red found themselves in a similarly precarious position at 5/58 in the 19th over. Wazza (1) was sadly runout pushing for a second run leaving Camo to ponder what might have been. Scotty put together 14 before Steiny bowled him, with Red now 7/99 with 10 overs yet to face, and a tight finish in both teams sights. Nathan carried on his hard hitting from the previous weekend, striking 3 x boundaries and a 6 before being caught behind by Greg off Connor for top score of 20. While Mitch pushed for singles to keep the score ticking over, Haylsey was on the receiving end of another beaut Steinhardt delivery, bowled for nought, bringing Tim to the crease with Red on 9/106 in the 29th over. Pitty changed the tempo, asking Ash to bowl spin, and was immediately rewarded, having Tim caught at silly mid-wicket to seal the victory for White in only the 29th over. Bowling for White saw Connor take the honours with 3/19 from 6 overs, Steiny enjoy his 2/10 from 7 excellent line overs, Brandon Day 2/13 from his 7, supported by Kev 1/46 from 7, Damo 0/17 from 3, and Ash 1/0 from one delivery! A good win for White and testiment to why they are to be congratulated for being minor premiers this season...well done boys! These two teams (1st & 4th) now play one another again next weekend to see who goes through to the grand final.
• Junior Grand Finals success! The icing on the cake for the club last weekend was Norths U13, U15 & U16/17 teams all won their one-day Grand Finals on Sunday! Well done to all players, and also to the efforts of coaches & parents for putting in the time with these youngsters who are the future of the club's senior player pool.

• All senior teams observed a minute's silence prior to commencement of games this weekend, in honour of Graeme Dunk's father who passed away this last week following several years of ill health. Our thoughts are with Graeme & his family at this time.

• Results from Sunday March 4th one-day comp:
• 1st Grade: Norths batted first today in high heat & humidity, reaching 208 before losing their last wicket, Kellen Powell scoring 71, Jason Butterworth 47, Brad Payne 17, Nigel Beer 17, and Troy Newton also finishing on 17 n.o....Walkerston in reply could only manage 116, succumbing in the 43rd over, Troy cleaning up with 4/25 from his 10 overs, and Prawn taking an impressive 3/9 from 8.4 overs. Excellent win guys!
• Results from Saturday March 3rd one-day comp:
• 2nd Grade: Norths batted first, putting together a handy & defendable 5/221, Dale featuring with an excellent 94 run knock off 93 balls in steamy conditions, and Carvy reaching 57 n.o. (there's life in the old dog yet!) The batsmen had to make the best of a quite slow outfield (typical of all games due to the recent wet weather). Norths bowling attack then proceeded to knock over Walkerston for only 80 runs, in the 15th over, securing a dominant victory! The younger lads got results, with Lochie Austin enjoying taking 4 wickets, while Connor Bryant also did well taking 3-for.
• 3rd Grade Red: Haylesy won the toss for Norths electing to bat against Brothers. Brando & BP put together an opening stand of 45 before Brando lost his wicket, closely followed by BP (21), Wazza,  Graeme H (unlucky to be runout) &, not long after,Camo. From 4-48, Norths proceeded to claw their way to an unconvincing 126 from their 35 overs, with Nathan Rand featuring in the middle-order to top score on 32, including a couple of big boundaries and one satisfying six. As mentioned previously, the slow outfields meant both sides had to run for almost everything, with many decent strokes not being rewarded fully by boundaries. Brothers opening batters faced a tough time, with Norths opening bowlers Gareth & Nathan giving them hardly any width to play shots (in fact it took until the 14th over before a wide was signalled by the umpire!). By the time 10 overs had ticked over, Brothers were similarly uncertain at 4/45, as a result of an excellent & relentless Norths line & length bowling attack. Nathan Rand added to his earlier confident batting, starring with the ball, taking 3/13, while Sam Orr made a successful return to the side after quite a long absence, finishing with 2/18 from his overs. Haylsey bowled a fruitful short spell of 2/17, and Wazza was again one of the unluckiest in the attack, creating lots of chances but seeing little reward, other than creating intense pressure in making runs hard to come by. Mitch Grinter joined the party and also bowled very well, taking the final wicket with Brothers on 96, several overs remaining unbowled in their allowance of 35. A very pleasing performance with the ball and in the field supporting the bowlers, made up for an under-par batting display this week.
• 3rd Grade White: Walkerston were held to 111 by Norths bowling attack, Kev taking 3-for, Dan 2 x wickets, and Ash 2 x wickets. Yet another successful run chase saw Norths secure a good win, with Damo and Marc both making 26 runs each. Great weekend for the club with all 4 x senior match wins!
• Latest local newspaper story on Norths season success.....please click here to read
• Weekend T20 semi-finals & finals cancelled due to VERY wet weather! Minor premiers claim championships!
• Results from Saturday Feb 18th T20 comp:
• 2nd Grade:  Norths batted first this afternoon, and Rusty showed why he was one of the premier batsmen for our club for so many seasons......another great knock of 97 helping the team to a very healthy 162 from 20 overs! At last reports to hand, Farleigh in reply were 5/62 off 15 overs....more to follow once confirmed final figures are to hand.
• 3rd Grade Red:  Walkerston batted first, but constant pressure from decent bowling from skipper Haylesy (4/20 from 3 overs), Kerrod Tortora (3/10 from 4), Wazza (2/3 from 1.3), and Mason Kohler (1/25 from 3) meant Scrubby were all out for just 62 in the 12th over. Other than opener, Joyce, no other Walkerston batter reached double figures, which was a testiment to the overall line & length of the bowling attack, as the track was fairly flat & placid with few surprises. Camo & BP opened North's account with a partnership of 22, before Scotty (8) top-edged a cross-bat shot and was caught at mid-on. Brando (0) copped a beaut yorker, Kerrod (10) looked dangerous, scoring quickly from word-go, before playing cross bat one too many times on a deck playing a little low. This brought Wazza to the wicket, and he (8n.o.) & BP (32 n.o.) proceeded to pick off sufficient loose balls, reaching the meagre target in the 10th over, with BP managing a cleanly hit 6 to finish proceedings. Good win fellas, setup by good bowling and sharp glove-work by Husko, who took two very fine edges and one successful stumping (not to mention several other close stumping shouts).
• 3rd Grade White:  Norths White played Farleigh Magpies at Maggies ground. Norths batted first, reaching 115 all out, midway thru the final over. Ash again got runs (38), while Kev blasted 24 off 6 balls at the death (4 x sixes!). Norths then improved on their bowling performance from last week, but not before Maggies passed Norths score with just an over and a half to go...another match going down to the wire. some good figures were returned by the bowling attack, with Ash featuring with 5/15 from 4, and Brendan taking 2/26 from his 2 overs. 
• Results from Friday Feb 17th T20 comp:
• 1st Grade: Norths 1st Grade sealed the T20 minor premiership with an emphatic 10 wicket win over Farleigh/Magpies last night under lights at Harrup Park. Farleigh could only manage 8/80 from their allotted overs, while Norths reached 0/84 from just 7.3 overs. Norths openers Jack Sambell (46n.o.) and Joel Bruun (30 n.o.) enjoyed their time at the crease, with Jack hitting a big six over mid-wicket to overhaul the meagre target! Congratulations to the squad for another dominant season!
• Results from Sunday Feb 12th one-day comp:
• 1st Grade:   A grade Norths has now wrapped up the "Poole Cup" minor premiership for the season, following today's crushing win over Magpies at Harrup Park! Magpies could only manage 10/74 after being 6/18 at one stage. Troy picked up 3/15, Brad snared 3/23, Mitch 1/5, Jack 1/10 and Nigel Beer 1/1. Norths didn't lose a wicket as they chased down the runs required in only the 11th over, with Joel 40 n.o. and Mitch 25 n.o.  Congrats on another excellent season boys!
• Results from Saturday Feb 11th one-day comp:
• 3rd Grade Red:   Norths batted first, with Brando (20) & Darcy (23) putting together an encouraging opening partnership of 56, before Brando's wicket sparked a collapse of 6/12 in 7 overs, due in the main to a decent bowling spell from Walkerston's Ash Howarth (4/28 from 7 overs). What was needed was stability, if the team was to make full use of their 35 overs, let alone post a competitive target. Graham Husking came to the crease and was instrumental in 2 of 3 x excellent partnerships, firstly 47 with Lachie Austin (16), followed by 49 with Liam (23), Husko himself finishing on a selfless 49 n.o., while Benny smashed a whirlwind 34 n.o. in the final couple of overs to see Norths finish on an incredible 8/201, a far cry from 6/68 in the 19th over! Walkerston openers, Darrell Joyce (33) and Peter Fay (54) put on a defiant first wicket stand of 75 in only 7 overs, forcing Norths skipper, Haylesy to employ numerous bowling changes in an effort to break the batters obvious rythym. Nathan Rand finally made the much-needed breakthrough (1/28 from 4 overs), which opened the flood gates for Haylesy (3/12 from 5) and Wazza with a clever and well-earnt 5/20 from only 4 overs! Other than the opening stand, Walkerston scorecard resembled that of our upper & middle order, with 2, 0, 1, 3, 2, 1, 0 & 12 the result of good line and subtle swing bowling. Walkerston final wicket fell on 118 in only the 18th over, for Norths to enjoy a good win, thanks in no small part to our Husking brothers efforts.
• 3rd Grade White:   Norths batted first on a very hot afternoon, finishing on 8/197 from their 35 overs. Ash top-scored on 52, while Marc (32) & Kev (32) also made valuable contributions. Norths bowlers were uncharacteristically wayward, bowling too many wides & no-balls this match, which Ash believes was a factor in Brothers just managing to triumph in another nailbiting finish! The winning runs for Brothers were hit in the very final over, with Norths having them 8 wickets down. Damo took another 3-wicket haul, and Smurf managed 2/32 from his 7 overs. Bad luck boys.....you have won your fair share of close matches this season. We're all sure you blokes will be back to your winning ways next game.
• NEW TV INTERVIEW: Our most recent UK import player, Nicky Pym, was interviewed this week by WIN TV local news, and her segment aired tonight, along with footage from her most recent game with Norths Red 3rd grade.....if you missed the TV spot, please click on this link to see it in full
• N.B. under 16/17 Norths team, coached by our own Nigel Beer from 1st grade, contest their T20 grand final Friday night, Feb 3rd at Harrup Park, so let's rally the troops and go along to suport the future senior stars of tomorrow!
• Results from Saturday Jan 21st T20 comp:
• 1st grade: Under lights from 6pm, in hot humid conditions, both Norths & Walkerston firstly observed a minute of silence in memory of young Norths member Sam Byrnes' sister, who passed away tragically last weekend. Both sides wore black armbands, as Sam is a former member of Walkerston club. Norths then batted first, compiling a defendable total of 6/143, with Brant at the crease for 14 overs in the heat to finish on 56n.o., Jack hitting 25, Shep 20 & Nigel 13. Walkerston then commenced their chase enthusiastically, with Norths taking command of the flow of the game by the middle overs, with Scrubby held to 8/120 by Norths bowling attack.....Beery taking 3/36, young Jack 3/17, and Angry 2/27. Another consistent performance from our 1sts who now have the T20 minor premiership wrapped up, with finals playoffs approaching soon. Also worth noting the "Poole Cup" longer form of the competition commences once more from this coming weekend, with Norths 1sts enjoying a commanding lead at this stage of the season. Well done boys!
• 2nd grade: Norths 104 defeated Walkerston 8/51.....highlights to be advised shortly.
• 3rd grade: Norths Red & White battled it out again in their last match-up before upcoming T20 finals playoffs. White batted first, with Greg (34) showing his intent to push for runs from the first ball. Despite the odd unorthodox shot, his aggressive approach was successful, netting the team fast early runs. Damo carried on his decent season with the bat, hitting 43 in fairly quick time, whilst at the other end Ash (55 n.o.) got amongst the action again with plenty of big boundaries, including 17 off the final over, to see White amass 6/164. Red bowling figures suffered in typical T20 fashion, belying decent efforts to remove more batsmen than the scorebook showed. Newer recruits, Mitch (3/25 from 4) & Liam (2/35 from 4) both bowled well. Wazza (0/29 from 4), Camo (1/25 from 4) & GT (0/48 from 4) were all a little unlucky with the ball this weekend. Red openers Woodsy & BP were effectively pinned down during the opening overs by disciplined line & length bowling from both Steiny (1/14 from 4) & Steely (2/18 from 4), with BP falling cheaply trying to press for runs from another good ball from Steely. Woodsy meanwhile played some classy, well timed shots to raise the hopes of Red supporters, making 23 before losing the timber. More quick wickets followed, continuing to build pressure on the Red lineup, with only Husko (22n.o.) & Camo (13) resisting in the middle order, while wickets fell regularly. Damo put in another good all round performance, snaring 2/25 from his 4 overs. Being one player short for the day, Red finished on 8/101, seeing White deservedly win another game on their way to the top of the leaderboard....congrats fellas.
• Results from Saturday Jan 14th T20 comp: (very fortunate to get cricket in with threatening wet weather holding off just long enough to complete matches on Saturday arvo......Sunday fixtures in doubt due to current steady rainfall)
• 1st grade: good win on Friday night under lights (no highlights to report yet)
• 2nd grade: Norths batted first reaching 8/130. Despite a solid start, Norths found the deck became more difficult as the ball aged, Jason Butterworth top-scoring with 29, Dale making 23, and newcomer Nathan Rand hitting 16. Pioneer Valley then themselves proceeded to amazingly make exactly.....130! Benny took 2/33, all other bowlers chiming in with one apiece. Standouts were Zac Wilson opening up with offies and restricting the runs and taking 1-12 from his 4 overs, while Rob Brett kept his cool at the death for 1-12 from 2 overs to ensure Norths a chance in the deciding 'super over'.  Rob Brett bowled for Norths' one over, a couple of dot balls early building pressure, keeping PV to 8 runs... then Rusty and Dale batted for their over, picking up 10 runs off 5 balls for the win, Dale hitting 8. An incredibly close one boys!
• 3rd grade red: Norths batted first, with both openers scoring reasonably freely until Brando was dismissed for a decent 22. Lachie & Wazza each made 13, then Wood(s)y put together a very handy 31 finishing not out. BP was runout on 43 with only a few overs to go, and the side finished on a respectable 6/140. In the bowling department, Gareth (1/12 from 4), Lachie (2/26 from 4), Nicky (1/15 from 4), Camo (1/7 from 2), Brando (0/9 from 2), new-comer Liam (0/8 from 2) & ever-reliable Wazza (1/13 from 2) all ensured Pioneer Valley were never really in the hunt, thanks to overall improved line & length over previous games, at one stage having them 4/17 from 6 overs. PV finished at 8/99 from their 20 overs.
• 3rd grade white: Souths first posted a decent total of 5/159 & must have been confident of their chances. With that good target came understandable punishment of our boys bowling figures, although Damo got 2 wickets with Ash slowing progress with a spell of 1/12. Norths again showed great ticker to chase down Souths, needing 80 off the last 8 overs, and finishing at 8/171! Damo finished off the task with a quick-fire 37 n.o., including 3 x sixes, off not many balls. Runs were shared around with Ash making 21, and Brendon Day hitting 17. Fantastic, nail-biting win lads!!

• Results from Saturday Jan 7th T20 comp:
• 1st grade: sustained their first loss of the season (detailed results hot to hand)
• 2nd grade: another win from this consistent side (no detailed highlights to report yet)
• 3rd Grade Red:  With Haylsey out with an injured back, Husko skippered the side for the day. Camo returned from injury to bolster both batting & bowling. Midway thru their 20 overs, Brothers had lost several of their mainstay hitters as a result of decent bowling from Sam (1/48), Wazza (3/20), Camo (1/24) & Gareth (1/38). What wasn't bargained for was a display of power hitting from Ian Dunn, who raced to 90 n.o., helping Brothers compile 7/174, with 62 runs coming from the final 5 overs! Unfortunately, Norths initial decent bowling figures suffered as a consequence, seeing boundaries to all parts of the ground, regardless of line & length. Once again, disappointingly, sundries of 25 were second top score for the innings. In reply, despite losing 2 early wickets, Norths managed 8/121, a pleasing aspect being the encouraging rear-guard action from Adam Carvolth (22) & Peter Houghton (24), who both hit several impressive boundaries, and kept the scoreboard ticking over constantly with plenty of singles & twos. Wazza (14), Camo (17) & Graeme H (16) all contributed but were unable to get the big score Norths needed to really compete with Brothers decent total.
• 3rd Grade White: Norths bowled first, having Walkerston 6/143 after their allotted 20 overs, with Ash taking 2, and Damo, Steely, Brendon & Steiny all chipping in with one wicket apiece. Norths batting highlights included Greg, scoring his first 50 for the club, while Damo finished on 30 n.o., as Norths reached 150 with an over & a half to go....good win boys!
• MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, & BEST WISHES FOR 2012 FROM NORTHS CRICKET CLUB!

• To listen to this weeks' ABC radio interview with UK touring player, Nicky Pym, click this icon: 

• Results from Friday Dec 16 T20 comp:
• 1st Grade: another good win saw 1sts undefeated in the pre-Christmas portion of this season! Norths batted first, making 9/105 from their 20 overs. Farleigh Magpies could only muster just over 60 before being sent to the dressing sheds. Well done boys! More highlights to follow soon.
• Results from Saturday Dec 17 T20 comp:
• 2nd Grade: TBA
• 3rd Grade Red: Souths batted first, putting together 6/112 from their 20 overs. Sundries totalled 34 which has been a developing trend needing urgent reversal this season. Fielding was made slightly awkward due to lack of bounce with quite sandy topsoil and longer grass. Standouts in the Norths bowling department were Warren H with 2/20 from his 4 overs, Sam Orr securing 2/5 from 3 overs (& unlucky not to snare more), Steve Hayles with 1/14 from 4, and young Nicky Pyms who not only took 1/11 from 4 overs, but managed to virtually tie up Souths hardest hitting batsman, frustrating him to the point of clean bowling him....great to watch! In reply, Brandon & Woodsy opened the innings with a quick-fire partnership of 79, before Woodsy was caught on the boundary for 27. BP didn't bother the scorers but Warren H batted well (11 n.o.) with Brando (hitting a very entertaining & well-deserved 52 n.o.), the pair steering Norths to a convincing win in only the 13th over!
• 3rd Grade White: Norths won a close one this weekend, successfully chasing down Brothers' solid 157, with Pitty making an excellent 77 in the process!
• UK Tour 2013 - anyone keen on next tour, please click here for an overview, and click here to download the "Expression of Interest" form which must be completed and returned to Karen Carvolth by December 16 2011 (yes, Friday week!)
• Results from Saturday Dec 3rd T20 comp:
• 1st Grade: Walkerston reached 5/103 from their 20 overs, with Benny taking 2/17, Angry 1/8, Nigel 1/26. Norths batting saw them also 5 wickets down when they passed Scrubbie's target....Shep 22, Joel 19, Brant 18 & young Jack on 18 n.o.
• 2nd Grade: Walkerston made 8/109 from their allotted 20 overs. For Norths bowling attack, Chris Collins snared 2/27, Peno took 1/18, Blanky 1/7 & Matt Catterall 1/12. In reply, Norths were 0/110, with Rusty reaching 60 n.o. & Chris Collins putting together 31 n.o.....an emphatic victory to say the least...congrats lads!
• 3rd Grade Red: despite constantly cloudy, overcast, blustery & occasional damp conditions all day, cricket was still played today. Farleigh Magpies batted first and although Haylsey, Warren, Sam & Brando all produced some decent deliveries & created chances, luck & decisions favoured the batsmen & we could only manage to take 4 wickets as Farleigh posted 118 runs from their 20 overs, due in the main to a lusty display of eye-hitting by opener Aaron Kirby, who was finally dismissed towards the end of their innings for 73. Peter Houghton, our dark horse, claimed a pleasing 3-for from his 4 overs. Norths lost their first wicket cheaply, then steadied the ship but even with Haylsey batting patiently throughout the entire innings for his 25 n.o., a hard-hitting 35 from Wazza, plus some late stroke-play from Graeme H (17 n.o.), we were unable to achieve the very high run-rates required in the final overs, finishing 2/98 from our 20 overs. So, a disappointing loss, but Farleigh's youngsters bowled quite well in the main, not giving our batters too much room to play big strokes. Next match is in 2 weeks time.
• N.B. Christmas get-together......1st Grade's final match for 2011 is against Magpies on Friday, Dec 16 from 6pm. This will be North's seniors Christmas get-together, so we are asking for each family to bring a plate (nibblies or a dish) to be enjoyed by all (North's family only) after the game....we intend to setup tables outside of HP1 dressing sheds. Please come along to cheer on 1st Grade and celebrate Christmas & our success so far this season in all grades!
• Results from Saturday Nov 26th one-day comp:
• 1st grade:  Another disciplined bowling & fielding performance from our competition leaders restricted Souths to all out for 143 from 47.3 overs. Wickets were shared (Prawn 3/27, Nigel 2/28, Smithy 2/22, Jack 3/36), with the exception of Robbie Brett who bowled 10 straight, tight overs without luck...well done to the big fella who replaced Benny at short notice. Souths big scorers from previous weeks found scoring tough and were eventually dismissed trying to force the pace. After Mitchell English was dismissed early, Nigel Beer took to the Souths bowling smashing 28 in no time! Shep & Jack went in quick succession, bringing the Pom to the crease. Brad & Joel played sensible cricket, working the bowling around and keeping runs ticking over against the tight Souths attack. Joel's dismissal (15) brought Brant (21 n.o.) to the middle and, along with Brad, easily passed South's total with 18 overs to spare! Standout batter for Norths was young Brad Payne (42 n.o.), who showed patience when it was needed. Brad's cricket in general has improved greatly since his arrival in Oz. With 5 rounds to go in the Poole Cup competition, Norths have a stranglehold on the minor premiership. Norths 5/144 defeated Souths 10/143......great win boys!!                                                                                                                               1sts next match is against (everyone's) arch rivals Walkerston on HP1 Saturday, Dec 3rd from 6pm (2nd grade plays HP1 from 2pm)
• 2nd grade:  Reserve grade did not play this weekend
• 3rd grade Red: Both Norths & Pioneer Valley squads were missing several regular players this week, so having Dale Bryant & Matt Catterall drop down from seconds was very handy & much appreciated. Pioneer Valley batted first and, despite a powerful & relatively quick knock of 30 from one of their openers, managed to compile 89 from 22 overs before being bundled out. Gareth Taylor again bowled well but without luck for 0/12 from his 4 overs. Newcomer to Norths club, Matt, bowled a very impressive spell of 3/1 from 3 (2 maidens), Nicky nabbed 3/21 from her 4 overs, Sam Orr enticed the PV lineup resulting in 2/16 from 4, Warren H beat the bat & found edges consistently to get 1/17 from 4, and Haylsey chipped in with 1/15 from his 3 overs. With the wicket featuring inconsistent bounce all game, Wood(s)y & BP opened Norths reply enjoying a chanceless 64 run partnership, with Woodsy returning from injury to post an enjoyable to watch 26, including 5 x boundaries, playing shots around the ground before edging a fine one to the keepers gloves. Warren H joined BP in the centre and the pair continued on to pass the required total in the 19th over, Waz making a quickly scored 19 n.o. & BP finishing on 35 n.o., unbelievably dropped literally on the boundary line, resulting in a 6 to take Norths to 90 & the win. 
• 3rd grade White: Norths were up against a strong Souths side this weekend, who posted a competitive target of 185 from their 35 overs, for the loss of 7 wickets. Ash took 2/14 from his spell, with the remaining wickets being shared around the bowling attack. Norths, in another solid display with the bat, chased down the required runs with 5 overs to spare, and 6 wickets in hand. Ash made 46, Marc reached 40, & Steeley hit 34 to see Whites notch yet another good win, made all the more satisfying by a decent opposition side.
• Results from Saturday Nov 19th one-day comp (35 overs a side):
• 2nd grade: Norths lost the toss & bowled first. Walkerston managed just 26 before being rolled in only 10 overs! Peno snared 4/16 off 5 overs & Robbie Brett excelled with 6/10 from his 5 over spell, including 1 maiden! Norths passed the required target in just 5 overs, for the loss of 1 x wicket, with Dale Bryant scoring 18 off 13 balls
• 3rd grade Red: Farleigh Magpies unfortunately forfeited, handing the no-contest result to Norths
• 3rd grade White: Norths made an impressive 7/248 from their 35 overs, Kev hitting 6 x 6's on his way to 70, Ash with 53 & Shawn Day 32.  Amazingly, Northies routed Pioneer Valley for just 23 runs, thanks to Dan assuring himself of an end-of-season trophy, snatching 5/7, and Brendan Day chiming in with 4/14!
• Results from Sunday Nov 13th one-day comp (50 overs a side):
• 1st grade: Those who attended Harrup Park day-night game yesterday witnessed a huge night of Norths dominance! Batting first, Norths were able to post the daunting target of 3/411 from their 50 overs, with Shep hitting a magnificent 183, and young Mitchell English carrying his bat throughout the entire innings, finishing on a fantastic 136 n.o. In another injection of youth for 1sts, Jack Sambell lit up the end of the innings with a quick-fire 47 in around 20 balls, including a massive 6 onto Harrup Park roof!In reply, Farleigh could only manage 68 runs before capitulating to a determined bowling attack......Troy Newton took the honours with a 5-for many will remember for quite a while, 5/13! Smithy also made an impression finishing with 3/26 from his spell. The scoreboard below says it all....congrats to all!

• Results from Saturday Nov 12th one-day comp (35 overs a side):
• 2nd grade: Farleigh Magpies batted first, reaching 7/145. Norths bowling: Kerrod Tortora 1/27 off 5, Zac Wilson 1/17 off 7, Connor Bryant 2/25 off 5, Tats 1/6 off 3 & Rob Brett 1/28 off 7. Norths made 147, passing Magpies in the 24th over for the loss of 6 wickets, with the following batting highlights: Rusty 19, Danny Warren 27 off 25 balls, Jason Butterworth 27 off 30 balls, Rob Brett 30 off 24 balls & Chris Collins 19 from 24 balls. Job well done, with many contributing to the win.
• 3rd grade: Norths Red & Norths White faced off in a hard fought battle in hot conditions yesterday afternoon. White batted first, setting a decent total of 211 from their allotted overs, with Dave Steele posting a fairly rapid & hard hitting half century in the latter part of the innings. Scott Cameron & Warren Husking again bowled very well in their respective 7 over spells, as did Andrew Blank who dropped down from 2nds to help out Red, while our latest UK import, Nicky Pym, showed she has the right stuff to mix it with the boys, taking wickets in her first spell on Aussie decks. White restricted Reds scoring rate admirably during the first half of their batting, due to some consistent & accurate line bowling. BP managed to stay in the middle long enough to post an uncharacteristic 59, whilst all present were treated to an enjoyable display of power hitting from Blanky, who was unfortunately runout just short of a well-deserved century, making 97! Nicky enjoyed being out in the middle whilst Blanky scored quickly & somewhat ruthlessly. His innings brought Red much closer to winning the game than was first imagined, as White kept their cool & held Red to 204 after 35 overs! Reds could take a lesson from White's overall excellent line & length, as sundries/wides have influenced too many Red match results this season (taking nothing away from White's game).
• Welcome evening for our UK visitors!!  All players & supporters are invited to meet at Northern Beaches Bowls Club Saturday night from 7pm to show our overseas guests, Nicky, Haz & Brad some Aussie hospitality!
• Nicky Pym from Crowhurst Park CC plays her first game in Australia for Norths 3rd grade red tomorrow afternoon! Please come down to Harrup Park field 6 & cheer her on if you are not playing yourself!
• Results from Sunday Nov 6th one-day comp (50 overs a side):
• 1st grade: Brothers batted first, compiling 132 before losing their last wicket....Prawn 3/28 from 10 overs, Troy 3/16 from 6.4, Jack Sambell 3/18 from 8 & Benny 1/32 from his 10. Norths passed the target thanks to 54 from Mitchell English, and 44 to Shep, with Jack S on 12 n.o. as our boys posted 136. Great win fellas!

• Results from Saturday Nov 5 one-day comp (35 overs a side):
• 2nd grade:  Norths batted first, putting together a sizeable 211 for 6 wickets down...Jason Butterworth 74 from 68 balls in 66 mins, Brad Payne 40, Tats 34, Robbie Brett 32. Brothers were subsequently bowled out for 121.....Peno 3/5 off 7 overs (6 maidens), Zac Wilson 3/20 off 6, Tats 2/13 off 5, Lochie Austin 1/28 off 6, Kerrod Tortora 1/35 off 6, Robbie Brett 0/17 off 5 overs. Another impressive victory!
• 3rd grade Red: Norths made 132 from their 35 overs for the loss of 7 wickets....Graeme Husking was at the crease for much of the innings making a patient 22 whilst handling the 2-paced track which seemed to play even slower as the innings progressed, Camo 23 in fairly quick time, Darcy Houghton 23 n.o. with another consistent display with the bat. Brothers White started with a flurry attempting some big hitting but lost wickets in the process, eventually passing our total in the 22nd over with 8 wickets down, despite fine bowling spells from Warren H 4/32 from 7, & Camo 2/48 from 7, who both created many more chances resulting in several very close decisions in favour of the batsmen....Gareth opened the bowling with an impressive spell of 0/11 from 4 overs, while Connor Bryant also chipped in with a wicket.
• 3rd grade White: won by forfeit as Walkerston could unfortunately not field a team this weekend
• Local TV news interview with our Crowhurst Park CC import, Brad...click here to view
• Results from Saturday Oct 29 T20:
• 3rd Grade Red:  Norths won the toss & put Walkerston in to bat, compiling 9/117 from their 20 overs, with Camo capturing 3/25 from 4 overs & Waz H nabbing 3/21 from his 4. Tats, Sam & Haylesy all chipped in with a wicket each. Norths run chase commenced reasonably well with both openers making starts (Waz 25, BP 22) but not going on with the job. Camo & Tats, with 36 n.o. apiece, did an admirable job of steering us to victory in the 19th over with a 50+ partnership, for the loss of only 3 wickets.
• 3rd Grade White: in the other 3rd grade T20, our Norths White team took on Magpies, who put together 125 from their 20 overs for the loss of 9 wickets. Ash Murphy did most of the damage with the ball for Norths, with figures of 4/13 from his spell. Norths chased down the target in their 17th over, with only 1 wicket down, Ash having made 67n.o. & Shawn Day on 33n.o....a convincing victory, well done boys!  
• Ryobi Cup one-day match - click here to read newspaper spot & click here for photos of the day's play....for those who missed it, 500+ runs in the day, plenty of wickets, big sixes, fast bowling & a narrow win to Qld in the dying overs....great entertainment!
• N.B. Cricketer's Christmas BBQ - Saturday Dec 17th, held at Harrup Park (overlooking Field 1) from 6pm; Harrup Park are providing the food & BBQ cook! a T20 feature match between Brothers & Pioneer Valley will also take place.....see you there!
• click here to view local TV news spot on last week's Mayoral reception for UK Tour group, and presentation of gift from Hastings Mayoress
• click here for photos of last Wednesday's Mayoral morning tea, where Dunky & Brad were each interviewed by local TV & radio, and Mackay Regional Council Mayor, Col Meng, acknowledged the gift we brought back to Oz from Hastings (UK) Mayoress, Kym Forward.  
• Raffles at Harrup Park: please note below which grade is required to help out on the relevant Friday afternoons from 5.30pm:
• Friday Oct 21 - 1st grade
• Friday Oct 28 - 2nd grade
• Friday Nov 4 - 3rd grade
• Friday Nov 11 - 4th grade
• Results from Saturday Oct 15 T20:
• 3rd grade: In a match which went right down to the wire, Norths Red, 5 wickets down, defeated Norths White total of 115 with one ball to spare! Norths White standout was Ash Murphy who scored 27 with the bat & took a wicket, while Warren Husking for Red top scored with 40+ & then took 2 x wickets (drug & alcohol tests have not yet been disclosed). Sam Orr typically bowled well for Reds
• Mackay-Whitsunday representative games were played last weekend in Cairns; below are those Norths players who were selected in the following teams:
• Open:      Brant Attard, Shaun Irlam, Nigel Beer, Kellen Powell, Troy Newton & Bradley Payne
• Under 19: Zac Wilson
• Under 17: Mitchell English, Jason Butterworth & Kerrod Tortora
• Results from Sunday Oct 9 one-day comp (50 overs a side):
• 1st grade: Norths restricted Pioneer Valley to 10/173 from 49 overs, passing that total in their 42nd over with 7 wickets down! Bowling - Nigel Beer 2/24 (9 overs), Robbie Brett 2/41 (8.1 overs), Jason Butterworth 2/24 (5 overs), Russel English 2/16 (4 overs) & Smithy 1/21 (10 overs); Batting - Rusty 43, Prawn 24 n.o., Wazza 23, while Brad Payne our UK import batted with patience & purpose holding the innings together as wickets fell around him, to compile 48...he was unlucky to be caught 2 runs short of his fifty & 2 runs away from the win. An excellent result for Norths considering there were quite a few regular players unavailable this weekend (well done to all who stepped up into 2nds & 1sts)
• 4th grade development squad: played their first game yesterday, under the leadership of 2-time premiership winning former 1st grade captain Wayne Kohler. The lads were unsuccessful but performed admirably against a strong Pinnacle side.
• Results from Saturday Oct 8 one-day comp (35 overs a side):
• 2nd grade: in a real nail-biter, Norths 7/150 defeated Pioneer Valley 9/149 with 2.1 overs to spare! Tats 4/25 (7 overs), Peno 1/26 (6 overs), Lochie Austin 1/20 (7 overs) helped tie down their middle order, Conor Bryant 0/25 (6 overs) was unplayable at times & Mitch Grinter 0/26 (7 overs) bowled tight lines with the latter two bowlers unlucky not to get wickets; despite a bit of a middle-order collapse, Dale 52 (67 balls in 80 mins) anchored the innings to eventually hit the winning runs, & Tats 48 helped steady the ship (42 balls in 60 mins), with Camo 16 retiring hurt (24 balls) after opening the innings, & Shawn Day 15 (23 balls)...congrats for gutsing it out to triumph at the death lads, & to Tats for his man-of-the-match performance!
• 3rd grade Red: Norths all out for 80 (20 overs) were defeated by Walkerston 7/84. Despite the meagre total we posted, our squad, which included several who had not played with us before, displayed quite pleasing efforts in the field, with our bowlers in particular keeping us in the match by bowling mostly excellent line & length resulting in a flurry of early wickets and, for a time, putting us in a real position to win the game. Gareth bowled 7 x straight, tight overs returning to form after recent illness, & troubled their bats for his entire spell, while Haylsey & Jackson continued asking questions of the Walkerston bats. In the end, we simply didn't have sufficient runs to play with.
• 3rd grade White: Norths 6/200 comprehensively defeated Brothers Blue all out 106; Chris Day 66 & Dale Pitt 63 shared a terrific 116 run partnership, Damo 2/19 (7 overs), Ash 3/8 (2.2 overs)
• click here to view flyer for upcoming Oct 23 "Norths Family Fun Day" at Shoal Point Beach.....RSVP Oct 19
• Results from Sunday Oct 2 one-day comp (50 overs a side):                   
• 1st grade: Norths 9/278 defeated Souths all out for 114 in 33rd over; Shep 79, Jack Sambell 76, Joel Bruun 45; Troy Newton 3/24 (7 overs), Prawn 2/28 (10 overs), Smithy 2/27 (9 overs), Nigel Beer 1/31 (6.2 overs)...Norths skipper was most pleased to have the game in the bag & be able to get home to watch his beloved Manly win the NRL grand final on tv!
• Results from Saturday Oct 1 one-day comp (35 overs a side):
• 2nd grade: Norths 7/168 (33 overs) defeated Souths all out for 98 (32.2 overs); Jason Butterworth 37, Carvy 31 n.o., Bradders 26, Robbie B 21; Benny 4/8 (7 overs), Bradders 3/11 (7 overs), Robbie B 1/3 (4 overs), Lochie Austin 1/19 (5.2 overs)
• 3rd grade Red: Souths, unfortunately unable to field a full team 7/69 (20 overs) were defeated by Norths Red 2/70; Warren H 18 n.o., Camo 15 n.o., Woodsy 5 retired hurt; Brandon T 4/15 (6 overs), Gareth T 2/19 (4 overs), Camo 1/22 (6 overs), Haylesy 0/10 (4 overs)
• 3rd grade White: Norths defeated Farleigh/Magpies (scores yet to be advised)
• click here for latest Norths Newsletter!
• Results from Sunday Sept 25 one-day comp (50 overs a side):
• 1st grade: Norths 7/340 (50 overs) defeated Walkerston 110 (all out in 32nd over); Shep 123, Brant 99 n.o., Jack Sambell 24, Joel B 23; Nigel Beer 2/16 (7 overs), Prawn 2/53 (10 overs), Troy Newton 2/18 (8.1 overs), Angry 3/19 (7 overs)
• Results from Saturday Sept 24 one-day comp (35 overs a side):
• 2nd grade: Norths 6/221 defeated Walkerston all out for 144 (in 25th over); Rusty 34, Bradders 43, Dale 56, Jason Butterworth 40 n.o. (19 balls); Peno 4/14 (7 overs), Lachlan Austin 2/59 (7 overs), Jason Butterworth 2/48 (6 overs)
• 3rd grade Red: Norths 3/165 lost to Brothers Blue 8/166; Husko 39, BP 31, Warren H 28, Brandon T 26 n.o., Darcy H 20 n.o, Brandon T 3/34 (7 overs), Zac 2/35 (7 overs) .....few missed runout opportunities & dropped catches cost us 
• 3rd grade White: Norths defeated Brothers White (no match stats advised yet)
• FYI, Mackay-Whitsunday Cricket has a webpage (click here to visit), and a Facebook page...please search for it & become their 'friend'

• UK import - Norths are very pleased to welcome to our ranks for this summer of cricket, our first UK import from Crowhurst Park CC, Brad Payne.....please come down to the games & make him feel a part of our club! Thanks to Doc for providing a car, to Dunky for facilitating some employment & to the Smith family for opening their home to Brad (this will be a shared responsibility between several families over Brad's 6 month stay, so thanks to those who are yet un-named)
• Results from Sunday Sept 11 T20 comp:
• 1st grade: Norths 4/91 defeated Souths 8/88
• 2nd grade: Souths all out for 70; Norths passed that total only 2 wickets down
• Results from Saturday Sept 10 T20 comp:
• 3rd grade: Norths Red 7/112 - Brandon Taylor 35 n.o., Peter Houghton 17, Doc Bandi 3-21, Brandon Taylor 2-6; Brothers White 6-116 passed our sub-par total in the last over
• 3rd grade: Norths White were defeated 
• Crowhurst Park CC 2nds celebrate top-of-the-table season...firsts narrowly missed out on a hard fought win...well done all! click here to visit them on the web
• Results from Sat/Sun August 20-21 first round of "Daily Mercury T20 Shoot-out" comp:
• 1st grade:  Norths 4/189 - Nigel Beer 75, Jason Butterworth 2 wickets in 2 balls; Brothers all out 114
• 2nd grade: Norths 3/234 - Shep 112, Dale Bryant 65, Peno 4/9; Brothers 9/73
• 3rd grade white: Walkerston all out 80; Norths passed this target easily
• 3rd grade red: Brothers 152; Norths 7/133 - Camo 32, BP 24, Warren H 18, Husko 16, Darcy H 17 n.o.; our very own Doc would also like it made known that there were also stirling efforts made in the bowling department, apparently including his good self, who took 3-for! (best not to mention the runs scored off those overs!)

• Click here for Limited Overs Competition Draw on Mackay Cricket Association webpage
• Super-8's pre-season comp - NORTHS won this comp, after losing the first 7-over-a-side game in the final over, then winning the next two to earn the first club silverware of this new season! 
• Annual City vs Country T20 pre-season match in early August saw City, whose team included 5 of our Norths players (Doc, Rusty, Carvy, Angry & Dunky), regain the prized "Broken Bat" trophy. Country batted first, compiling 139 before being bowled out in the 15th over. City then replied, hitting the winning runs in the 16th over, with 6 wickets in hand (Rusty, Carvy, Peter Rivens & Mark 'Kaz' all retired after scoring quickly at better than a run a ball). City's player of the match, as chosen by Country, was Russell English who took 4 wickets (3 in one over) as well as scoring well, while Country's player of the day, as decided on by City, was Dale Ferris, who scored 37 off just 15 balls! All in all, an enjoyable, and successful afternoon which, along with tennis, lawn bowls, an evening dance/ball and sponsorships, saw the 'Pink Day in the Valley' weekend raise in excess of $30000 for breast & prostate cancer research! Well done to all!

Daily Overview of June 2011 UK Tour:

• Click here to view player stats for the 2011 UK Tour completed recently
• June 24th, Friday - final update as tour comes to a close today so soon! Public thanks go to Dunky for organising such a fantastic playing schedule, to Crowhurst Park CC (won't name you lot individually) for being such wonderful hosts & friends to us, to our opposing teams, to umpires, those who catered for everyone's thirst & hunger at all grounds, & to Crowhurst Park Holiday Village....see everyone back in Oz soon! We look forward to seeing some of you UK teams visiting us downunder in the not-too-distant future!
• June 23rd, Thursday - we headed to famous Arundel this morning for our final tour match....everyone was excited, having heard from those who have at least seen the ground previously, by the prospect of such a special day to complete the Norths UK Tour 2011....after an encouraging start by Norths bowlers, the weather intervened and eventually caused the game to be abandoned, but not after the tour group experienced the thrill of attending/playing at such a prestigious & sought-after venue! click here for photos of this special day              click here for Dunky's final match report & tour wrapup
• June 22nd, Wednesday - final scheduled rest day today.....majority of the touring party headed off to Dover & Rye, a few went to Brighton, and another handful tried their hand at archery at Crowhurst Park; our very own resident 'medical team' visited Blanky again today, and he is expected to be able to rejoin the tour group to fly out of UK this Friday; a friendly T20 between ourselves & our hosts, Crowhurst Park CC was held in the late afternoon, followed by a terrific dinner (special thanks to Mandy & Co!), and heartfelt words of friendship & appreciation between our two clubs by Pellsy, Dunky, Carvy & Brooksy.....a bitter/sweet evening for all, realising our time with our mates at CPCC is over so soon.    click here for Dunky's match overview                                                             click here for photos of the celebration night
• June 21st, Tuesday - we were scheduled to play Linden Park CC at Tunbridge Wells today however, for the first time this tour, wet weather sadly forced cancellation of the game....consequently, 8 tourists travelled down to Brighton, 8 x played golf, 6 went to Bodiam Castle, and another van load went to Tunbridge Wells to view the Linden Park ground & spend time with some Crowhurst friends.

• June 20th, Monday - apologies to everyone following this webpage seeking regular updates on our progress thru our exciting UK Playing Tour schedule.....the area we are based at around Battle has been experiencing problems with internet connection since last Friday, hence adding photos & match reports have unfortunately been impossible tasks. Today is another free day which saw a few of us driving to see Heever & Leeds Castles, a party of 10 visiting Arsenal Stadium, a fortunate few punting thru Oxford, while great news is that Blanky is expected to be released from hospital in a few days, feeling much better following open surgery.
• June 19th, Sunday - tour group travelled by coach to picturesque Whitstable on north-east coast of Kent for 80 over match, with Blanky having his appendix removed by surgeons....we wish him a very speedy recovery & return to the group       please click here for full report on the day out            click here for Doc's photos of the match
• June 18th, Saturday - unfortunate news for Blanky who was admitted to hospital with suspected appendicitus! free day for our touring group
• June 17th, Friday - free day with a party of 10 training it to & from historic Roman-influenced city of Bath, while others visited London city once more (so much to do), with a few even staying overnight
• June 16th, Thursday - Norths travelled to Bognor Regis for a game against Middleton CC...for results, click on above "UK Matches" button, or click here for Dunky's full match report            click here for photos
• June 15th, Wednesday - many of the touring party travelled in to London this morning to watch the 2nd State of Origin Rugby League match at the Belushi pub.....best team lost but there you go!
• June 14th, Tuesday - some played golf in the morning, while others visitied Battle Abbey & other sights in Battle; Bexhill won the T20  convincingly, before Norths turned the tables in an impromptu 10 overs-a-side display.....click here for photos               click here to read Bexhill's webpage promo of the match                       click here for Dunky's match report
• June 13th, Monday - majority of the touring party toured Lord's Cricket Ground!!
• June 12th, Sunday - 80 over match versus our hosts, Crowhurst Park, was reduced to a T20 due to forecast inclement weather.....click here to view photos              click here for full match report
• June 11th, Saturday - majority of Norths tour group supported our Crowhurst hosts at their local 1st grade derby...click here for comments from Dunky
• Norths UK Tour makes 'Hastings Observer' newspaper!!  click here to read article
• June 10th, Friday - a visit to the Gray-Nicolls bat factory followed by the honour of being guest club at Sussex T20 county match capped a grand day in our club's history....click here for Dunky's report

• June 9th, Thursday - we played nearby Hastings this afternoon in an 80 over match.....famous ground, fantastic setting & another highly enjoyable day.....click "UK matches" button above to see basic result....click here for full match report                click here for photos
• June 8th, Wednesday - Norths traveled thru the beautiful 'garden county' of Kent to Royal Tunbridge Wells for a 45-over-a-side match....click here for full match report                    click here for photos
• June 7th, Tuesday - LONDON CITY.....several of the lads witnessed the final day of the test match between Sri Lanka & England, while others got a taste of the excitement of the city via the famous hop-on / hop-off double decker buses......Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Hyde Park, St Pauls Cathedral, Madame Tussauds, Tower of London and many of the streets on the Monopoly Board came to life for we 'convicts'!                      click here for photos
• June 6th, Monday - Mayoress of Hastings officially welcomed us to the area, explained some local history, exchange of gifts from mutual councils, walking tour of Old Hastings Town & best cod & chips lunch ever at "Maggie's"                                    click here for photos
• 
• Norths welcomed by Hastings Mayoress in council chambers
• June 5th, Sunday - contrasting weather to yesterday; quite cold winds & grey skies today; Norths defeated Crowhurst Park in first match on UK soil!           please click 'UK matches' button above for result                     click here for full match report       click here for photos 
• June 4th, Saturday - G'DAY ENGLAND!!  arrived safely to beautiful clear sunny skies, and a cool breeze at Crowhurst Park...all agreed it was a real thrill to finally see our English mates at CPCC, keenly supporting their 3rd grade team who managed a well-earnt draw.....some got essential groceries & some managed a brief dinner at the 16th century manor house before retiring for a welcome horizontal sleep!

• click here for photos of 2011 tour apparel
  
• click here to view photos of Norths annual presentation night
  
• click here to see Dunky interviewed on local TV - May 2011
• May 2011 local newspaper story re: Mayor wanted to tag along for UK Tour! see below:

• Mackay Mayor, Col Meng met with Norths UK Tour representatives for morning tea in May 2011 at Council chambers, to extend best wishes to our UK colleagues via our impending tour.....see photo below (which also appeared with editorial in 'Northern Beaches Advertiser'):

• Tour organiser, Dunky, chatted with Meech on ABC local radio in May 2011 about Mackay Mayor involvement in pre-tour promotion.....please click on this icon to listen to the interview:

Site Purpose

To keep players, supporters, friends (both in Oz and abroad!), sponsors and family informed of our progress thru this new 2011-2012 cricket season, and as a point of reference for the club's recent highly successful June 2011 UK playing tour.

Whether it be keeping abreast of current season results for all grades, perusing recent UK playing results, browsing photo albums from each UK tour game & sight-seeing day, or reading UK match reports, the 2011 tour committee trusts you find this site informative.

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2009 / 2010 OVERVIEW

Norths are widely regarded as one of the friendliest clubs in the Mackay Cricket Association.

2009/2010 witnessed the most successful season in the club's 28 year history.

Premierships in 1st, 2nd and 3rd-grade competitions, together with runner-up in 1st grade T20, coupled with Over-40 T20 premiership. This achievement resulted in the club being awarded the Mackay Cricket Associations' prestigious Club Champions trophy.

The above results were made possible by the culmination of many factors...a skilled and determined player pool, committed coaches, a focussed selection committee, and none-the-least of which Norths having by far the largest number of junior teams registered in the local competition from which to draw emerging talent.

Norths 1st Grade Premiers	Norths 2nd Grade Premiers	Mackay Poole Cup (1st Grade)	Norths T20 over 40's winners

2011 Tour Profiles

Wayne Carvolth (Carvy)	Andrew Blank (Blanky)	Dave Smith (Cranky)
'The Colonel' is our proud and very hard-working club president, who approaches his cricket with the same attitude....ultra 'competitive' & more than competent with bat, ball & fielding (still not a bad keeper even!)	Blanky plays his cricket in a relaxed, yet extremely effective manner (a quick & regular scorer) and is a pleasure to watch, whether as a spectator or fellow player	The 'dark horse' of the club....despite suggested anger management issues, Dave was voted by his peers as most valuable player in 1st grade....dare to try hitting a boundary off him!
Patrick Pope (Paddy)	Sanjeev Bandi (Doc)	Rob Farlow (Penetrator)
A wily bowler, straight bat and always thinking cricketer, Paddy plays to win and is always enthusiastic (his safety officer role should help him stay clear of UK trip hazards)	What to say about our Doc? Surely there is no other human alive on the planet who places cricket almost above breathing in order of importance as Sanjeev!? (in the UK conditions, watch for him to take his share of wickets)	Peno continues to open the attack, enjoying his share of wickets in 2nd grade, despite recently reaching the big 4-0. Endlessly funny man, on & off the field!
Gareth Taylor (GT)	Graeme Husking	Darryl Wood (Woodsy)
Our very own 'McGrath'....3rd grade captain, clever bowler, and can handle a bat, GT just led his young side to a well-earned Minor Premiership	One would be hard pressed to find a bloke who enjoys having a bat in his hands as much as Grae.....guards his wicket like the Crown Jewels! (fiercely competitive with the gloves)	Woodsy is keen to emulate his successful UK efforts from a couple of decades ago and, given recent form, should prove a handful for our UK bowling 'friends'
Shaun Irlam (Prawn)	Dean Cox (Coxy)	Daniel Tatow (Tats)
Prawn would argue with those who share the belief that left-armers should be banned from the game....a tall, strong quick whose stats speak for themselves in 1st grade (did we mention he hates batsmen?)	Successfully opening the batting in 1st grade for the last few seasons, Coxy loves a challenge, and possesses an infectious, friendly enthusiasm his team-mates thrive on	Keen and skilled in all aspects of the game, Tats is a great competitor who is enjoyable to play both with & against (witnessed in a few Norths White vs Norths Red local derbys)
Kellen Powell	Jarrod Smith (Smithy)	Daniel Warren (Rabbit)
Kel currently keeps wicket for 1st grade, and understandably possesses an excellent eye with the bat...he is also assistant club fitness coach, and has accepted the invitation to be one of our 2 tour captains!	Another of Norths junior ranks, beginning to make his mark on senior cricket, Smithy whet his appetite for UK in 2008 and is primed to enjoy the conditions in 2011!	A more-than-capable left-arm batsman & spin bowler who has contributed to both 1st & 2nd grade, young Rabs is excited about the prospect of playing on English grounds
Ben Godfrey (Benny)	Dale Bryant	Ashley Murphy (Smurf)
Enjoyed a recent stellar season, as leading 2nd grade wicket-taker, and bagged a 5-for in his 1st grade debut, resulting in an array of trophies, and is sure to collect another bag of wickets on tour....handy with the bat as well!	As well as being a valuable player in 1st grade (with bat & ball), Dale is also Norths club coach and Regional Cricket Manager for 'Queensland Cricket' across the central area of the state.	The nickname 'Smurf' belies the agression he shows with both bat & ball, as evidenced by his side's recent dominant season in 2nd grade.
Graeme Dunk (Dunky)	Bryan Paull (BP)	Peter Shepherd (Shep)
Tour Organiser, elder statesman and most experienced UK player...still opens the batting with a steely tenacity, and last season captained 2nd grade through an unbeaten season where no opposition were truly able to seriously mix it! (though 'officially' retired from keeping duties, given half a chance, he will admirably handle speedy stumpings)	A typical example of many former cricketers lured back to the game by the enjoyment of playing with growing off-spring, BP is these days content to play wherever the 2nd or 3rd grade skippers see a need (has batted 1 thru 11 but, strangely, never given the ball these days?)	Shep has played many years at higher levels in the local Mackay competition, as well as the capital city Brisbane comp for a couple of seasons; has spent previous time in UK so is eagerly looking forward to playing across the south-east in 2011 (batting & keeping are his specialities); congrats on being asked to be one of our 2 tour captains!
	Joel Bruun (Sultan)
	Joel is one of the more promising youth players in the Mackay competition, and was awarded the coveted "Senior Player of the Year " trophy for his achievements last season!

Sponsors

We would like to publicly acknowledge and thank the following businesses for their generous financial sponsorship which was invaluable to the club being able to send the playing group to the 'home' of cricket. Please click on the links below to their respective websites to familiarise yourself with their services:

Gray-Nicolls factory tour, Robertsbridge, 2008	Lord's Tour Ticket	Lord's Members stand
click here to view 'GN' UK website

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Fundraising

Our enthusiastic tour group was involved since April 2010 in several effective fund-raising activities including weekly carwashes, regular meat-tray raffles, 'special occasion' raffles (Easter, Christmas, Mother's & Father's Day), and a local horse-racing carnival promo to raise much needed funds. As at April 21st 2011, we exceeded our sizeable funds target!!!   

Northern Beaches Bowls Club kindly agreed to support us as our fundraising base location, where we carried out numerous carwashes & meat-tray raffles. Please click on the following link to see their extensive facilities, and why the club is such a popular venue in our home town......click here to view NBBC website

Furthermore, our tour to the UK allowed us to represent our club, our sport and our local community, while affording us the opportunity to promote our fantastic local tourism with a view to reciprocal tours from our UK friends!

Our beautiful SE Sussex base

Some of us had previously had the pleasure of staying at this wonderfully comfortable, serene, hospitable facility located adjacent to our hosts, Crowhurst Park Cricket Club. Please click the below link, so you can see why Crowhurst Park Holiday Village was chosen as our base for June 2011. Crowhurst Park Holiday Village

16th century manor house	from lodges towards English Channel	from lodges towards cricket ground	holiday village from cricket ground

Tour Committee Communications

UK Tour committee:

Chairman:	Graeme Dunk	gdunk@cctransport.com.au
Finances:	Karen Carvolth	kcarvolt@bigpond.net.au
Fund-raising Co-ord:	Bryan Paull
Member:	Gareth Taylor
Member:	Sandy Paull
Member:	Rob Farlow

Click here to view sponsorship letter

Click here to view donations letter

Click here to view tour 'code of conduct'

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2011 UK matches

See below for details on the UK teams who agreed to be our June 2011 opponents. Please click on the below weblinks to help you become more acquainted with their facilities & unique club histories.

Handy UK Links

Lord's Tours - traditional home of cricket

London sight-seeing

British Heritage Pass                   Save $$$ if planning to visit multiple UK Historic sites

South East England Tourism

UK National Rail Timetables
 
London Oyster Travel Card           Enjoy measurable savings off normal ticket prices of bus, rail & tube

Trafalgar UK Tour Brochure           Some of the touring party have booked various UK coach tours after our cricket tour...interested?

Got your Australian Passport yet? Apply online here or visit your local Post Office

Harvey World Travel Mackay        appointed agent for the 2011 UK Tour Group

2008 Tour info

Click here for 2008 UK Tour player stats

Click here to view 2008 press clipping

Click here to view 2008 tour photos