Writers plot convincing victory

8 March, 2017

On a beautiful day for cricket at St Kilda's picturesque Peanut Farm oval, the team from the Australian Writers' Guild collaborated well to craft a win over the actors from the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, to claim back the Credit.

The writers set the high-scoring tone early, with opening pair John Pace and Shane O'Neill scoring off virtually every ball. Their 4 over partnership yielded 33 runs with just one wicket lost. Then new recruit Dan Connell went in and started playing some of the finest hook and pull shots I've seen in the 15 years I've been playing this match, ending up with 28 off his own bat.

Kate Hanley continued the onslaught with a series of mighty blows yielding 18, and the strong batting continued through the second half of the innings, with Tom Holloway's 17 and Haydn Growden's 15 being highlights.

Wickets were hard to come by for the actors as the writers picked the loose balls and judged their running well. But Casey Filips took a couple of ripper catches, and the actors also effected a few sharp run-outs.

Under the new scoring system where 5 runs was added to the bowling team for each wicket, we went to the lunch break with the writers on an imposing 173, with the actors set to start their innings on 30 thanks to the 6 wickets they took. Wickets went to Frank Magree, Claire Pickering and Rick Davies.

Thanks to Ruthi Hambling from the MEAA and the team from Media Super, we had a delicious barbie lunch of snags and miscellaneous veges and salad. Meanwhile, those who visited the male toilets during the lunch break were apparently treated to a couple indulging their senses in other ways. It really was the perfect afternoon for a bit of physical activity.

144 runs were always going to be tough to get, and the writers never really looked in serious trouble as wickets fell on a fairly regular basis upping the goal. Frank Magree hit some lusty blows to pick up 17, and Adam Hetherington crunched four big boundaries on his way to 23, but 13 wickets sealed the actors' fate.Best bowling came from Josh Samuels 2/12, John Pace 2/7, and David Koutsouridis, playing his first ever game of cricket, an extraordinary 2/2, with two run outs also occurring in his two overs - a net result of -18! Other wickets went to Kate Hanley, Shane O'Neill, Tom Holloway, Gerard McCulloch, and your correspondent. But the whole team deserve the Credit for working together as a unit.

The final scoreline was AWG 238, MEAA 172. And with those scores, we retire the long-suffering and now full scorebook, which contains all the results dating back to 1990. Suggestions for a suitable home are most welcome. A glass case at the MCG perhaps.

The 35-year-old Credit trophy is also due to undergo renovations to allow us to inscribe the recent victors.With the last 6 years splitting 3 games apiece it's fair to say the competition between the sides has never been tighter.Well done everyone for giving their all in a match played in the true spirit of the game, and many thanks to MEAA skipper Andrew Gilbert for his tireless work in organising the match.

See you next year!

Cheers,Warwick Holt

Captain, AWGCC 

The AWG v MEAA cricket match took place on Sunday 26 February in the lovely St Kilda surrounds of the Peanut Farm, accompanied by the gentle sounds of Luna Park’s rollercoasters. Congratulations to all who participated, but especially to our writers!