Quick Singles: All the goss and quirky goings on in local cricket

We’ve rounded up the latest local cricket snippets, including a bizarre injury, an umpire’s social media reply and possibly the finest afternoon tea this season.

Quick Singles: All the goss and quirky goings on in local cricket

Warragul is the latest Victorian cricket club to have its afternoon tea spread put up in lights by Facebook page, ‘That’s over, and tea’ — winning the far-reaching praise of the often hard-to-please public on the social media site.

The Gippsland-based club’s recent offering at its Division 2 bout with Neerim included sausage rolls and several selections of baked goods, sandwiches, watermelon, chicken strips, frankfurts, lollies and more among a jam-packed table.

“Might need two tables at Warragul CC in beautiful Gippsland,” the page remarked.

“No chance any cricket is getting played after this feed,” one user commented.

“That is actually perfect,” another said.

“I wouldn’t go back out (after lunch),” a keen follower declared.

The gargantuan effort followed a recent head-turner at a Golden Point Women’s First XI match in the Ballarat association, which even went the extra mile to include a green cricket pitch-themed birthday cake for the coach.

Well played, Warragul and Golden Point!

The impressive spread at Warragul. Pic: Facebook

A cake for the coach. Pic: Facebook

QUICK REPLY

From the strange-but-true file: a friend sent his mate, a local umpire, a Facebook message on Saturday afternoon last week, and was shocked when he received an instant reply. Yep, the ump had the phone on the field with him, which probably explains why he’s working the lower divisions.

‘CALLED IT?’

It was rather obvious cricket, particularly turf cricket, was not going to be played in Melbourne on Saturday. The ‘report to grounds’ is a memo only leagues seem to enjoy. We’re told one captain, who has earned the right to show up late occasionally, had very little intention to play along with the rain delay. He showed up 15 minutes before the start of play, stuck his head out of his car window with the motor still running and asked the umpire ‘you called it yet?’. The story is growing legs … the latest is that he didn’t even bring his kit bag!

Dylan Gray. Picture: Valeriu Campan

UNUSUAL INJURY

A bizarre injury to a Frankston Peninsula young gun.

Dylan Gray broke his thumb while bowling in an U18s game for Delacombe Park last month. It seems that during his delivery stride he smacked his hand on his knee, cracking a bone. The result: surgery and a stint on the sidelines, which is a shame for the 16-year-old because he’d just scored an impressive 69no in the Heat’s thirds and by all reports was set to go into the seconds.

SIDELINED

Gray joins a long list of Frankston Peninsula injured players — 12 at least.

Heat coach Pete Marshall can’t believe his luck, or lack of it.

The injury list includes: Matt Stone (stress fracture), Leo Steenholdt (stress fracture), Sam Gove (syndesmosis), Charlie Maxwell (bulging discs), Lucas McConnell (concussion), Locky Scott (dislocated knee), Matt Kennedy (shoulder), Ned Hurley (broken leg).

Wash out due to rain. Picture: Mark Wilson

BAT, BOWL, FLIPPERS

Players at one local game were left questioning why they were waiting around for the rain to disappear even more so when they opened social media. The umpire they had for the game had taken a photo of the pitch, posted it online and captioned it ‘bat, bowl, flippers’. Despite that observation from the umpire, players were forced to sit around for at least another hour. No sport self-sabotages quite like cricket does.