Karori Cricket Club :: Annual Report

Club Officials
Chairman:                                              Conrad Shanly
Secretary:                                              Marilyn Mills
Treasurer:                                              Lucy Haberfield
Committee
Murray Chandler, Andy Marshall, Mark Simmonds, Mary Bluck, Grant Watkins
Club Auditor                                           Fraser Lyons
Grade Conveners
Premiers:                                               Brent Stephen   
        
 Colts:                                                    Conrad Shanly  
 
Under 12:                                               Conrad Shanly
Under 11:                                               Jeremy Sprott
Under 10:                                               Marilyn Mills
Under 9:                                                 Murray Chandler
Girls Hardball:                                         Mark Simmonds
Girls Softball:                                          Mark Simmonds
Under 8:                                                 Grant Watkins
Under 7 Milo “Kiwi”:                                 Mary Bluck
Under 6 Milo “Have a Go”:                        Richard Thompson
 
Cricket Wellington Representatives          Conrad  Shanly
  

Chairman’s Report

On behalf of the committee it gives me great pleasure to report to members on another tremendous season for the club.
Season’s highlights
Committee: Thanks to a very dedicated group of people who put in many hours of work to ensure a successful season.
Continuation of Nursery and Kiwi Grade coaching programs: The club again subsidised and fully supported the New Zealand Cricket “Have a Go” and “Kiwi” coaching initiatives.
Membership: There was a slight decrease in membership numbers over the previous year, but in general terms the club is well catered for with numbers of 280.
Girls’ Cricket: Active recruitment of girls has been an initiative fully supported by the committee over the last few years. This continues to bear fruit; Karori is the region’s leading club in terms of number of girls playing cricket and they are the backbone of the Wellington girls’ competition.
Prizegiving night: This is the sixth year the club has run this event and it was the most successful. Many thanks to Grant Elliot our guest speaker.
Winter Training: The club organised a successful winter training programme for Colts and Under 11 grades.
Professional Coaching: We renewed Glenn Pocknall’s contract for the 2005/06 season.  The majority of his time was spent with the Colts and Premiers. We were extremely lucky to have the services of Glenn who has coached numerous children within the club.  On behalf of the Club I would like to thank Glenn for his efforts, he is an outstanding coach and has helped develop a number of our players, coaches and managers.  It is with regret that we have accepted Glenn’s resignation from the Club.  He is moving forward in his coaching career and we wish him all the best for the future and hope to see him coaching a Provincial Senior men’s team, look out John Bracewell!!
I would also like to thank James Creighton, Charles Gallagher and Warrick Shanly, all Wellington College 1st XI coaches who assisted with coaching a number of teams this year at the Club. 
Independent Selection: This season the club introduced its’ independent selection policy starting with the Premiers being independently selected and a Colts squad being named and finally selected prior to the season starting in October 2006.
 
Financial
Despite a deficit of $3,360, it is very pleasing to see the Club remain within budget.  The  deficit was mainly due to the increased costs involved in finding and funding alternative training venues due to the closure of Karori Park, increased coaching hours and costs and the increased cost of cricket balls.
 
The club continues in a reasonably strong financial position, due in part to the generosity of its grants’ providers and sponsors. It is the challenge of the new committee to use its funds wisely in 2006/2007.
Sponsorship
We thank our sponsors for their generous donations and encourage you to support these deserving businesses.
EAP Services
UNICHEM David Thompson Pharmacy
REMAX Leaders
Kilbirnie Sports
Karori New World
Karori Medical Centre
United Video Karori
Grants
The club has been lucky enough to receive grants over the year. These have been received from the Lion Foundation and the New Zealand Community Trust. 
Membership
The club had 280 members enrolled last year. This makes the club one of the largest in the region.
Coaching
Coaching remains the main focus for the club. The employment of the club’s first professional coach, Glenn Pocknall, has been a very successful strategy, which has benefited the club and a number of its members.
I would also particularly like to thank all of our team coaches and managers. Your tireless weekly training and Saturday morning organising is much appreciated by the club and its members. Many thanks!
Summary
I am delighted to be part of a very successful Junior Cricket Club. I cannot thank the hard working committee enough for its dedication and work.
The challenge for next season’s committee is to build on the success of previous years and help this proud Club to remain one of the regions top Junior Clubs.
 
Conrad Shanly  
Chairmam
June 2006
 

Treasurer’s Report

The Club is reporting a net deficit for the year of $3,360 compared to a surplus last year of $1,364.  The Club budgeted on a deficit of $4,530 for the year.
Total income decreased to $24,965 (2.2%) this year from $25,540 last year.  The budget for income was $26,325 for the year.  An increase of $2,504 in subscriptions was offset by a decrease of $1,084 in sponsorship and a decrease of $1,885 in other income.
Total expenditure increased to $28,325 (17.2%) this year from $24,176 last year.  The budget for expenditure was $30,855 for the year. Expenditure on cricket balls was $2,089 compared to $489 last year and $2,000 of this was funded from a grant.  Coaching costs increased by $1,926 to $9,801.  The cost of photographs was $2,884 this year.  Subscriptions this year included a contribution for photographs whereas in previous years these were separately ordered and paid for by players (see note 1).
Total cash received for the year was $24,727 less total cash paid for the year of $26,276 resulting in a decrease in the cash at bank of $1,549.  The balance of the bank account at 30th April 2006 was $28,321.
Gear purchased during the year totalled $1,569.  Depreciation for the year totalled $4,409 resulting in a net decrease in fixed assets of $2,840.
 

Player Selection Criteria

Zone Teams
Convener to contact the Collegians Club to arrange and run a trial match prior to Christmas or when suitable.
Combined team selected after trial on basis of six Collegians and six Karori unless otherwise agreed upon between the two Clubs.
Net practice to be arranged in conjunction with Collegians for Zone team.
Once the team has been selected, the Convener will provide the Chairman with a full report including player rating, which will be tabled at the next committee meeting.
Any Coach of a Karori Selection or Zone Team must have at least a Level 2 NZ Cricket Coaching Certificate and be approved by the Committee

Criteria

Weighting

Player Statistics

30%

Technical Ability

20%

Attitude

15%

Composition of Team

10%

Trial

25%

Colts and Premiers
Grade Convener to invite all children, regardless of gender, to attend a net trial prior to the beginning of the season
Colts  –  A squad to be named at the end of the season and a trial held prior to the beginning of the next season.  The team to be finalised prior to the beginning of the season in October.
Premiers  –  The Colts to become the Premiers after Christmas with the Hawkes Bay Tournament being part of the trial process.  A further trial may be held and a player added to or dropped from the squad depending on form or attitude.
Convener/Coach to receive player statistics on all players attending the net trial.
Once the teams have been selected, the Convener will provide to the Chairman a full report including player ratings, which will be tabled at the next committee meeting.
The Premier Coach must have, at least, a Level 2 NZ Cricket Coaching Certificate and be approved by the Committee.
Four further players, who do not make the Colts or Premier Teams, are to be nominated by the Convener as Premier team backup. Their team coaches to be notified that those four can be called upon by the Colts/Premier Coach at any time should the Colts/Premier team be reduced, for whatever reason, to less than eleven players.
The Colts to be predominately Year 7s, however, there may be one Year 8 included in the team.
The selectors will be independent and will not have a child in the squad.  Once the team has been selected a parent may coach or manage the team.
  

Criteria

Weighting

Player Statistics

30%

Technical Ability

20%

Attitude

15%

Composition of Team

10%

Trial

25%

 
  

Team Reports

Premier Grade
Karori Premiers
Team:              Ben McMahon (captain), Jack Marshall, Luke Barley, Maddy Chapman, David Collins, Jamie Garrett, Liam Haberfield, Sean Hogan, Tom Langridge, James Lowe, Josh Muollo, Zach Schuster
The season was shortened as a result of school starting later than usual and weather.  There were only four matches played, but our team ended the first half of the season top of the points table as the only undefeated team in the grade.
The team was strengthened by the arrival of Jamie Garrett from Auckland and Josh Muollo from Easts.  Jamie and Josh were physically imposing and were able to bowl at a lively pace.  Zach Schuster and Maddy Chapman also joined the team.  We had 12 players in each game. 
Matches at Premier level are 40 overs a side and a minimum number of five bowlers must be used with no bowler to bowl more than eight overs.  We invariably bowled at least eight different bowlers.
The strength of the team lay in its batting and fielding.  It was also very well disciplined and well led.
Ben McMahon and Jack Marshall at the top of the order batted beautifully.  Ben made two 50’s and a 40 and Jack two 50’s (you must retire at 50 in the Premier Grade).  This team had greater depth with the bat than any other team in the grade and others also batted well.  Luke Barley and Jamie Garrett each made 40’s and David Collins, Maddy Chapman, Josh Muollo, indeed, every team member batted well when given the chance. 
The fielding was outstanding and supported the bowlers well.  We dismissed all but one of our opponents and that team was nine down at the end of their 40 overs.  By comparison we were never dismissed.  We lost only 20 wickets in our four matches.
The team worked well as a team.  Practices dedicated solely to fielding were held on Friday evenings for 35 to 40 minutes which resulted in the overall standard of our fielding improving significantly. 
It is particularly important where most teams have one or two quality batsmen that if they give a chance you take it.  Fielding is thus a key to success at this level.  Hence the emphasis placed on fielding practices.  In our final match of the season we effected seven fielding assisted dismissals and missed only one very hard chance. 
Jamie Garrett (twice), Josh Muollo and David Collins each took four wicket bags and led an attack that was often penetrative but sometimes a little too erratic.  Tom Langridge, James Lowe, Maddy Chapman, Zach Schuster and Liam Haberfield also bowled well.  10 of our 12 players bowled and nine of our players took at least one wicket. 
This team deserved its success and if they continue to train hard and maintain their discipline and spirit they should end the year somewhere near the top of the points table.
Coaches:          Glenn Pocknall, Andy Marshall and Phil McMahon
         
  Karori Colts
(October – December 2005)
Team:              Ben McMahon (captain), Jack Marshall, David Collins, Dougal English, Max Grover, George Grover, Liam Haberfield, Sean Hogan, Tom Langridge, James Lowe, David Somerville
The Colts played seven games, winning four and losing three games, to finish third equal out of 10 teams in the grade.
We suffered from a lack of numbers.  For various reasons we were only able to field a full team in one of our seven matches.  This affected performance.  The team trained well and after a comprehensive defeat in our first match we were competitive in all our other matches.
By Christmas, which marks the end of the Colts season, the team’s performance on the field had improved markedly.  This was particularly noticeable in our fielding.  We had five or six special practices on Friday evenings which were dedicated solely to fielding.  This worked well.  The boys enjoyed these practices.
Colts play 35 overs per side with a minimum of eight bowlers and a maximum of five overs per bowler.  Batsmen must retire at 30.  We adopted the policy of retiring batsmen after eight overs, unless we had lost early wickets.  Ben McMahon had an outstanding Colts season making 202 runs at an average of 40.  Jack Marshall (107 runs at an average of 36), Max Grover (82 runs at 27) also batted consistently well.  But others also batted well, Dougal English (104 runs) had three innings in which he made over 25.  Liam Haberfield and David Collins each made over 20 on two occasions and Sean Hogan played some useful innings as an opener.  All players contributed at some stage in the season with the bat.
The wickets were again evenly spread, Ben McMahon was our leading wicket taker followed by Tom Langridge and David Collins.  Our bowling improved as the season progressed and Liam Haberfield, James Lowe, George Grover, David Somerville and Dougal English all turned in useful performances.
We dismissed three of our opponents and had another of our opponents nine down.  Over all games we took 49 wickets and when batting lost 44 wickets.
By the end of the season considerable progress had been made and there were grounds for believing that the team would compete well in the Premier grade in 2006.
Coaches:          Glenn Pocknall, Andy Marshall and Phil McMahon
 
Karori U14
(October – December 2005)
Team:  Ben Maurice, Max Bogle, Felix Faisandier, Liam O’Brien, Timothy Antoniadis, Andre Cantin-Buckley, Antonia Ward, Wheturangi Charteris, Nicholas Ryan, David Robinson.
Results:            Played 7, Won 5, Lost 2, Runs 648, Wickets 46.
This team had a great half-season - with all but one going on to College after Christmas. With only 10 players, fielding was always a challenge, but with a specialist wicketkeeper, a full range of bowlers and some natural openers - plus some big hitters in the batting line-up - they were a hard team to beat.
Antonia Ward and Wheturangi Charteris were the opening bowlers, and they quickly dispelled any assumptions that other teams had about the girls in our team. In fact, Antonia had the best economy rate of 3.41 over 32 overs.
David Robinson, a medium pace bowler, took the highest number of wickets (13 from 20 overs) with one outstanding bag of 5 for 14 runs from 5 overs. Ben Maurice was also a very handy medium pace bowler who took 7 wickets from 15 overs.
Tim Antoniadis (2 wickets from 9 overs), Felix Faisandier (8 from 17 overs) and Liam O’Brien (3 from 22) were the team’s spin bowlers, with Liam having the best economy rate of these three with 4.91 over 22 overs.
Andre Cantin-Buckley was a valuable wicket-keeper whose agility, encouragement of the bowlers, and concentrated focus helped the team make the most of their game.   Wheturangi Charteris also did some great wicket-keeping to help out.
The highest score (43) and the most number of runs (136) were scored by Felix Faisandier for an average of 34. Antonia Ward had a high score of 32, and distinguished herself by only going out once in 7 games, which brought her average up to 118!  Wheturangi Charteris also batted well with a high score of 33 and an average of 32.6.
Max Bogle, Tim Antoniadis and Nicholas Ryan all showed good skills, and were able to score 20 or more runs on one occasion each. It is especially to Nicholas Ryan’s credit that this was the first season of cricket he had ever played.
A special thanks to Glenn Ward who coached and umpired, and to Charles Gallagher and Warrick Shanly (from the 1st XI at Wellington College) who coached during the week. Helen Gibbons was a real stalwart in the score-keeping department, and the assistance of Trevor Robinson and John Cantin were also much appreciated. Overall, this was a great final season for these players – some of whom started as 5 year-olds with the Karori Junior Cricket Club.
Most Valuable Players:            Antonia Ward and Felix Faisandier
Most Improved Player:             Wheturangi Charteris
Coach:                                     Charles Gallagher, Warrick Shanly, Glenn Ward
Manager:                                 Sally Faisandier
 
Under 12 Boys’ Grade
Karori Munro Shoes Panthers
Team:  Brett Costello, Nathan Fox, Julian Gillespie, Daniel Gorman, Brendan Massam-Reidy, Tyrone McEwen, Sam Piercey, Luke Piercey, Morgan Scully, David Somerville, Stephen Yiavasis
Coach: Anthony Reidy  
  
Karori David Thompson Pharmacy Firecats
Captains:  James Shanly and Sean Feehan
Team:     Jonty Sanders, Finn Roy, William Sainsbury, Cameron Brophy, Alex Benjamin, Andrew Gartrell, Max Grover, George Grover, David Somerville, Maddy Chapman, Zac Schuster
Record:   Played 11, Won 5, Lost 6
The team continued to progress throughout the year especially after many of the team attended Hastings. They won 3 of their 4 games after Christmas.
Our focus was not on winning each game, but on improving as a team, individually and doing the best that we can.
Of particular note was our second to last game of the season where we played the Collegians Falcon’s. Prior to Christmas the team lost by 7 wickets and 69 runs. In the game after Christmas we won by 10 wickets and 20 runs and did not lose a wicket in reaching 154.
The composition of the team changed after Christmas. We lost Maddy Chapman and Zac Schuster to the Premiers (congratulations), gained Max & George Grover and David Somerville from the Colts and Alex Benjamin who was new to cricket.
All players deserve a mention and it was very much a team focus. Our quick bowler Jonty Sanders had career best figures in taking 17 wickets and, of particular note, 6 for 7 off 4 overs against the East Leopards.  There was a huge improvement in our fielding and bowling with all bowlers taking wickets and a special mention to Andrew Gartrell who took his very first wicket.  Medium pace bowlers in William Sainsbury, Max Grover, George Grover, Cameron Brophy, and Alex Benjamin troubled all batsmen and started to move the ball.  David Somerville and Finn Roy were a handful with their off spinners. Sean Feehan (our Shane Warne) also kept most batsmen honest with his leg spinners. In James Shanly and Ryan Davis we had two other quicker bowlers who hit the deck hard.
Our wicket keeper Max Grover was outstanding with the gloves and was ably supported by Jonty Sanders.
Most of the teams runs came form our two openers in Sean Feehan 275 and James Shanly 253. They were supported by handy contributions from Ryan Davies, Jonty Sanders, Finn Roy and Max & George Grover.
The Firecats were an excellent team to coach.  A special thanks to Laurence Feehan for managing the team, Nigel Sanders for umpiring, Jan Feehan and Steve Chapman for scoring , Warrick Shanly & Charles Gallagher for assisting with coaching and the parents for their support.
Most Valuable Players:   James Shanly and Sean Feehan
Most improved Player:   Jonty Sanders
Coach:                            Conrad Shanly
Manager:                        Laurence Feehan
  
Under 11 Boys’ Grade
Karori Cheetahs
Team:  Kandarp Shrivastava, Chris Perkins, Harry O’Brien- Spargo, Sam Petersen, Nicholas Blundell, Sam Collier, Andrew Hall, Harry Di Somma, Frankie Toland and Tom Fiennes. Matthew Grigg was a great team member who left us at Christmas to go to Auckland.
The Cheetahs had an enjoyable season in the Under 11 grade this year, playing 11 games, winning 4 and losing 7.
We were once again one of the youngest teams in the grade and this, coupled with the fact that our playing squad for the season was always less than 11 players, made it difficult at times. Despite this, the boys competed exceptionally well every Saturday and they finished the season a much improved unit who thoroughly enjoyed their cricket. They showed a keen willingness to learn, and coaching was made a lot easier because of it.
It was good to see the development of the boys skills as the season wore on, and we saw valuable contributions from all of them on various occasions.
It was pleasing for us all to see the selection of Harry O’Brien-Spargo in the Wellington Under 11 representative team, which was well deserved. Our Most Improved Player was Sam Collier who spent many hours practicing his cricket over the season and he got the rewards that he deserved, scoring runs and taking wickets regularly.
Thank you to all the parents who helped me out on various occasions  -  particularly when I lost my co-coach, Andrew Grigg, mid season.  It was much appreciated.
I feel sure that some of the boys in this team will go on to do very well in their cricket in the near future and I look forward to following their progress.
Coach: Richard Petersen
 
Karori New World Cougars
Team: Tom Alderton, Tom Gibbs, Ved Kumar, Dharshan Laxmidas, Michel Logan, James Lynex, Hayden Moncrieff, Ketan Patel, George Russon, Matthew Sprott, Zach Summers-Smith, Daniel Withinshaw.
Record:            Played 11, won 8, lost 3.
The Cougars played like a team that had been together for three years. The support and encouragement of each player towards each other was very evident at practice and on match day. This flowed through to the results and consistent improvement of each player with both bat and ball. An excellent and enjoyable season by the Cougars, one every player and supporter will be proud of.
From statistics, the 41 catches in the field was outstanding and backed up with 15 run outs. Tom Alderton stood out with 14 catches at cover, with four in one match!
On the bowling stats, Tom Gibbs with 14 wickets bowled consistent medium fast out swing and Matthew Sprott took 9 wickets bowling off-breaks that improved greatly in 2006. There was significant improvement  from Zach Summer-Smith, George Russon, Dharshan Laxmidas and James Lynex with leg spin bowling.
Daniel Withinshaw and Michael Logan shared the wicket keeping duties and showed skill by gloving the ball cleanly to take catches and stumpings.
The batting improved with every match. Each player improved technique and built their innings. Top runs scorers were Tom Alderton with 248 runs at 41 and Tom Gibbs scoring 216 runs at 27. Hayden Moncrieff, Daniel Withinshaw, Michael Logan, Katen Patel, and Ved Kumar had some valuable contributions at crucial times.
Special mention to Tom Gibbs and Hayden Moncrieff for their selection in a Wellington Under 11 Development Squad. Thanks to supporters and those who assisted during the season.
Most Valuable Players:   Tom Gibbs
Most Improved Player:    Darshan Laxmidas
Coach:                            Jeremy Sprott
  
Under 10 Boys’ Grade
Karori REMAX Leaders Volts
Team:  Matthew Anderson, William Donaldson, Thomas Fisher, Louis Freeland, Cameron Johnston, Henry Jones, Michael MacRaild, Jack Mills, Ozair Uz Zaman Sheikh, Troy Solloway, Jack Roy, Hugo Karl (left at Christmas to live overseas)
There were some really good performances in the Volts team this season.  It was pleasing to see that nearly everyone made a score of at least double figures and seven boys made at least a 20.  Shame we didn't get more cricket in post-Christmas as Ozair and Thomas were just short of 100 runs for the season.
Best batting performances:
Ozair            30* v Collegian Panthers (Game 10)
Ozair            25* v Johnsonville (Game 3)
Thomas        24* v Johnsonville (Game 3)
Charlie         24 v Hataitai Easts (Game 9)
Louis            20* v Onslow Shastris (Game 7)
Jack Mills     20* v Collegian Lions (Game 8)
Matthew       20* v Hataitai Easts (Game 9)
Michael        20 v Collegian Panthers (Game 10)
While Ozair produced the biggest hitting with 4 sixes (3 in the last game), and had by far the best strike rate of 94, Jack Mills was next with 69 runs per 100 balls, Thomas had the highest percentage of boundaries  -  reflecting either his excellent boundary hitting or poor single accumulation!  Interestingly, William batted the longest of anyone - 162 balls, a little ahead of Thomas's 156 balls.  I think this was a good reflection of William's improving technique.
Our bowling was often well above average for the grade.  In fact it probably hindered us, in that, through our accuracy, we sometimes became a little hittable if a batsman with a good eye took to us  -  as happened a few times pre-Christmas.  This was the cause of some of our losses at that time. The accuracy figures show that 4 boys (Michael, William, Charlie and Thomas) all bowled at above 80% regulation deliveries - a good effort at this grade.  We conceded 366 wides & no-balls during the season, but benefited from 414 given to us. 
Only Michael managed a 3 wicket haul - and he didn't concede a run, no-ball or wide when he did!  We took 52 wickets + 17 run outs = 69 outs versus being dismissed 72 times while batting (an average of 7 per innings both batting and bowling).
One weakness was our concession of byes and correspondingly perhaps our willingness to take byes - particularly early in the season.  We conceded 151 and gained only 92; maybe we lacked a good regular keeper, but I also like to think it was partly due to the decent speed that some of the boys bowled at.  No doubt though that our running (or lack of!) between wickets cost us in the first half of the season.
We only took 8 catches, less than I thought we would and I think less than we conceded.  Perhaps we needed to work on catching a little more, although I can't think of too many sitters put down. But we did make up for it with plenty of run outs (18), with some great direct hits from Michael, Thomas, Henry and others.  That we were only run out 11 times suggests we were safer at running than our opponents - but maybe also reflected the fact that we didn't push hard enough when batting.
So, our final record reads 10 games, 4 wins and 6 losses.  Our two victories in the final two games after Christmas were both emphatic and showed real progress in the weak areas of batting with purpose and running between wickets.
Finally, I want to stress that all boys made a contribution through the season and even if I haven't referred to them in the above summary they all had their moments.  They were a great team.
We look forward to next season!
Coaches:          Graeme Solloway assisted by James Creighton and Warrick Shanly
 
Karori Aces
Team:  Geoff Simcox, Matthew Stanton, Nicholas Thyne,Krishan Betty, Daniel Bowkett, Ryan Costello, Matthew Dyer, Matthew Eady, Oliver Josey-Kerr, Tom Kirkland, Nicholas Lucie-Smith, Ciaran O’Brien, Conor Ryan
The Aces were a mixture of experienced players plus a couple who had not played cricket before – quite a challenge considering this was the first year of hardball.
While we had some real talent in the team we came up short in our first three games albeit only by a handful of runs each time.  Eventually this had to change and on our fourth game we began a winning streak that saw us unbeaten (until the last game).
There were some fantastic performances that delivered these results with contributions from all members of the team, which comprised:
Oliver Josey-Kerr:           Always consistent at the bowling crease and developed some very effective strokes by the end of the season;
Ciaran O'Brien:               Lightening quick between the wickets;
Daniel Bowkett:              All rounder who will go far;
Conor Ryan:                   Another all rounder with skills in all areas;
Krishan Betty:                Elegant stroke maker and top wicket taker (including a hat trick);
Matthew Stanton:           Bludgeoned some big runs wherever he batted;
Geoff Simcox:                Another hard hitter of the cricket ball;
Matthew Dyer:  Plagued by injuries throughout the season, Matthew's enthusiasm and shot making ability resulted in several useful performances;
Matthew Eady:              Took some key wickets with his deceptive slow mediums;
Tom Kirkland:               Was more and more dangerous with the bat as the season progressed:                
Ryan Costello:              First season of cricket, took huge strides in both batting and bowling;
Nick Lucie-Smith:         The Brett Lee of the team;
Nick Tyne:                    Bowling improved 100% over the Xmas period.
Thanks to our Manager, Alison Dyer, and to Gail Kirkland who filled in at practices when I couldn't make it and to all parents who helped out with scoring and getting the boys to games and practices.
Most Valuable Players:   Daniel Bowkett & Krishan Betty
Most Improved Player:   Ryan Costello
Coach:                           Peter Eady
Manager:                       Alison Dyer      
 
 Under 9 Boys’ Grade
Karori Firebirds
Team:  Ben Freeman-Catley, Lizzie Holmes, Courtenay Sprott, Hugo Sissons, Oliver McMahon, Simon Pope, Theo Piercey, Sam Palmer, Jonny Logan, Jasper Tuckey, Alex Withinshaw and Harry Parr who joined us after Christmas only to break his arm and only played one game.
The Karori Firebirds had an outstanding season in the Under 9 Grade winning all but the last game – in which we fell two runs short with eight players.
During the season all players improved their skills.
As coaches the key skill areas where we saw improvement in the players were; in playing the ball straight, defending the ball when it was needed, the running between the wickets and sliding the bat, bowling much straighter and fielding the ball by using the “long barrier”. In particular Courtenay, Jasper and Sam improved in this area.
Another pleasing area of improvement was the catching with all players taking at least one catch in a game.
Simon and Alex had good all-round seasons scoring well with the bat 102 and 104 runs respectively and taking 6 and 9 wickets respectively. Theo, Hugo and Lizzie improved their bowling, took some excellent catches and fielded very well.
Ben and Oliver were our top run scorers getting 166 runs and 155 runs respectively. Oliver and Jonny Logan were our leading wicket takers taking 11 wickets each.
The Most Improved Player was earned by Jonny Logan who made huge strides in his bowling action and being able to consistently bowl a good line and length.
To the supportive parents a big thank you from us as coaches particularly those that scored on a regular basis. Well done team on the season, you were a pleasure to coach and we look forward to coaching you in hard ball next season.
Coaches:          Mark Freeman, Marc Piercey and Phil McMahon
 
Karori Whirlwinds
Team:  Harrison Perry, Henry Maurice, Jay Deshpande, Jordan Collicoat, Phillip Wilson, Richard Grigg, Thomas Petersen, Timothy Logan, Nicholas Desi, Liam Wilby, Timothy Stewart
The Whirlwinds had another great season. Although we farewelled Richard Grigg and Tim Logan half way through the season, we were fortunate to have Liam Wilby as a replacement. The team managed to win all its’ games this year. However, one of the real highlights was the team spirit and support for each other among the players. This ensured that different players contributed throughout the summer which led to the strong results. As usual great parent support with scoring, umpiring, practice etc. and support for the boys at each game. Some highlights from each team member:
Harrison Perry is one of the most committed players in the team. Great potential with ball and bat and one fantastic ‘caller’ when batting.
Henry Maurice was always keen to play and even fronted for 3 weeks with a broken arm. He bowled and batted well and even took wickets with only one good arm.
Jay Deshpande improves season by season. Jay is turning into a very useful bowler who the team relies on for accurate line and length.
Jordan Collicoat took the most improved player award this year for real development in both batting and bowling
Philip Wilson is the genuine all rounder in the team. A fast and accurate bowler and a huge hitter of the ball on his day.
Thomas Petersen is an accomplished all round sportsman who has the full range of skills on the cricket pitch and produced some great bowling and batting displays.
Nicholas Desi had his first season of competitive cricket and picked the game up quickly. His bowling was a highlight and he took a number of wickets over summer.
Tim Stewart was also in his first season of the game and improved throughout the season. He was particularly adept at occupying the crease when batting.
Liam Wilby was a great addition to the team with a solid all round game. Liam batted left handed and had the highest batting average in the team.
Most Improved Player: Jordan Collicoat
Coach:                         John Maurice
 
Karori Hurricanes
Team:  Kurt Benjamin, Sam Chandler, Harry Delany, Robbie Delany, Tadhg Maguire, Mathew Moncreiff, Chris O'Connell, James Preston, Jamie Robinson, Nihar Shangarpawar, James Stevens
The squad changed markedly from last year with the decision to start a girls team meaning we lost 4 players.  The newcomers included four who had not played before.
The focus for the year was on improving the skills of the individual players.  The bowling got progressively better but we struggled to get consistency (and the ability to hit boundaries) with the batting. 
Results-wise the team had one tie (from 10 games) against a team which also had not won a game.  The individual highlight of the year was an outstanding 56 from Kurt in the tied game, only falling to an outstanding catch.  Fortunately Chris and Jamie continued the chase and got the tieing run off the last ball.  Kurt then showed it was no fluke by getting 45 the next week.
On the batting front Mathew showed a great eye and plenty of strength while Chris and Sam were consistent.  Everyone else chipped in at different times to put together some good partnerships.
The bowling was generally more consistent than the batting.  Mathew was the fastest bowler and certainly hurried up a few batsmen when bowling on those dewy tracks at 8.30am.  Kurt and Chris bowled consistently through the year, all three ended up with 7-8 wickets each for relatively few wides and runs.
Most improved player was Sam who worked hard on improving his skills all year, particularly putting in lots of “after hours” practice.  Sam’s batting lifted up a level and his bowling was unrecognizable from the beginning of the season as he began to bowl straighter and get wickets.  His “Paul Adams” style is no more.
Tadhg, James P and Jaimie all improved their skill levels and are well placed for hard ball.  James S put in a huge effort and really developed over the year, he was close to most improved player.  The Delany twins also came along well, particularly with the bowling (Robbie has the grey cap, Harry the red sweatshirt but never put them together in the field).  Nihar missed a few weeks on holiday pe-Xmas but came back to start to get more strength in both batting and bowling.
Thanks to all the parents for their support during the season, particularly Murray and Stuart for standing in when I was away with work.   And thanks again to the grade’s real convener Clare Chandler for her help at practices and sending out all the correspondence. 
See you all next year.
Most Improved Player: Sam Chandler
Coach:                         Phil O’Connell (with Murray Chandler and Stuart Preston)
 
Karori Tornados
Team:  Raphael Kidman, Eli Scott, Alex Matangi, William Tilsley, James Brophy, William Van der Velden, Toby Stephen, Remy Walshe, Nicholas Howie, Tim Hornabrook, Andrew Davis, Stephen Garcia.
It’s all about enjoying the game.  This was the theme to the Tornadoes, and was evident in each game we played.  There was a huge team spirit that saw each player develop their skills and enjoyment of the game of cricket.  The aim of our team was to ensure that everyone got a fair go at batting and bowling and at leading the team out onto the field.
We came up against some formidable competition, some even regimented.  But the Tornadoes were undeterred, the big cheers and high 5's given to each player when either runs were scored or wickets were taken was rewarding to see as a coach.  We played 12 games and won 2, had a couple cancelled and came a close second in the others.
No one player can be singled out, everyone had many moments of brilliance and I would like to thank every one of the Tornadoes fine players, the tremendous performances and all round play and to see the delight on faces when that ball with another layer of leather, would have taken middle stump out, or the many smart run outs, and cover drives for 4 runs, the ball disappearing between the legs while in the field - magic.  Sometimes I wondered if the things we practised were actually sinking in, but they were.  We had some fantastic relay throws from the boundary and the backing up.  Even the high 5's mid wicket as the batters changed over at the end of an over, what's not to love about this game.
One memorable game was when we lost the whole top order in quick succession, the middle order followed close behind, but just when things were looking grim, the tail wagged, and we hung in there.  Fantastic!
The Christmas BBQ and End of Season Party/BBQ were fun filled events with mums, dads, brothers, sisters and the team all mixing in, even Bella Nicholas' pet dog enjoyed the leftover or dropped sausages.
I would like to sincerely thank the parents for there support and encouragement to me and most importantly to the kids throughout the season.
To Tim and Charles who kept the supply of coffee going each Saturday, a great thanks, and to Marcus, John and Charles for keeping the score book going - thanks also, this made post game reviews easier and helped in setting the things to practise.
Roll on next season.
Coach:                                                 David Howie
 
Under 8 Boys’ Grade
Karori Seamers
Team:  Arun Betty, Nick Brown, Matthew Hawke, William Hewett, George Morris, Harry Russon, James Watkins, Christopher Wood
Record:            Played 12, Won 12, Runs 1091, Wickets 34
This season has been the most rewarding I have had in coaching a cricket side with all members of the team wanting to improve and without exception working hard to achieve that goal.
While my major objective was to have every member of the side enjoy every game and every practice and look forward to the next it is interesting to observe the competitive instinct in each and every player and their desire to win.  It is probably that desire that saw the Seamers unbeaten for the season.
We managed to amass nearly 1100 runs while conceding less than 600.  In addition to the 34 wickets, which included 5 catches, a total of 18 run-outs were completed.
The pick of the batsmen were Arun Betty, James Watkins and William Hewett all of who achieved an average of just under 15 runs per game and Matthew Hawke was not too far behind on 10.
Both Harry Russon and Nick Brown valued their wickets highly usually batting through their allotted deliveries and as the season progressed their scores increased. Both found bowling challenging but have made significant improvement in their action and were desperately unlucky not to get wickets.
The major step up from last season has been the concentration in the field and the communication when fielding and running between the wickets.  William Hewett and Christopher Wood have both been instrumental in picking up the scoring rate by their calling and running while Arun Betty, Matthew Hawke and George Morris have always been alert to the need to back up the wicket-keeper or bowler during run-out attempts.
The depth of bowling in the Seamers has been one of its successes with Arun Betty, George Morris, Matthew Hawke, William Hewett and James Watkins all being amongst the best in the grade.  The most accurate of this group has been George and Arun both of who have season averages conceded only half an extra and 1.5 runs per over. James and Matthew took the most wickets with 10 and 8 respectively.
Highlights of the season for the coach have been the fearsome yet accurate deliveries of George and Arun, towering sixes from James and Arun and the reflex catch by Christopher at wicket-keeper when standing up to a fast delivery from Matthew.
I have no reservation about having taken on the role of coach for this team. Aside from the enthusiasm of the players the support of all the parents has made my role easy. While each and every parent has had some involvement either at games or practices I would like to make special thanks to our scorers, Susie Tocker and Douglas Wood and the invaluable assistance at practice by Grant Watkins, who is also convenor for the Under-8 grade.
Most Improved Player: George Morris
Coach:                         Mike Morris
 
Karori Swingers
Team:  Shubham Bhargave, Toyesh Gadgil, Samuel Harvey, Alex Jackson, Akansh Kanuparthi, Cameron Mills, Rory Murchland, Daniel Selley, Michael Williamson          
Most Improved Player: Cameron Mills
Coaches:                     Vijay Kanuparthi.
 
Karori Pacers
Team:  Hamish Webster, Sebastian Klinkum, Reece Plumtree, Jack Dickins, Michael Rudge, Tomas McLean, Ciaran King, Zubin Uz Zaman Sheikh, George Coles
The Karori Pacers were a completely new team this year with just 2 players having played the previous year. I was impressed with the way the boys in the team got on together and all played cricket with a smile on their face. The whole team improved as the season went on and we were very competitive in all our games. Hamish and Zubin were our most consistent players with their all round cricket skills, George was our most improved bowler and Jack and Reece were our most improved batsmen. It was the improved concentration in fielding and running between the wickets which was the most pleasing part of the season for me and Michael, Ciaran, Sebastian and Tomas were all excellent in that area. I enjoyed coaching this team and would like to thank all the parents for their support at training and on Saturday mornings.
Coach: Kevi