A WET WELCOME TO THE WINTER SEASON OPENER

 Moonee Valley had a wet welcome to winter when our Mid Year Cricket Association season opened on May 3.
We notched up 9/185 from our 35 overs in the match against Northern Lions A, but had a few rain interruptions when it came out turn to bowl.
After one particularly heavy downpour, stumps were drawn with Northern Lions delicately poised on 6/140 with 10 overs to go.
Under the MYCA rules, we finish the game on the reserve day - Saturday, May 17.
We fared better with our second game, on May 10. We played it at our home ground, Fairbairn Park No. 8 oval in Ascot Vale.
Moonee Valley rattled up 135 and looked to be in a bit of strife when Northern Lions A got to 2/96 at the drinks break.
But the Valleys were reinvigorated by the break, and proceeded to rip through the Lions to the tune of 8/19 to have them all out 20 runs short.
Congratulations to our captain, Michael Ozbun for his first win in charge of a team.
Given that Ozzie had not played cricket until the 2012/13 season, it's been an incredible journey.
For someone who grew up on baseball in his native United States, he's really taken to our game, and is arguably the best fielder at Moonee Valley, with an unerring rocket arm that regularly throws down the stumps leaving batsmen well short of their ground.

Above: The Valley team which braved the elements for the 2014 season opener. Back: L-R Ben Thomas,
Gaurav Malhotra, Kern Kapoor, Neil King, Mark Gauci, Anthony Cafari and Craig Pridham. Front: Bede
Gannon, Sam Carbone, Matt Thomas and skipper Michael Ozbun.

Jack Newman's our junior club champion

Rex is reappointed as our coach
The Moonee Valley Cricket Club is pleased to announce that Rex Bennett has been reappointed as our senior coach for the 2014/15 season.
Our bylaws require our coach position to be advertised each season. 
That process confirmed to the Committee that Rex was the outstanding candidate, and his reappointment was confirmed on April 30. 
The process also gave us the opportunity to dissect the 2013/14 season with Rex and to plan together how we will progress in 2014/15. 
Both Rex and the Committee had views on areas that could be improved, and we are confident that implementation of some of these initiatives will hold us in good stead in the year ahead.
Our negotiations for the return of our Pakistani internationals Khalid Hassan and Nasir Ahmed for next season are also well advanced.
We will also welcome back Kris Garland next season, along with a couple of outstanding young English prospects.

Our congratulations to Sean and Mark

Sean O'Kane and Mark Gauci were afforded Moonee Valley Cricket Club's highest honors at our Presentation Night on April 12 - Sean won the Lindsay Jones Best Clubman award, and Mark was elevated to Life Membership.
They are the two greatest honors which can be bestowed at our Club, and both were worthy and deserving recipients.
Mark Gauci told of things to come almost 10 years ago when asked about his future: "I love the game and the club I play for. I will play 200 games or more - trust me!" How true!
Along the way he captained the First Eleven for eight  years, including our 2009/10 Premiership, has served on the committee, brought in valuable sponsorship, done many tasks around our Club which go unnoticed by many, and been a real leader.
He was inducted into the Life Membership Club by fellow Life Members Darren Nagle and John Talone, who as President and Secretary at the time had faith in Mark's leadership and appointed him Firsts captain.
Another eight Life Members joined Spud and Odie on stage for the induction, and another Past President, Sandro Capocchi, pinned his Life Membership medallion to his chest.
The Lindsay Jones Award for Sean O'Kane was announced by Vice President Simon Thornton.
Simon spoke of Sean's cricket prowess as a First Eleven Premiership player, five-time centurion and sweep of the Fourths awards, but concentrated on his wonderful contibution as a clubman.
Sean organised and funded the Moonee Valley entry in January this year in the Over 35s tournament in his home town of Barooga, arranged the accommodation and purchased the playing shirts for the guys.
He opened his home for the year for our UK import Kris Garland - at no cost to the Club.
Sean is a genuine all-round nice guy who hasn't lost his country way of doing things, and is a deserving winner.
Mark and Sean, we salute you!
Above: Two Great Clubmen: Sean O'Kane (left) with his Lindsay Jones Best Clubman shield, and Mark Gauci with his Life Membership plaque.

*****Click HERE for more photos and words from the Presentation Night.

 Hearts a-flutter - and so's the flag

Members of the victorious Sixths team were on hand at the North West Metropolitan Cricket Association presentation night on April 4 to receive their flag - and came away with an added bonus.

Our gun bowler Jesse Felle won the comp bowling award for the Barron Shield, and was presented with his trophy on the night.

Moonee Valley has had a good run with competition awards in recent years, but the Premiership was what we'd all been working towards.

Sixths skipper Dan Terzini was proud of his charges, and at showed at the presentation dinner.

Above: Our flag! Sixths players at the NWMCA presentation night to receive the pennant were L-R Jesse Felle, Alex Gorham, Danny Terzini and Mark Cini.


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Above right: Michael Cumbo had to go bush to get his hands on the flag - and did so at Charlie Walker's Lancefield retreat after umpiring a football match at Kilmore.

At left: Jesse Felle won the comp bowling award for the Barron Shield in the NWMCA.

It's a Grand Old Flag for the Valley Sixths 

The Premiers: Moonee Valley Sixths L-R: Back - scorer Peter Smith, Pat Taylor, Jesse Felle, Joe Ansaldo, Michael Cumbo, Murray Walker and Shaun Rayment. Front - 12th man Grahame McCulloch, Sam Carbone, Dino Sapuppo, captain Danny Terzini, Mark Cini and Alex Gorham. PICTURE: ROD GORHAM

Moonee Valley Sixths played a heart-stopper over the March 15/16 weekend, but it just made it sweeter when Pat Taylor hit the winning runs to deliver us the 2013/14 Ralph Barron Shield premiership.
Craigieburn batted first and set us a challenge, after we had them in trouble early. But we restricted them to 170 on the back of Murray Walker's second successive five-wicket haul in the finals, and the race was on.
We lost wickets with enough frequency to leave Craigieburn thinking it was always in the hunt, and when we lost our seventh wicket to a dodgy caught-behind decision we still had a 42-run deficit.
But Jesse Felle opened his shoulders and Pat Taylor supported him, and we came home with a rattle to secure the flag.
It's the first time we have won a flag with our Sixth Eleven, playing in the North West Metropolitan Cricket Association.
And it was a first-time experience of a senior Valley premiership for the whole Eleven. Sam Carbone had previously won a flag with Buckley Park and Alex Gorham had won a premiership with the Valley Under 14s, but for the rest of our guys it was a new experience.
Our players had 1425 games of cricket for Moonee Valley without a premiership to show for it - until now!
The drought was led by Joe Ansaldo, who was playing his 291st game in the Grand Final, and skipper Danny Terzini with 248.
But they've all got medals around their necks now - and we intend ensuring that the drought turns into a deluge in years to come!
The Valley Boys are here to stay, the Valley boys are here to stay!

**For more PICTURES and words from the flag win, click HERE.

 Main Club contact details:

Charlie Walker - President 0409 237 543; 9370 1802
Peter Golding - Club Secretary 0419 009 721
Simon Thornton - Vice President 0417 570 779

Email: mooneev@club.cricketvictoria.com.au


For more contacts, see " Office bearers & Officials " under "Club News & Info" at the top of the page

Last updated: May 13, 2014.

For more of our history, including our Premierships, click HERE