Fourths

2010

Round 10

Report to follow.

Round 9

Report to follow.

Round 8

Report to follow.

Round 7

The Monty 4s sent a ripple through the C Grade Reserves with a nail biting win over undefeated Watsonia at Malcolm Blair Reserve last Saturday.
14 year old Lewis Thorpe took the mound and held the Saints scoreless across the first two innings, allowing just two hits whilst striking out four with some blistering speed.
Samantha Hamilton opened Monty’s scoring in the second inning when her triple to right field knocked in Cam Jury who reached on a leadoff walk. Thorpe picked up an RBI in the same inning when Hamilton crossed the plate to make it 2-0 after two innings.
In the third inning, the Saints’ bats awoke scoring six runs off six hits, however Thorpe recovered to strike out the final two batters to stem the flow.
Monty answered back in the bottom half of the third with four of their own to tie the game, thanks largely to some great power hitting by Dale Pitts, Jury and Hamilton.
Brendan Nick relieved Thorpe in the fourth and the Saints capitalised on the change with three runs off three hits.
Going into the bottom of the fourth, it appeared that Watsonia’s unbeaten run would remain intact, however Monty would stage a fightback many will not forget.
A leadoff walk to Geoff Prideaux, was followed by consecutive doubles by Pitts and Stephen Pearce, with Jury collecting another hit to leave Monty trailing by one run.
A walk to Hamilton loaded the bases for pinch hitter Cameron Carr. And in his 100th game for the club, Carr launched the first pitch he saw over the left field fence for a grand slam homerun which put Monty ahead 12-9.
And with time called moments later, Monty had upset the ladder leaders in a fairy tale finish.
HITS
Lucas (Double), Pitts D (3 Doubles), Pearce (Double), Jury (2 Singles), Hamilton (Double, Triple), Carr (Homerun), Nick (Double).
PITCHING
Lewis Thorpe IP 3, H 7, R 6, ER 6, BB 3, SO 6, HR 1, B 33, S 43, P 76.
Brendan Nick IP 1, H 3, R 3, ER 3, BB 2, SO 0, HR 0, B 17, S 22, P 39.

Round 6

Report to follow.

Round 5

We entered the game against Melbourne University with a point to prove, but we started just as we finished the last game. While we made mistakes in the field and looked sluggish, we were having bigger problems at the start of the game, using our bats effectively against Mr. Freeman, A.K.A: Lurch. Standing an impressive nine feet tall when he is on the hill, he was up to his crafty best, thinking as wisely as Gandalf, and throwing loopy balls that sometimes came down with ice on them. Phil threw until his arm was about to fall off and we just did not back him up as he deserved. After two innings we were facing a three run deficit and the mood on the bench was not as confident as before. At the top of the third innings Melbourne University added three more runs, and all of a sudden we were in a ditch against the armchair intellectuals of that privileged academic institute, but we did not lose confidence. Personally, even though I was sitting on the bench, I thought of the recent success that we have grown used to and I knew we had been in worse positions. It seemed that the rest of the team was ready to kick some intellectual because we got our first runs in the bottom of the third when we really needed them thanks to a beautiful two run RBI shot by Steve into right field.
Unfortunately we lost our pitcher in the fourth innings, but luckily Steve All-Star Pearce was ready to step in. As a side note I think it is important to note that Simon F, our other main pitcher, has little team loyalty and privileges youth over age and throws for the juniors instead. That’s why he was on the bench I assume and that’s what you get for disrespecting the Judge’s team. Fair verdict. Otherwise, I think that the other Simon, Turtle Simon, who has recently been so traumatised by Simon-throwsmuchharder-F, paid off Cam only so he would be able to say he was the best Simon on the day. I still think Simon F. had more of an impact even though he was on the bench. I digress from the game, but such was the inner workings of the team that I was able to appreciate during my stay on the bench. Anyway, All-Star Steve was really good, much better than the bullpen we had a few weeks ago where he must have been throwing with his eyes closed. He settled in and kept us in the game. We must have smelt something at this point and decided that we were still a chance so we added another two runs just to keep in touch. Finally, it looked like we were using our bats, and we were adding heat to the ball now to dust off the ice, with hard flat, smart swings. Coach Cam might have used the bat on us at the end of the game if we hadn’t have started to hit when we did right now, instead of dropping it on the ground to draw elegant metaphors that only Simon and I understood because we also go to Melbourne University. Coach Cam must have been inspired in that moment of intellectualization by the wisdom that was seeping out of Lurch’s beard.
By the way Pittsy casually (and I say casually because I have yet to fluster him properly in quite a few years) batted 2-3, and a rock behind the plate and I only put this in because he plays so consistently well each week that we would have forgotten him otherwise.
All-Star Steve continued as we went into the second last innings, two runs down and running out of time. He almost threw himself out of a jam but I came in to finish off the innings for him. I slowed the ball right down, because often that seems to work better than speeding it up. Unfortunately they added two more to the score, but we still hadn’t lost hope. This was shown as we quickly piled on 4 runs to tie up the game and have all the momentum. Lurch had got the better of us for most of the game but we got the bat going when we needed to. Shame we didn’t do it a little bit earlier. With the score locked at 9 all and a chance to go ahead in the bottom of the 6th we had our chance, but we left our run just a little bit too late, and were left to ponder what could have been and a tied result.
As a wise man (who I can’t even remember) so delicately put it, tying is like kissing your sister. I have yet to decide on where I stand on this quote. We came into this game a little bit too confident and had to realize that we were in for a real battle, but we will be ready for the next game, and other teams will know to be aware of GMBC, where we certainly do not kiss our sisters but do understand how incest can be quite a good subject for a joke or two. Next time let’s win so I know whether to drink myself into a stupor in celebration or drink myself into a stupor in consolation (lemonades only of course).
By your camel of skill (as in, I store it up inside me but decide not to use it), Brendan Nick.
STATS
Batting: Cam C: 0-3, Geoff: 0-1, Sam: 1-4 (double), Dale: 2-3 (2 singles), Steve: 2-4 (double, 2 RBI), Cam J: 2-4 (2 singles, 2 RBI), Ant: 0-3, Brendan 2-2 (single, triple), Phil: 0-1, Josh Lucas: 1-3, Simon A: 1-3.
Pitching: Phil: 62 pitches, 40 strikes ... Steve: 45 pitches, 15 strikes...me: 30, 13 strikes
A couple of strikeouts only for whole team, and two errors, so nothing too out of the ordinary in the stats.

Round 4

No report submitted.

Round 3

This week was a challenge for the team with our coach shipping off to go fishing. Abandoning the team, we had to take charge ourselves. The team was in good spirits, ready for another win making it 3 in a row with the opportunity to be on top of the ladder. Josh DD started on the mound but unfortunately had arm problems so he was taken off. The star Phil, who wanted to be on the bench came on in the second dig to pitch basically the whole game. Starting off strong, Greensy got 2 quick runs. This is the moment when the coach for the day starting freaking out. To prove there was nothing to worry about, his team came through with the goods once again to put many runs on the board. Simon Anderson bought his ticket on the bus with a jack over the left field fence and everything started to fall into place. Back in the field Pittsy took a superman style catch in centre field and the team was looking stronger and stronger every pitch. With an extending lead the team’s confidence grew and the potential for the season really showed with consistent hitting and fielding evident. In the end it was a great win for the team and will be glad to have the Judge back to lay down the law next week.
Thanks mystery writer, now that I am back I will report one yellow belly (small and returned to the drink until I catch him again at a weight of 234534 kilograms) and one Murray Cod at almost legal to keep (returned), damn those fisheries going from 50 to 60!! So, that is it! Apologies guys for going AWOL, I will make sure it doesn’t happen again. As punishment I have just finished doing twenty…..push ups that is!

Round 2 VS Ringwood

First of all I would like to say thanks for everyone who could make it down to batting practice on Saturday, Harsh, yes, but it really was a day in the park. Coach Cam’s instructions were to get a good start and keep it, to perhaps try some new pitchers later in the game. All boxes were ticked with a great start being made and was kept throughout the game as we extended our lead greater and greater each innings.
Their confidence was definitely high with one of the players telling me before the game that we were easily going to win, and that they are a really bad team.
A special mention for Josh “double D’s” Draper who did a fantastic job on the hill, only letting through 2 runs. He did a great job considering his strike zone was half the size of Pitty’s glove. Frustrating the Ringwood team, one of their batters considered a charge at Josh until he got close enough to see the size of him, then cowered slowly to first base.
Overall it was a great game with a final score of 26-2!

Round 1 VS Waverley

Hello fans and air-conditioners, it’s a new season for the Monty fours as 2010 looks to be another fantastic journey into the outer reaches of another dimension around an uncharted galaxy beyond our universe….yes I am back, Mr Off Topic himself providing all the information deemed to be totally useless as your tuned into FM’s 83.1, Rockmorency!

The game started with philosophical Brendan on the hill who almost delayed the start as he analysed everything. “Why do I have to throw from a mound, maybe we should change it so pitchers throw from a ditch.? Lets get some shovels, a backhoe……If we swapped first with third and third with first we could bring more left arms into the infield…..Why do we play on a diamond? Couldn’t it be a sapphire or an emerald? If we changed from a round ball / round bat to a cube and a square bat you wouldn’t even know the difference! B.Nick worked well on the hill in the first innings as Waverley only scored one run in the first. Monty replied with one run also as Steve waisted no time in getting his bus ticket with a Jack!

Secon innings saw another run for Waverley as the lightning fast ground ensured anything hit along the ground in the gaps rolled all the way to the fence. Monty’s second innings saw three more runs as Cam X2 has walks followed by hits to Steve and Ant.

Third innings Waverley did not score as the good guys clocked over another run, walks to Dale and Cam C followed by a double to the Judge.

Fourth innings saw some hits surface for Waverley as they piled on three runs. Phil relieved B.Nick on the hill and did well, however Waverley just managed to pick the gaps…and, well, that fast outfield. A comfortable lead turned into five all at the top of the fourth. Looking a bit concerned Geoffrey took the coach aside and whispered in his ear “THE BOYS NEED TO BE A BIT MORE DISCIPLINED IN THE BATTING BOX JUDGE, AND THE BASE RUNNING NEEDS SOME IMPROVENT!!!! After packing away his ear muffs the Judge and the rest of the team put their heads together and fired the bats as the guys scored four runs in the fourth and two runs in the fifth leaving Waverley unable to score anymore. Hits to Simon A (was the game turner), Josh L (smashed double), Judge, Cam C, B.Nick and Phil who discovered his new bat brought back from the US of A was either optioned up with a Teflon coated handle or he just wanted to show it to the third base coach zero point two seconds after hitting the ball.

Final Score, GMBC 11, Waverley 5

Next week Ringwood at Ringwood.

Please note; all the characters in this report are totally fictional. If any of the characters either in the past, today, future, present, after reading this, tomorrow, yesterday, just then, even now, in a minute or straight after breaky represents in anyway someone or something living, dead, about to be born, sick, ill, maybe has a cold, possibly a runny nose, bit of a cough, maybe a sniffle, I in no way intended to copy, offend, harm, make fun of, influence, affect, be heard, be seen or even intended this to be read either in the past, today, future, present, after reading this, tomorrow, yesterday, just then, even now, in a minute or straight after breaky by anyone or anything living, dead, about to be born, sick, ill, maybe has a cold, possibly a runny nose, bit of a cough, maybe a sniffle………………..

2009

Round 17 VS Ringwood

Report to follow.

Round 16 VS Doncaster

Report to follow.

Round 15 VS Knox

Report to follow.

Round 14 VS Melb Uni

Report to follow.

Round 13 VS Mitchell Majors

Report to follow.

Round 12 VS Footscray

Report to follow.

Round 11 VS Greensborough

Report to follow.

Round 10 VS Heathmont

Report to follow.

Round 9 VS Ringwood

A Gallant Battle…….Won!
Round nine against reigning premiers Ringwood was always going to be a challenge. Currently Monty is undefeated on top of the ladder as Ringwood would definitely have our team in their cross hairs! Our line up consisted of the usual chaps minus the OC (Old Chap) as from doctor’s orders the participation had to be on the side lines, however new comer Luke Sandy filled the team and proved to be a valuable player.
The game began with a solid start as Mark Cruse led off with a double and Stephen Pearce hit a single to score the first run. Phil also hit a well fought out double to centre to move Stephen to third as next up was Cam Carr. The signal was read beautifully and the bunt was executed perfectly as Cam got on first and scored the run. Two runs in the first for the good guys. Ringwood showed why they are the reigning premiers in their first batting innings as five runs were scored. Brendan pitched well but the Ringwood boys punched out a number of single base hits.
Monty scored another run in the second innings as Mark Cruse came home from a double to Stephen Pearce. Ringwood scored one run in their second, no hits were made instead they capitalized on an error.
The next three innings Monty could not manage a run however Phil and Dale gained hits but unfortunately were left on base. Ringwood managed two more runs, one in the third and one in the fifth. Some great defensive work was made by Mark Cruse and an outstanding fly ball taken at full stretch and landing on his belly by new comer (and hopefully a regular) Luke Sandy.
Coming into the final innings the score was Monty 3, Ringwood 8. Stephen led off with a hit to centre then Dale followed also with a hit. Brendan hit a great double to score the next run and advance Dale to third. Anthony Collis followed the roll on with a hit to centre to score a run and Cam Carr put the ball in play for another run. The next few runs were scored by some great pressure and determination as the guys capitalized on errors. The innings ended with nine runs moving the total score to 12, leading by 4. In Ringwood’s last innings the first two batters didn’t manage to get on base as Luke Sandy took another great fly (once again at full stretch landing on the ground) and some great work from Ant Collis at first for a PO3. Ringwood then managed some hits and scored three runs which made it a 12 to 11 ball game. Phil (replaced Brendan in the third innings) dug deep and struck out the final batter ending in a one run win. An amazing game and experience for the guys. Last year when the team was way behind the message was ‘never say die’. For this game, that is what happened. A credit to Monty who fought back hard, and full marks to Ringwood who continued to put the pressure on throughout the game.

Round 8 VS Doncaster

The Wisdom of Brandan!
It was a philosophical day on round eight. B Nick was the man of choice to take the hill as he prepared his energy levels with a hearty breakfast of a ham and cheese sandwich and specially requested the chef to hold the cheese and the ham! When he arrived we all benefited from his deep thoughts such as “people have one thing in common, they are all different”, or “today either side could win, or it could be a draw”, or “if history repeats itself, I think we can expect the same thing again.” Absence of packing tape on his shoe may be the key to all of this. Cam Carr said “packing tape is like the force, it has a light side, a dark side and it holds the world together.” I think there is something in that for all of us…..don’t you think? It was great to see Brendan arrive early as he explained that he was going to arrive on time no matter how long it took and mentioned that some of the other players consistently get up at six o’clock in the morning no matter what time it is.
Brendan started the first innings in fantastic form and was back to his usual best. This standard from Brendan took some time this year as we all know that baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical. The first three batters never got on base with catches from Mark Cruse, Geoff Prideaux and third out was a K. Walking off the mound Brendan muttered “I am predicting that we will win today, but if that does not happen then Doncaster will lose”…..right…ok….hmmmmmm….
Monty’s first innings opened with three runs as Phil L’Huillier hit one over the fence and Cam X2 both hit singles to centre field. Phil just keeps firing with the bat, it looks as if he wants to get 25 to 30 hits this season, which ever comes first.
Doncaster’s second innings was shut down with no runs as it was the Brendan and Dale show. First out a runner was caught stealing second base, second out a runner was caught stealing third as Dale fired the pill with millimeter accuracy, fantastic effort. I would not say that he is the best catcher, but there are none better. Cam Jury fielded at third and although you could say that lefties at third are as useful as a one legged man in an arse kicking contest, he received the ball from Dale to make the tag. The last out was a K as the strike three pitch was absolutely unique, except for the one before which was identical.
Monty continued to fire with the bats as a score was made every innings. Four runs in the second with hits to Geoff, Mark, Dale and Phil. One run in the third, three runs in the fourth, two runs in the fifth and five runs in the sixth. More hits to Phil (four from four), Dale (three from four including a home run), Cam X2, Simon, Mark, Brendan and more and more and more….Doncaster could not manage a run as Brendan continued with a great ball / strike count, however Brendan replied “Cam, 43 percent of all statistics are useless!” Word has it that the instruction to Brendan for the game was to be consistent, but not all of the time.
The final score ended with GMBC 18, Doncaster 0. The guys paired up in groups of three and lined up alphabetically by height at home plate to thank Doncaster for the game as GMBC 4s are now unbeaten in their last eight wins. Post game meeting focused mainly on next week’s clash against Ringwood, as Brendan continued….”if one synchronized swimmer drowns do the others have to drown too?” And……“when you see a man looking under the bonnet of his car with tool in hand he isn’t necessarily a mechanic!” Also, “you know when Cam caught that ball at third base, strangely, watching it in slow motion replay, the ball seemed to hang in the air for even longer.”………..”Why is abbreviation such a long word?”……..”A truly wise man never plays leap frog with a unicorn.”………….

Round 7 VS Knox

Déjà vous
About this time last year the Monty 4’s headed down to Ferntree Gully road on a cold and cloudy day to play undefeated Knox. The Monty 4’s had only one win under their belt and Coach Cam travelled down that day with the constant ringing of chainsaws in his ears! Well, for that game we made history! This time Monty had six wins under its belt from six games and the battle was for top spot on the ladder. The drive down was cold and drizzly, just like last year. The guys gathered at Ausport for a swing with Cam Carr’s R2D2 unit which he attached a throwing arm and cunningly disguised the robot as iron mike.
The Good guys opened the account with one run as Brendan Nick got to first with a hit to left, stole second and came home from a hard hit double to centre by Dale Pitts. Knox’s first four batters got safe hits and the leadoff came home to score their first run as our guys did not make full use of ‘The Crane’. However the innings was closed with only one run scored.
Monty’s second piled on six more runs as we capitalised on errors. Hits went to Stephen Pearce and Phil L’Huillier. ‘The Crane’ continued to dominate bottom of the second with three up and three down as the outfield tracked down the flies.
Monty’s third batting innings saw no more runs however when Cam Jury came up to the batting box he and David decided to put the game on hold to socialise. “Hi Cam, did you get the signal from the catcher?” David asked. “No, I couldn’t quite see” Cam replied. “Ok, I will take a walk off the back of the mound and come up with an idea then” said David. Walking back to the mound David then said “how about I throw the ball straight at your bat.” Cam replied “that would be great if you could do that David. Yea, throw it straight at my bat and we will see what happens.” The pitch was thrown and the ball was hit however it went straight to short stop. “Sorry Cam, I placed the ball as best I could” said David. “No worries mate, I probably did not put the bat in exactly the right spot. Anyway, enjoy the rest of your game and have a great weekend” Cam replied. “you to mate” said David. For the next two innings ‘The Crane’ kept Knox from scoring any more runs as Mark Cruse, Stephen Pearce and Phil L’Huillier backed up in the field with some great defensive work. The Monty bats scored two more in the fifth as more errors were made and Mark Cruse fired a hit to left field.
In the sixth innings ‘The Crane’ was replaced by ‘The Phil’ on the hill who continued with his fine form as for the last two innings Knox could only manage two more runs. Monty kept the runs ticking over as one run was scored in the sixth and two runs were scored in the seventh. Hits to Brendan, Stephen and Phil. Final score Monty 13, Knox 3. It is now a great view from the top of the mountain!
Mouse Cup Report
I purchased my mouse for $55 to run in race four. Whitey came up to me and said “I bet my mouse will beat your mouse!” I replied “Yea, well I am going to get my mouse and forty of his brother cousins and dey will run da pants off your liddle mices! Whitey replied “Ok, I will get forty of my mices to race against your forty mices and they will mash your forty mices into forty bitses!” The race was run and my mouse came last so I pointed my finger at my fully sick mouse and went chcck-chcck….Boom!
Please note that no animals were harmed in anyway. As you are reading this the mice are lying in deck lounges, under an umbrella by a pool mellowing out on a belly full of Bega……Robe isn’t famous for robes! Also, thank you to Ausport for allowing us to use their facilities, great shop!

Round 6 VS Melb Uni

The boys in black and white hit the field on this cold Saturday morning strong, fresh, sober, alive and ready for another win making it 6 games in a row roaring for the top of the ladder. The team watched closely at the interested appearance of the opposition. They all wore different uniforms and were aged from between 14 and 1400 years old. Old and peculiar but a positive team. Simon Fitzmaurice took the walk up to what some people call the loneliest place on earth, the pitching mound of the great Montmorency stadium. He started strong and pitched a great game. It was a big hitting game with Pittsy, Mark and Phil all nearly clearing the fence.
Chatter was strong on the bench and Brendan Nick as usual shared his thought on the world, spreading great knowledge, wisdom, ideas, philosophy and a whole lot of crap. Simon Anderson was once again brought up in these conversations, and many discussions have been made, somewhat proving that he may be the missing link between humans and turtles. People should stop being so one minded thinking that we came from apes. If anyone was to look at the Monty team, a few details can be shown that humans actually evolved from turtles. Simon Anderson, although running quite fast, bobs his head in all directions as if was coming in and out a shell. Cam Carr, no insult intended, is lucky that he hit a big one to right field in this game because he runs as slow as a turtle.
Whatever animals some of the players evolved from, we all come together to form a strong team that is Monty. The final Score was 16-8, a fantastic win putting us what should be on top, but may be second.
Next week we play the top team Knox, it’s going to be a tough one, we will need to pull up our socks and keep those protective cups close to our balls because if there is 1 game we have to win, It’s going to be this one. Odds are currently being placed on the final score between Monty and Knox, this journalist is predicting the score will be 13-3 but who knows.
Signed, Journo

Round 5 VS Mitchell Majors

*********************************BREAKING NEWS************************************************
It appears for some time there has been a secret within the Monty 4s. It has gone under cover without anyone suspecting a hint of this. I was totally shocked by what I heard on Saturday! As the players arrived at Broadford, jaws dropped to the ground when the news circulated. Ladies and Gentlemen, now that I have you all in suspenders (suspense that is) it appears……the Monty 4s………….has a Trekkie! DA..DA….DAAAAAA!!!! Shock….Horror….Wow, how can that be? What is a Trekkie? Who cares anyway? It is probably best to keep the perpetrator anonyms, however I will say that the individual goes by the initials of C.A.M.C.A.R.R. How do we change such a brainwashed individual? I mean, how can this person not see that star wars is the ultimate sci-fi? The force, Yoda, the Death Star, Millennium Falcon. And by the way, Darth Vader absolutely rocks! Vader for PM I say. Imagine sitting in parliament and using force choke on all those pollies!
Game Time,
We won 19 to 8
End of report…….just kidding
The guys continued on their pregame preparations dealing with the news the best they could, Simon kept on asking “where is Brendan?”, Dale gave a brief Flash Dance demonstration, oh yes, he’s a maniac, Brendan walked around with his catchers gear on “I’m here Simon, under this mask”. Mark Cruse led off with an off the shelf Cruse hit to centre field. One run was scored in the first innings as Stephen Pearce came home with some aggressive leg work. Defensively we had Stephen on the hill in the bottom of the first however the young fella could not quite get his rhythm right so Simon Anderson came on the hill, asking “where is Brendan”, and dazzled all with his secret backhand double-knuckle off-break back-flip hip-hop slider with a twist off lemon! He did well to finish the dig together with “where is Brendan?” behind the dish, however four runs were scored by the Majors.
Monty’s second innings produced no further runs however Simon Anderson hit one to right field and ran to first asking the fielders “where is Brendan?” Bottom of the second Simon continued to bewilder the batters with his breaking ball that went to the third base line, snapped to the first base line then snapped again to pass over the plate into the glove of “where is Brendan?” Only one run was scored by the Majors in their second innings as the guys congratulated Simon on a great job with Simon replying “where is Brendan?”
The third innings Monty bats fired away as Stephen Pearce, Ant Collis and Phil L’Huillier all hit singles for the first three at bats. Stephen came home from Ant’s hit for our second run. “Where is Brendan?” hit a great double to right field to score the runners on base, team batting at its finest! Dale Pitts and Cam Jury hit singles then Mark followed with a hit to left to bring Cam home. Six runs for the innings, Monty seven, Majors, five.
Mild mannered Phil took over on the hill for the next two innings restricting the Majors to just three more runs. Two innings pitched, five K’s, unbelievable! The good guys smashed away in the fourth innings to score four runs and again in the fifth for another eight. More hits to Stephen, Phil (triple), Cam (Warp Speed) Carr, and Simon Anderson as during his at-bat after each pitch he turned to the umpire and asked “where is Brendan?” The match card was signed after I saw it read GMBC 19, Majors 8 and hopefully this will be relayed to where it counts. Cam Carr turned to me with his bat in hand which briefly glowed light sabre yellow and said “it WILL be corrected Cam, the force will correct it”. What the?? He is not a Trekkie after all, he is a Jedi!
………………..“where is Brendan?”

Round 4 VS Footscray

Round 4 against Footscray saw a pregame gathering before target shooting in the cage as the coach gave a dramatic display in the middle of the huddle waving his arms, jumping up and down, falling over, playing dead attempting his best Fight to the end / Courage under fire / Back your team mates / Eye of the tiger / A man’s home is his castle / The vibe of the thing, yea it’s the vibe…of…the thing speech. We all know he is a bit weird but just cannot put a finger on it. Maybe it’s his car, he thinks it’s an eight but we all know it’s a six. Or the fact he does not shave anymore, just got his motor bike learners, probably looking to buy a Harley or a Monaro, get a tattoo….Yep, 40 must be approaching! The game started with very few balls hit to the outfield as Phil for the good guys and Brett from Footscray took charge on the mound. Stephen Pearce managed a double to centre in the first innings, mid life crisis Cam Jury hit one to left field in the second and Simon Anderson hit a double to left field in the third, however no runs were scored. The first three innings was nothing but a pitching duel as one on one, pitcher against pitcher, head to head, man against man, numero uno V’s numero uno, gladiator V’s gladiator, battle for the top dog, there can be only one, ultimate supremacy, the world series, battle for the top gun, winning the piston cup, cracking the four minute mile, the America’s cup, the Peter Brock trophy, battle for the Ashes, faster, higher, stronger…..so easy to go off topic when writing these things. Oh, my glass of red is finished, must get another!
By the end of the third innings the score was Footscray one, Monty zero. Phil fired away to shut down Footscray once again in their fourth innings. The first batter got on base with an error. The second batter turned to bunt, however the ball popped up about eight to ten feet in front of the batter, Phil lunged forward and to the absolute surprise of everyone flew (literally flew in mid air) to catch the ball. Still in the air he then banked to the left, gave a quick shot of the afterburner and released a side-winder to Anthony at first for a double play that had everyone thinking “there must have been virtual reality thrown in there.” I mean, computer graphics, holograms…..that was not humanly possible! Tucked under that L’Huillier named Monty top must be a red cape with a yellow S and for a fraction of a second there was a flash of red undies outside the pinstripes! Third out was a K2, he IS the man of steel! There will be no further reference to super heroes, especially Clark’s work place as the Daily Planet in Melbourne promotes completely different headline.
Monty’s fourth dig opened the account as Dale got on base and was hit home by a double to our mild mannered Phil. Phil also came home from a hit from MLC Cam to end with the score Monty two, Footscray one. Phil continued to do that thing he does to keep Footscray to just one run for the remainder of the game as the Monty bats punched out eight hits for the final two innings scoring three runs in the fifth and seven runs in the sixth. For the day three hits went to Cam Jury, two hits to Mark Cruse, Stephen Pearce, Dale Pitts, Phil L’Huillier and one hit to Brendan Nick and Simon Anderson. Final Score Monty 12, Footscray 1.
Special thanks to Simon Anderson who took time out of his day to umpire the thirds game. I was unable to do this myself as I had father duties so thanks again mate. I heard the calls were kept consistent for both teams which I would say were appreciated by the club. It is unfortunate that not all at the game appreciated your efforts. In a final note I will say that if I am asked again to choose a player from the fours to umpire then I will endeavour to do this myself as I do not see it fair that I delegate a person to do a job who I know will be given a hard time by the opposition. I will call the game to the best of my ability as any club person would and if any confrontation surfaced then I would not hesitate to tell the player / players to P one five S off!!
Cam Jury.

Round 3 VS Greensborough

The Monty 4’s machine no longer comes with cruise control!
The team began the game with some serious hitting power as five runs were scored in the first innings compared to Greensborough’s zero. Hits went to Phil L’Huillier, Cam Jury, Simon Fitzmaurice, Anthony Collis (Smashed a double) and Simon Anderson. Cam Carr also contributed with a Sac fly. Simon Fitzmaurice started on the mound and fired immediately as it was three up and three down with two ground balls from Cam Jury at third (I know, I know….left arm at third….what is all that about!) and Simon Fitzmaurice doing his own fielding with a 1 to 3.
Second innings Monty did not manage to score however Greensborough opened their account with two runs as they began to make good contact with the bat. Simon stayed focused on the mound to keep Greensborough to just five runs by the third innings as the good guys piled on seven more for a total of twelve. Phil followed Simon on the hill and performed to his usual high standard.
For the next three innings we only managed one more run as the high powered Monty machine eased off the throttle and slipped into cruise control. The equivalent to a V8 coasting in top gear at only 2000rpm down conrod! Well, Greensborough’s final innings saw them place some hits to right field and supported the run on with aggressive base running as we went through eight batters to get the third out. Five runs were scored which ended in a Monty win however leading by almost a full lap halfway through the game to then taking the pedal off the metal meant we got over the line only by a few car lengths in front. Final score, Monty 13, Greensborough 10.
A credit to Greensborough who never gave up and a valuable lesson to our guys. Our pitchers once again did a great job together with Dale behind the dish but we did not fully support their efforts in the field or with the bats. As for our 4’s machine, I personally disconnected and removed the cruise control and have put it on ebay with the add reading, Cruise control for sale, only used once and NEVER to be used again!

Round 2 VS Watsonia

GMBC 12, Watsonia 7
The sacrificial Chook!
Injuries began early on Saturday as Cam Carr put his body on the line to ensure the line marking machine backed out of the storage shed without wasting a single spec of lime dust. Falling in a ditch the machine was saved however Josh Deans Draper just stood there not even offering a hand to break the fall. Instead munched away on a tim tam.
The boys responded fantastically to the call to arrive early to prepare the ground as the B.O.M. website suggested rain for most of the day. Well 11am arrived and blue skies abundant! What does B.O.M. stand for anyway! Bet On My guess? Big On Making it up? Well, when the weather guys can predict next weeks tattslotto numbers then I will be impressed. Otherwise just go back to sticking your head out the window.
For our team it was a day of great pride to be playing on ANZAC day on our home soil against a strong opposition as both teams were looking to set the pace early. Batting in the cage took place as usual as did warm up and the usual inter team sledging, good fun! Josh Lucas required some shoe mending as his cleats were becoming worse for wear requiring tape to keep the inner lining in tack. We almost had to involve Brendan as he holds a Certificate, Advanced Diploma, Degree, Masters and PhD in taping your cleat-ology. Yes Brendan, I just will not let it go!
Starting on the hill for the good guys was Phil with Dale behind the dish. This combination was effective immediately as the leadoff batter struck out. The second batter got on base, however Dale pegged him at third for the second out and the third out was from the number four batter who stood up and sat back down as the letter of the day was ‘K’!
Monty’s attack. The message was to get the jump early and it happened as scripted. Mark Cruse led off with a hit to left field. Stephen Pearce also got on with a walk as Mark progressed to second, then to third with a wild pitch. Dale Pitts sent one to left field to bring home the first run as Mark came home. Next up was Phil who got on with a walk. Batting number five, Cam Jury sent a hit to left field to bring home the next two runs as Stephen and Dale came home. Phil ran the bases aggressively as well as he came home on some fielding errors. Next hits were Josh Deans Draper with a double to bring home Brendan Nick and Mark Cruse with a double up the middle to bring home Josh. The innings ended with Monty seven, Watsonia zero. A great start!
Watsonia’s next innings saw the first run scored as their number nine hitter brought home their number six hitter (double to centre). Monty’s second innings saw the volume turn down a bit as only one run was scored. Dale Pitts got on base with a HPB and moved to second on a passed ball. Cam Jury hit one to centre which went one bounce over the fence turning a certain single (we all know he cannot run) into a stand up double sending Dale home.
Watsonia score one more run in the third as the lead off hit a triple and then came home next at bat as we got the out at first. Phil blazed away to K the next batter then Cam gloved one a first for the third out. Monty’s third was even more quiet with no further runs. Fortunately Watsonia had a quiet forth as Simon Anderson came from the bench to play centre field and shagged the first and second outs. Phil fired away to K the last batter for his fifth strike out! Monty’s forth added two more runs as Stephen Pearce mashed the ball and legged out a triple to left (2 from 3 for the day) and came home on a hit from Phil. Cam Jury then hit to left (3 from 4, 4 RBI’s) to send Phil home sending the score to Monty ten, Watsonia two.
The fifth innings was testing as Watsonia fought away with the first three batters hitting. A couple of fielding near misses saw Watsonia gather some momentum as the score went to Monty ten, Watsonia seven. These guys never give in! The good guys answered back with a similar spirit as Mark (3 from 4 for the day), Josh Lucas and Dale Pitts hit singles to bring home the comrades waiting on bases. It was a close call at one stage as Cam Carr was almost picked off while base coaching first! Wearing a coaching helmet and standing up straight with arms crossed can have the body language to look threatening in stealing second!
With only minutes to go the good guys batted to the time and game call while at the same time the Watsonia rooster was placed on the chopping block and executed leaving no chicken dance, KFC jingle or rooster hoo haa! Looking from a far you could see the Watsonia 4s faithful leaving the pavilion through the turnstiles in large groups of one carrying a decapitated chook which by now should have been plucked, cleaned, wrapped in plastic and branded with the name steggles!
Tonight’s dinner, roast chicken!
Josh, what happened to my Tim Tams!!!!

Round 1 VS Heathmont

Season Prequel: The 3’s late charge in season ‘08 was not quite enough to cement a finals position. However at the season’s end the guys were left very keen to gather early the following year with some unfinished business to take care of. I was let out of “the joint” early this year, locked away where all coaches go who don’t make finals. In mid-February I made the call to the guys to gather for an informal pre-season and received a fantastic response by all.
Jury’s Eleven
My initial phone conversation with Dale in Feb:
Cam: Dale, I have called all the guys and they are very keen to have a go this year.
Dale: Who do you have?
Cam: All! Dave, Stephen, Mark……
Dale: …Mark is in?
Cam: Yep, he spent his summer swinging a flat bat stamping red cherries on the bat’s face while wearing white pyjamas.
Dale: Cam C in?
Cam: Always!
Dale: Simon F?
Cam: It’s his backyard!
Dale: What about both Josh’s?
Cam: Both are in, Josh D has done his arm but said he is willing to throw with his left.
Dale: What about Brendon and Simon?
Cam: Yes both are keen and so are there Doncaster pants!
Dale: What about Brendon’s cleats?
Cam: Ordered a shipping container of packing tape on ebay this morning!
Dale: So we are covered then, how many all up?
Cam: Considering we will have the odd unavailability, eleven.
Dale: Do you think that’s enough?
Cam: Yep, that’s the perfect number…..Why, what do you think?
Dale: Hmmmmmm
Cam: Do you think that’s enough?
Dale: Hmmmmmm
Cam: You don’t think that’s enough.
Dale: Hmmmmmm
Cam: Do you think we should get one more?
Dale: Hmmmmmm
Cam: You think we should get one more….. OK, we’ll get one more
Jury’s Twelve
Dale: Have you called Phil?
Cam: Not yet…. Does he want to play? He may want to play? Would be great if he played……..Maybe I should find out if he wants to play.
Dale: Hmmmmmm
Cam: Do you think I should call Phil?
Dale: Hmmmmmm
Cam: You think I should Call Phil……..OK, I’ll call Phil.
The next few weeks consisted of negotiating Phil’s contract as my people spoke to his people then those people contracted some more people to talk to their people who also involved our people to liaise with his people while my people split up into large groups of one to attend meetings and seminars and form a task force to come up with a viability plan to ensure the economy, inflation, interest rates, GDP and the budget would all add up to the exact amount of spanners you would normally find in a Sidchrome tool kit……in the end a win-win. We now have a complete force in the fours that can also possibly feed the thirds and help the fifths.
Round One:
On Saturday the team gathered early at Heathmont suited up ready to open the account with some round one glory. B. Nick arrives with a shoe box in hand. Are they runners? Thongs? Crocs? Moccos? GP boots? Ugg boots? Roman sandals? No, it’s a pair of brand spanking new Mizunos. The latest and greatest from the factory model year ’09 collection, fully optioned with all the bling and no need for packing tape! Warm-up took place with brand new throw balls, one dozen orange jug balls just out of the plastic just like a bag of freshly picked Valencias.
First batting dig for the good guys saw more hits than Elvis! Simon Anderson led off but was unlucky not to break through the infield as second took the catch. Next up Dale Pitts crushed one over the cones in his standard fashion to open the season to score the first run. Brendan Nick walked to first base followed by Phil L’Huillier, first at bat in over a year, landed one in almost the same area as Dale for a two run tonk! Cam Jury got to first with a HPB, moved to second by Josh Deans-Draper and came home on a Mark Cruse double to right field. Six runs for the first innings. Heathmont’s first innings saw two runs scored.
Monty’s second innings scored another seven. Phil got on with a single to right and then stole second. Cam then scored the run with a double to centre. The rest of the innings only saw one more hit however we scored the next six runs by capitalizing on fielding errors.
Heathmont’s second innings saw no more runs as Mitch Bennett fired away conceding only one hit for the entire game. Brendan started on the hill but on the day couldn’t quite get the form that we all know he can dominate with. Training on Monday showed great signs that his usual rhythm is not far away.
Monty’s third dig pushed the score to 18 as more hits fire runners around the bags to score. Cam Carr led off with a nice flat shot to centre then Mitch Bennett thought, there has to be one more out-of-the-park hit before the game ends and mashed one over left field’s head for a two run homer. Singles also went to Dale, Brendan and a double to Phil (4 from 4 for the day). Anthony Collis came in around half way to replace Cam Jury at first base and in the third innings fouled off some hard hits but unfortunately was let down by a questionable call.
Monty scored another 2 in the fourth to bring the score to 20 as Heathmont were left at 2 when Phil took over from Mitch on the mound and absolutely dominated! Top effort! End of the day Monty had 17 hits compared to Heathmont’s 1, we only had 1 error compared to 6. Also our pitching combined with our catcher in Dale Pitts was fantastic!
Round ones result is a fine start to a dedicated and hard working team. Guys, our pre-season efforts have paid off immediately! I know we will continue to keep the ball rolling. This year will have a slightly different dynamic to last year as I discussed after the game. This side is more than 9 players on the field, it’s the collaboration of a fantastic club the we are all a part of. During the season there will be some player changes as we assist in feeding players to other teams the same way that these teams will assist us. The main focus for all G.M.B.C. sides is their respective ladders and where they end up on it, this is the big picture. The ladder is our year’s results; it’s our resume, our piece of paper!
Cam Jury
Also thanks to Josh for almost making me late, eating my lunch and sitting in my chair after the game to watch the 3rds play.

2008

A Fourths

Round 17 VS Doncaster

Sadly this is the last time that the 4’s journalism team can show off their talent and writing flair. It’s been great fun writing about all the good times that the team has had. The funny times including Brendan Nicks shoe, or lack of, big Josh turning up wasted, both Cams showing there acrobatics. The high flying times including great catches by big Simon and Dave’s screamer over the centerfield fence at Monty, all of Pittsy’s home runs, the talent on the mound and the future stars. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be on Saturday the 23rd, unable to get the win against Doncaster like we wanted but that didn’t stop us from having a good game. Simon Fitzmaurice, Simon Anderson, Josh Deans Draper, Cam Carr and young Josh Lucas had a shot on the mound and did a great job. Unfortunately we were unable to make the finals but we were able to grab a hold of sixth spot on the ladder. The team started off shaky in the first half of the season but were impressive the second half. Hopefully everyone will be able to make it back next winter season to continue our uphill climb in impressive game play to get into the finals. I think everyone can say that it has been a fun season with many memorable moments, lots of laughter and the odd strange encounter leaving us all asking "what’s all that about?". Thanks to all of the umpires for helping out, Shelby and Fiona for scoring, Tommy’s work on the ground, the canteen and bar staff, encouragement from the thirds, all of the dedicated supporters and a special thanks to Coach Cam for giving his time to coaching the sometimes forgotten Monty 4’s. Signing out for the last time, Mystery Writer.

Round 16 VS Melb Uni

Final Score GMBC 15, Melbourne Uni 6
Saturday the 16th against Melbourne Uni started off as a shocking day. Ordered by the coach to get there early to clean up mother natures dirty work, the go ahead for the game was looking so-so. Eager to get a win over Melbourne Uni, the ground was cleaned up in good fashion. The game started impressively with the big Dale Pitts behind the plate again and shoeless Brendan Nick back up on the mound where he finds himself most comorfotable next to being on the bench sharing his imaginative ideas. Brendan like usual pitched like a star and it wasn’t too long before the team were batting to begin our road to victory. Hitting was once again strong this week, our hunger for the win was as strong as our hunger for Simon’s lollies, which is very strong. After the first innings we were on the score board and ready to shut the opposition out again. Brendan pitched four impressive innings until he started to fall apart, literally. When you thought it couldn’t get worse, it did. The gaping hole in Brendan’s shoe made it obvious that he would get more coverage wearing thongs. But that’s our Brendan. Sober as a judge, big Josh stepped up to the plate and smashed a fat one over the fence putting him on the home run list. It goes to show, it takes vision from two eyes to hit well in this sport. Next up on the mound was young Simon. Usually pitching in the juniors, Simon stepped it up a notch and did a great job in the seniors. Throwing a range of different pitches, Simon was able to continue our lead throughout his innings. Mitch Bennett was next on the mound and did a great job to close the game for us. The team once again played very strongly with the some plays from Josh at third base and a consistently strong fielding side overall. The final score was 15-6 making it another great win for the 4’s!

Round 15 VS Greensborough

On Saturday the 4’s were back down to the home ground hoping for another good win, making it three in a row. Entering the game with not only the confidence from the fact we were facing the bottom team, but with the confidence from the great win from the previous week. Greensborough arrived carrying some serious hitting power in their line up. After the warm up it was noticed that our catcher for the day had a uniform ‘malfunction’ and had to fast track a solution to fix the problem. What do you do when one of your black cleats splits open? Well, just tape it up with red electrical tape of course. Stephen Pearce started on the mound, the first pitch fired past the batter for a strike and thumped into Brendan Nicks glove, while at the same time the temporary red toe cap (electrical tape) flew off. This left Brendan playing the rest of the game with a cleat on one foot and a Roman sandal on the other. The big Pittsy had the week off behind the plate while Brendan did a great job filling the spot. His ability was highly surprising with his shoe barely being present. You know its time to get new shoes and socks when you’re playing baseball and the whole team can not only see your socks through your shoes but they can see your toes through your socks. After pitching two solid innings Steve went to short stop, once again leaving the side in great shape. Mitch Bennett took over on the hill and finished the game with some great variety. The outfield remained solid with every fly ball taken. One just out of reach fly up the left field line in foul territory had Josh Deans Draper sliding at full stretch just inches away from where the ball landed. The cyclone fence almost turned into a safety net as Josh was close to heading down the hill, a great effort. With about fifteen minutes left Greensborough brought on there third pitcher but with the score at 9 to 2 the game was certainly ours. Everyone played a great game, everyone hit well and their efforts were all rewarded by a great win! The final score was 10-2. 4’s rule!!!

Round 14 VS Watsonia

Up bright and early on Saturday hoping for another win making it back to back for the Monty 4s. Our previous game against Watsonia in round 4 we lost 10-9, the team has strongly progressed from those days and after the win from the previous week, there was a confident vibe in the air. As soon as the team met (besides Brendan and Simon) there was already something different. Josh had pupils in his eyes. I’m not sure if anybody in the team had ever seen his pupils before, but they were definitely welcome. Thankfully Josh had not been up till 6am and turned up with the ability to walk in a straight-ish line. Once again Bmac turned up very seedy but there were no worries with the team’s faith in his ability to throw his lightning bolts. The team was off to a strong start, coach kept it together staying upright throughout the warm up run. Monty started off the game with a strong hitting innings. Our spirits were high nearly batting through the whole line up twice ending the first innings with twelve runs. Eventually it was three out and it was Brendan Nicks turn to defend our impressive lead. Once again Brendan pitched a great game, once warmed up he was able to throw some good heat doing the job to end the innings. 12-0 the game was looking very hopeful for Monty but the competitiveness did not stop. With a wise pitch change from Watsonia, we were once again able to hit away to increase our score. It wasn’t twelve runs but it was still a step to lock in a very wanted win. Brendan once again pitched well to end the innings for Watsonia. A few more runs were scored by Monty before the impressive Mitch Bennett jumped onto the mound. Once again a great effort by Mitch with a mixture of different pitches making the batters heads spin with confusion. After a few more runs scored by the team extending there impressive lead, our new recruit from America climbed up onto the mound. The infield discussed whether there was any point in being on the field, thinking there presence was for aesthetics only. Like the previous few weeks, Bmac through his heat down to Pittsy’s bruised and bloody hand. Some great plays were made while Brendan was on the mound. One highlight was a ground ball hit to Cam Carr which he gloved brilliantly and threw the ball to Brendan who took the base to get the out just before Cam tripped over the temporary fence up the first base line. This week, tune into Funniest Home Videos starring special guest Cam! The next amazing play was by Mark on second base taking a screamer! Young Simon took a great catch to finish off the innings! Great fielding Monty! The final score was 22-5 and not too much went wrong, the whole team played very impressively and if every game this year was played like that the 4s would be near the top of the tree!

Round 13 VS Heathmont

Round 13 the 4s took on Heathmont. The team arrived around 11:30 and ran out the back of the ground to the fence to start the pre game warm up. Uh Oh, what has happened!! The coach is down!! Flat out on the ground, the whole team panicked! “What should we do” one player cried. “He is not moving” yelled another. “Quickly, does any one know the number for 911” screamed a player. “You fool” someone replied. “This is Australia. You don’t call 911, you call 000. Does anyone know the number for 000!” “Wait, hang on a minute. He IS moving” exclaimed a player. Sure enough up rises the 27 jumper from the ground. He then turned to the team, spread his arms and said “SAFE! That is how I would like you guys to slide into the bases today.” While running out to the fence the coach stepped onto the cricket pitch at the net area and slid on a layer of slippery moss to find him self A over head! The warm up continued with some stretching, throwing, hitting and consistent laughter.
Game time. The Monty Boys hit away in the first and second dig to score 3 runs each innings while Heathmont failed to score. Brendan Nick was back from his R and R and once again was in great form. In the third innings the cannon appeared and shut down Heathmont to remain at no score. Good effort to Heathmont’s Justin Commeferd with a hit to center field.
The rest of the game Monty dominated to win 26 to 0.
Hits, Singles to Pearce (2), Pitts (2), Nick (2), Bennett (1), Carr (1), Trumble (1), Deans Draper (2), Lucas (2).
Doubles to Jury (1), Pearce (1), McDonald (2), Bennett (2), Carr (1), Trumble (1), Deans Draper (2), Lucas (2).
Triple to Bennett
Next week we play Watsonia at Watsonia.

Round 12 VS Knox

Knox, well it was always going to be a challenge the second time around. Still without our starting pitcher we were able to draw on some fine talent. Starting on the mound the best choice was to once again be Stephen Pearce. In Knox’s first dig they managed 3 runs with a couple of hits, but Stephen was up to the challenge striking out the 3rd out. In Monty’s first innings David Trumble smashed a triple to centre field which sent Stephen Pearce home to score the first run for the team.
Second innings Stephen continued his best on the hill and did well however Knox had scored another 5 runs with two out. Time for Yoda, and it’s a 6 foot 3 inch one at that! Brendan McDonald steps up to the mound and fires down a few warm up cannons before the batter steps into the box. 1,2,3 side away.
Monty’s 3rd dig, Brendan McDonald leads off with a single to left field. He then advanced a base by Trumble putting the ball in play. Mitch Bennett stepped to hit a great double to centre field to score the second run for the team. Simon Fitzmaurice was next up and punched out a hit to centre field to score Mitch for the third run. Next up was Cam Jury. Second pitch went back through the middle over centre fields head for a home run scoring another two. Score at Knox 8, GMBC 5.
Knox failed to score 3rd and 4th innings as the weapon did its thing. Monty’s 4th dig 2 more runs were added as Brendan McDonald and Dale Pitts hit over the fence. Mitch Bennett followed up with a single to centre field.
Well, unfortunately for the rest of the game Knox ran away to win comfortably. Next week its Heathmont in what should be a victory.

Round 11 VS Ringwood

The Monty 4s battled against Ringwood on round 11 and this time we were definitely without our starting pitcher who was on holidays to the land that the game was founded. Instead an up and coming arm stepped up to take his place by the name of Stephen Pearce and proved very competent at the task.
The guys started off with two runs in the opening dig with hits to Stephen Pearce, David Trumble, Mark Cruse and Josh Lucas. Ringwood could only answer back with 1 run as Stephen Pearce made his presence felt to the opposition who struggled with his control of the ball.
The second innings Monty piled on 4 more runs with some well fought out at bats and a double to Simon Anderson. Some fierce base running by Stephen Pearce and David Trumble ensured the good guys converted on the score board and the intensity remained. Ringwood answered back with only 1 run in the 2nd dig and 1 run in the third dig as Monty added another to theirs in the 4th innings with Dale Pitts hitting a sac fly to left field scoring Stephen Pearce who got on base with a hit to left field. With only about 30 to 35 mins left in the game Ringwood began to capitalize by taking the lead and eventually easily winning the game. It was a frustrating finish to a fine start, but that’s how it goes. And without Stephen Pearce utilizing the week off to fly to the Dagobah System to learn from Yoda it would have been a 2 hour white wash! Great incentive from the guy.

Round 10 VS Doncaster

After the mighty win against Knox the 4’s battled against Doncaster. It was another mighty challenge as some regular players were unavailable against a team sitting in the top four. Our rock solid catcher was missing, utility players and word had it that our number one star Knox defeating pitcher was also unavailable, until at approximately 11:15am eastern standard time Brendan Nick, the man himself appears once again clean shaven and suited up for one more battle before heading on a holiday to the glorious US of A. Well the coach had to look a second, even a third time. He then ripped up the current line up and quickly scratched out a new one.
The Monty men warmed up with good focus then gathered together for the pre game huddle. The coach had an A4 sheet of paper highlighting the previous Doncaster V GMBC clash of a 4 all draw, and all of Doncaster’s runs were unearnt. That’s right everyone, it spelled u-n-e-a-r-n-t! Not one player picked up on the spelling, not one. We have guys willing to hit and catch up during an infield / outfield, guys willing to base coach but spelling, no one wants to put there hand up. Situations Vacant - Spelling Coach
Must be willing to travel to numerous diamonds
Must know where the spell checker icon is in Microsoft Word
Please send resumes to the 4’s coach and do not worry if the spelling is not accurate because it will not get noticed anyway.
Game time. Doncaster led off hard with 5 runs in the first dig. However the good guys answered back with 6 runs. Hits going to Stephen Pearce (Home Run), and single base hits to David Trumble, Brendan Nick, Mark Cruse, Cam Jury and back with the old magic Geoff Prideux. Doncaster’s second innings saw 3 more runs, Monty answered back with 2. Single base hits to Trumble and Cruse. Score now at 8 all. Third dig Monty scored one run with Josh Lucas and Simon Anderson hitting singles and Stephen Pearce a double. Doncaster failed to score in their third dig as Brendan Nick was in control on the hill. Forth dig Doncaster managed a run while Monty added 2 more, doubles to Brendan Nick and Mitch Bennett and a single to Mark Cruse.
Bottom of the 4th dig Monty went into bat with only about 15min left in the game and a 2 run lead. The guys made sure they were set before entering the batting box. Signals were flying everywhere from the coach. One pitch it was a series up and down the arm, next it was chest, then the head and face. Sometimes it was a mixture of both. It either looked like a lesson in the human anatomy or the coach was dancing to the Wiggles tune of head, shoulders, Knees and toes, knees and toes. Head, shoulders, Knees and toes, knees and toes and eyes and ears and mouth and nose………..A member of the Australian Secret Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) was present at the ground and was able to decode the signals to find out they all were the same message. The first 20 touches said “hit the ball. The next 15 touches were “run the bases”. The last 30 touches were “it ain’t that tough!” Thanks Geoffrey. The batting dig ended with no further runs scored as the team looked to the umpire for “time and game”. With one minute left to play the boys had to defend the 2 run lead. I would love to report that it went our way but Doncaster hit away to win 13 to 11. In the end another great job on the mound by Brendan Nick.

Round 9 VS Knox

Well, this is the match report that I have always wanted to write! On Saturday the 4s went against Knox and although I knew they had been undefeated all year, I was unaware that Knox’s 4s had not lost a game for a number of years. It was a wet, cold drive down to Ferntree Gully Road on Saturday and as we arrived the Knox guys were doing their best to sweep the water from the ground.
Our warm up took place on one of the outer grounds as we went through the drills short and sharp. The instruction before the game was to get the jump early and hold a lead in case the weather turned and 65 minutes was it for the game. In the first dig Monty did just that! David Trumble Hit a double to left field then next at bat Dale Pitts hit a bomb over left field to open the account early with 2 runs. Brendan Nick hit a single up the middle, stole to second and Mark Cruse sent him home with a double to centre field. 3 runs in the first dig for the good guys. Knox could not answer back in their first dig as Brendan Nick and Dale Pitts took control.
Second innings Knox managed one run. In Monty’s third innings Brendan lead off with a single to left field and then stole to second. Next Cam Jury hit a single to right field moving Brendan to third. Next in the batting box was Mark Cruse who put the ball in play to allow Brendan to score Monty’s forth run. Score now at Monty 4, Knox 1. Knox’s third innings saw loaded bases with two out as the pressure mounted on Brendan to dig deep. Brendan shut down the dig striking out the next batter leaving Knox with no further runs, a gutsy effort!
Forth innings Monty hit away again. Josh Deans Draper led off with a hit to left field. Next Josh Lucas fired a safe hit to centre field followed by Simon Anderson with a hit to right field and Josh Deans Draper coming home to score the fifth run. Next runner home was Josh Lucas as David Trumble got on base with a hit to right field. Brendan Nick scored the seventh run with a hit up the middle then Cam Jury followed with a hit to right field. The innings ended next at bat but was another very productive one with three more runs added to the board. Score now at Monty 7, Knox 1.
With Knox’s next three batting digs Brendan Nick fired away on the mound and with the exception of one walk, it was pretty much three up, three down. Monty could not manage to score any more runs either however Josh Deans Draper fired another double to centre field in the fifth innings.
Before the last innings the game was delayed due to rain and the Monty camp were counting down the minutes till 2:15pm. The rain stopped with time left so the good guys had to defend the six run lead one last time with Josh Deans Draper on the mound after a superb effort by Brendan Nick. First out was a ground ball to third. Next at bat, a hit to short stop. Second out came from three strikes. Next two batters got on base with walks and once again we had loaded bases. Josh fought away and struck out the next batter to seal the game. The victory was SSSSWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!!!!! And so was the cheer from the supporters who braved the wet weather.
Quote from the round one match report:-
“lets make this fourths side the most competitive yet!”
Guys, we just beat the team that every other 4s side in the league has been trying to beat for many years but have not succeeded. Our side has now gained some serious traction, let’s keep up the momentum. We are now well on our way!
This is one very happy coach signing off.

Round 8 VS Greensborough

Finally a victory report!
GMBC 14, Greensborough 1
This is a win the team had to have. Some close ones against top of the ladder sides have been good for players in find their abilities, however the team needed some serious match points to move up the ladder. Starting on the Mound was Brendan Nick then followed by Josh Deans Draper. Both did a great job backed up by a strong fielding side. Fielding highlight was Stephen Pearce stretching up and behind to take a great catch at short stop, then throwing the runner out at second for a great double play.
Offence was very strong as the side piled on 21 hits compared to Greensborough’s 6.
Triples, Brendan Nick (1), Mark Cruse (1)
Doubles, Simon Anderson (1), David Trumble (1), Dale Pitts (1)
Singles, Josh Lucas (3), Simon Fitzmaurice (2), David Trumble (2), Josh Deans Draper (2), Simon Anderson (2), Dale Pitts (1), Brendan Nick (1), Mitch Bennett (1), Stephen Pearce (1), Cameron Carr (1).
Next week it’s the challenge of the season against undefeated Knox.

Round 7 VS Doncaster

Round seven the Monty 4s took on the Doncaster Dragons. To some of the guys it was familiar surroundings just the opposite season. Gladly the pinstripes were not mistakenly left behind in place of the greys by the summer Doncaster regulars. Discussions took place over who knows who, how do they play, if this guy pitches what to watch out for etc,etc….ended up no one knew anyone! Well, better go and warm up then.
Game started with Simon Anderson leading off smashing a double to centre field. He then moved to third on a wild pitch. The next three batters unfortunately struck out as Simon was left at third base champing at the bit as if the gates just never opened to start the Melbourne Cup. Bottom of the first Doncaster scored the first run (unearnt). The next three innings no runs were scored by either side as a pitching duel unveiled.
Top of the 5th the Monty bats began to prove Isaac Newton’s laws as the action of the batters swings gave a reaction that ended up deep in the outfield as Mark Cruse, Josh Deans Draper and Stephen Pearce hit away to score 3 runs with the assistance of a well fought out BB to Josh Lucas. Doncaster managed 3 runs in their 5th dig (all unearnt) which brought the score to Doncaster 4, Monty3.
Top of the 6th the Monty boys again hit away again with Dale Pitts smashing a triple to centre field then followed up with singles to Brendan Nick and Mitch Bennett, Dale coming home to score another run to the good guys to tie the game. Brendan was relieved by Josh Deans Draper after another fantastic spell on the mound in the 6th innings. Josh was totally focused and shut down Doncaster for the remainder of the game not conceding a run. Unfortunately the Monty guys could not manage another run either as the game ended tied at 4 all, great effort against a side third on the ladder. The Monty 4s are making some noise, watch this space!
Next week it is against Greensborough and hopefully some sunshine.

Round 6 VS Knox

Round 6 against Knox was always going to be a big challenge. Beginning of the game saw Knox hit away in the first innings to score 5 runs. However the Monty crew answered back with a respectable 3 runs in their first. End of the third innings saw a tied game at 5 all as each side formed their own huddle to plan out the strategy for the remainder of the game. Unfortunately for the good guys the opposition ran away to win comfortably 23 to 5.
Hits went to Simon Anderson 2, Brendan Nick 2, Mitch Bennett 2, including one home run in which he was told by a member of the opposition to hurry up in running the bases. (Don’t you just love friendly compliments from the opposition). One each to Mark Cruse, Dale Pitts, Cam Carr.
Short report I know but I have had complaints about long match reports and players having to stay up well past bed time to read them.

Round 5 VS Greensborough

Washed Out.

Round 4 VS Watsonia

Testing times on the weekend as the 4s were up against top of the ladder Watsonia. Certainly testing times for the newly appointed coach with a three straight loss record. He can hear the faint echoes of Stihls and Husqvarna’s in the back ground ready to cut him down at the knees if the side continues on its current path. The side warmed up with a fairly relaxed, but switched on approach. Brendan Nick was the player of choice to start on the hill (took a great deal of negotiating for this to happen) and arrived fresh, clean shaven and prepared for the up coming battle.
The first dig was a tough one to face as the red and blacks hit away with five greens scoring six runs. Monty had a couple of unlucky plays including one pop with Cam Jury camped under it at the first base line until he realized that you cannot defy the laws of physics by having two objects in the same place at exactly the same time. The runner ran through bumping him enough to distract the fly and get on base. Monty unfortunately couldn’t answer back with any hits or runs in their first dig.
Early in the game Monty began to go flat, then the 4s team motto was heard by all to lift, and for the next two innings they did! Watsonia were kept to just scoring one run in the second and third innings, Monty still couldn’t manage a run themselves however a couple of hits were beginning to surface, one to Dale Pitts with lightning fast speed to beat the throw and one to Brendan Nick. Also some well fought at bats by Josh Lucas, Cam Carr and Mark Cruse to help the cause for later in the game as the pitcher was forced to keep throwing and throwing resulting in foul, after killed off foul, after killed off foul. Intensity was there and there to stay. Watsonia’s fourth innings saw them manage an extra three runs. During this innings Josh Dean Draper came on to relieve Brendan who did a fantastic job! With one out Josh took charge in closing out the forth dig with a K, one walk and a K for the third out, he was on fire!
Monty’s forth dig, IT ALL HAPPENED!!! The boys were pumped and aggression erupted from the bench as Cam Jury lead off with a walk, then Tom Burton also with a walk. Brendan Nick arrived to the plate and sent the ball on its merry way to centre field scoring the first run as Cam Jury came home. Next up Simon Fitzmaurice, just off the bench replacing Cam Carr, kept disciplined in the box to get on base with a well fought out walk. Next base hit came from a trademark Simon Anderson drive up the middle which brought Brendan Nick home to score the second run. Loaded bases the next two batters Steve and Dale strolled to the bag with HPB each, scoring two runs. Four runs on the board and loaded bases Cam Jury hit one up the middle to centre field to score another two and moved Dale Pitts to third base. The next run was veeeeerrrry interesting. Pitcher set, Cam revs up on first base unleashing a mighty roar of his V8 engine as he takes off to steal second firing on three cylinders. Uuhhh ooohhhh, fake pick to third, the ball is thrown to first and Cam is up the creek without his floaties as the steal turns into a run down play of cat and mouse, and boy it’s a mighty slow mouse!! Meanwhile at third base, the ever so clever Dale Pitts evaluates the situation, speeds off to home plate to score the seventh run and leaves a message in his wake shouting out “That’s how you run the bases coach”.
Back now to the mouse as he stands stranded staring at the first baseman with the ball in hand. The whites of his eyes lit up chasing the runner, the mouse then turned into a rabbit looking to dive down a burrow at second base. With the second baseman perched six feet in front of the bag and short stop six feet behind, the base lit up like a white fluro light with a golden halo above (bling) Cam decides to dive under the fielder to dig through the dirt to the bag like Homer Simpson’s Mr Plough. The ball is thrown high, the runner is safe….batter up please!! Unfortunately the dig ended next at bat, however the score became seven runs to Watsonia’s ten. Watsonia’s last dig saw no more hits and no more runs as Josh continued to do that thing that he does, and did damn well!
Last at bat for Monty and you could not hear a thing over the players’ determination as Brendan Nick lead off with another base hit (3 from 3 for the day). Brendan stole to second and easily ended at third with a wild pitch as Mark Cruse put the ball in play to score the eighth run. Simon Anderson got on base with a determined run to challenge the throw from Short Stop. He then stole to second and came home to score the ninth run with a hit from Steve Pearce, great job. Steve stole to second and again to third as Dale Pitts got on base with a walk. Dale Pitts, determined to ensure that his base running message was delivered adequately, charged to second to end up with the tying run on third and the winning run on second. Unfortunately folks it had to end there however the application and attitude displayed by the team was nothing short of excellent. This style of play will be how we play for the rest of the season guys. Come focused, play hard, back each other and if it seems as if the game is getting away at times Never Say Die! Guys, keep those bats swinging as much as you can. By now you should have slept with your bat under your pillow 7 times now, you should have eaten with it by your side 21 times, you should have given it a name! It is now your life!
And can somebody please silence those damn chainsaws!!

Round 3 VS Heathmont

Third game of the season against bottom of the ladder Heathmont and the expectations were running high for a big performance with the sticks. With another nice hitting display during warm up the pre game speech delivered was “use this game to get the batting averages up guys. Two, three hits each is what everyone should walk away with.
Dale Pitts, the backbone of the side started on the hill with Cam Carr catching. This combination worked well to a fired Heathmont ready with the bats themselves. First innings it was 3 all, Steven Pearce with a well fought out hit and then stole twice to move himself around to 3rd base. Dale and Brendon both had a keen eye to gain walks then Simon Fitzmaurice stayed tough in the batters box to be at first base with a HPB and scored a run. Simon Anderson was the batter who put the ball in play to score the next two. Next two innings it remained tied to be 4 all. Heathmont gained their extra run with two hits while Monty capitalised on fielding errors for the extra run.
The 4th dig Cam Jury relieved Dale after a solid job on the mound. The first batter strolled to 1st with a HPB, and then the next 2 batters got on base with walks. It was loaded bases for the coach as he then pondered over what made him decide to come to the mound after being no where near it for five years. The three outs came shortly after however Heathmont did get two hits which helped bring home five runs, the walks did hurt. The special secret underground projects sub committee has installed an underground electric fence around the mound that instantly pops up if Cam comes within 6 feet of it; he then gets the full 50,000 volts.
Bottom of the 4th, 4 runs down, Josh Lucas led off with out a great hit to left field. Steve Pearce followed with a walk then Mark Cruse managed to get on base to have them loaded. Cam Jury with his new weapon of choice (The Baum) comes in for his first time at the batting box. First pitch is down the middle….cracked down to right field over the fence (is it back to an even ball game?)….its...its...FOUL. Flew over the fence just inches to the right hand side of the right field post, AAAAAAAARRRRGGGGG!!!! Rumour has it he deliberately turned on the ball just that little bit extra so he wouldn’t hit his car in the car park, instead opted to punch a hole in a brand new fine quality Jims paling fence, park the car at home Cam. The innings ended with scoring 1 extra run.
Heathmont's last offensive innings saw them score 2 more runs, Josh on the mound of course (leave it to the experts Cam). Monty had a 6 run deficit with their last innings. Leading off, Simon Fitzmaurice again battled hard to get on base. Josh Deans Draper put the ball in play next to also get on base and move Simon around. Next at bat was Simon Anderson who again went to the plate with a competitive focus, hit a great drive to centre field. Cam Carr and Josh Lucas moved the runners around to score both runs however the innings ended next at bat and Monty went down 7 to Heathmont 11.
Encouraging mention to Simon Fitzmaurice who did a great job at first base and went into the batters box with an aggressive attitude to help the team. Also to Simon Anderson who was focused during warm up, never dropped his head during the game and ended with a hit at his last at bat. Well done to Dale and Josh for another consistent game.
Once again the team came away with only 3 hits, Heathmont had 10. Oppositions have been making more fielding errors than we have; our weak link is our batting. Next week against Watsonia will be one of the toughest games we will have. Guys - take some quality cuts during the week. Get to know your bat, never leave it, chain to you wrist if you have to. From now on live and breathe Batting! Practise hitting each side of the field. Practise as much as you can. Our warm up on Saturday will begin with hitting in the cage, nothing but quality flat shots and good selection!

Round 2 VS Ringwood

The 4’s arrived at Ringwood with a team of 10. The pre game warm up saw some good contact with the bat, flat and hard shooting into the nearby fauna leaving Tommy climbing trees, crawling down rabbit burrows and chasing K9’s to retrieve the pills. Cloudy day with rain forecast in the afternoon, we needed to get the jump in the game early! Pre game speech by newly appointed 4ths coach Cam Jury (he is certainly a man of many words, NOT!!!) requested an early lead in case the weather turned foul and 65mins was it for the day.
First dig, the men responded to the coach’s calls, Monty 3 to Ringwood 1 run, base hits to Dale (The Anchor) Pitts and Josh Deans Draper. Second dig the Monty boys unfortunately couldn’t repeat the batting display while Ringwood scored a few more runs to then take the lead. A short, sharp huddle with a few words from the coach didn’t inspire any further offensive action. And I do mean a few words, mumbled 2 maybe 3. Didn’t even play this game either, likened him self to the 3rds game instead, is this new coaches heart with his team or what! The remainder of the game only saw one more hit from the guys.
Ringwood ran away to an easy win 27 to 3. GMBC’s 3 hits compared to Ringwood’s 20 hits, there it is, swing the bats like you know you can and did in the warm up. Well done Dale, another solid game with 2 from 2 and solid behind the plate. Well next week it is against bottom of the ladder Heathmont, opportunity to get those batting averages up guys!!

Round 1 VS Melb Uni

The season kicked off for GMBC’s 4ths at Albert Park against Melbourne University. We started a bit slowly with the bat, some pre games nerves kicking in. Then into the game the bats started to do their thing - Brendon Nick’s especially with 3 bombs and 4 RBI’s and showed some great work on the mound to relieve Josh, who also did a fantastic job. Also great game to Dale and Mitch with a couple of hits each. The final innings unfortunately saw us go down 13 to 12 as Melb Uni hit away and came from behind to take the game. All were a bit disappointed but next week Ringwood will be the new challenge.
The quality of our 4ths players could challenge most other rival 4ths teams this year. Last year there seemed to be a distinct barrier between the teams that finished in the top 4 and the rest. GMBC’s 4th is in the best position to break that hold and really challenge the top 4 sides, including Knox - finishing just outside the top 4 last year proves that. Smarter hitting, good pitch selection, eliminating errors, adjusting to variables quickly on the day and looking for signals are some of the things that will help us achieve this. See you all at training, lets make this fourths side the most competitive yet!

2007

A Fourths

Round 15: VS Watsonia

No report submitted.

Round 14: VS Forrest Hill

No report submitted.

Round 13: VS Ringwood

No report submitted.

Round 12: VS Heathmont

Our second back to back game would have bought back the scars of last week for Heathmont, with the 18 run loss and Dales two home runs no doubtably still in their fresh minds. Starting with a different pitcher from last week, Heathmont tried to unsettle us, this made little difference as the run race began almost immediately. Once the opposition got us out into the field they were able to score their one and only run for the game. Heathmont were once again stretched to the limit with our batters easily over coming their first pitcher. With their second pitcher having just as little success in getting us out, Dale Pitts decided to rub some salt deep in the wound of Heathmont's already deflated team, hitting another home run. (Off the same pitcher as the week before, as you may have guessed he was not as pleased as we were). With Heathmont unable to fill the bases in any of the innings, we charged home once again with all bats blazing and base running to match. Cam Jury smashing the ball to all areas of the field. Congratulations to Sam Thompson who got 3 hits in the game to earn his first MPV vote. Once again it was an awesome game from all involved, we were even able to improve our score from last week, Final score 23 - 1.

Round 11: VS Heathmont

Well its been 15 year in the making but the drought has finally broken. Dale Pitts crushed not one but two home runs in our first game of our back to back duel against Heathmont. Brendan Nick threw his best game for the year, giving us plenty of time in the batters box. Heathmont were able to score one single run at their fist at bat while we responded with 10. In the second inning we continued to score runs with Dale hitting the first of his home runs, (this was his first home run ever after playing for 15 years). He didn't have to wait long for his second, in his forth at bat he did it again smashing a longer ball in the trees in centerfield. Having spent 95% time in the field and hoping Dale was not coming up to bat again, Heathmont had no response to the run onslaught. Managing only two more runs in the final innings, where we lost a little concentration for only a minute. Correcting this quickly we were able to seal the game with a comfortable win, a fitting end to a game where everyone contributed. But there is no doubt the star of the day was Dale and rightly so, the Heathmont pitchers will have nightmares all week knowing they have to face his smoking bat again next week. Congratulations Mate this game was well worth the wait!!! Final score 21 - 3

Round 10: VS Forrest Hill

Finally a win! And a convincing one at that, to boost our team moral. Its been a hard slog for most of the year with 8 players for some weeks and a young side. Its nice to be on the other side of a good hiding. With Forest Hills ground under a foot of water when we arrived, the game looked to be in jeopardy. A quick word with the opposition assured as of a game saying that, "they hadn't been working for a hour removing the water not to play". When most of the water had been removed from the ground we started the game, not being able to even buy a strike, we closed down the inning keeping Forest Hill scoreless and we were sent in to batt. With our bats blazing we scored 10 runs in the first innings, the whole line up contributed, leaving Forest Hill a more than a little shell shocked. Still no help from the umpire, the strike zone appeared to completely vanish, although we were still able to keep them scoreless. Our second batting inning was out slowest only scoring two runs. Even though the strike zone had disappeared, the opposition still had trouble finding base runners, closing down their innings again, we were still able to keep them scoreless. The third innings topped our best batting for the year with doubles and triples a plenty, batting through the list three times and scoring another 10 runs. With the thought of "shut out" drifting through my mind, Forest Hill were finally were able to send us back into the field to finish the game. Striking out the first two batters, I was confident. Walking the next two batters they had runners on and were in their best position in the game to score a run. Then it happened! A double to left, scored two runs. Ruining the shut out, after which the last batter of the game was struck out, but the damage had already been done. We ended up winning 22 to 2. Which was a great win for the whole team.

Round 9: VS Knox

Our second encounter with the strong team of Knox was not quite as bad as the first time round. In fact I would have said we would have been in with a chance of winning if our errors weren't stacked as high as the empire state building. The first innings. Knox were able to score 4 easy runs from errors in the infield. When we were up at bat we mirrored Knox in hitting, the only difference was that they were able to make the plays while we fumbled. This was to be the trend set for the day. A brighter note was that we had base runners this game and were even able to score 3 runs, although the unearned runs cost us dearly and our heads dropped as hit after hit we were unable to field and throw the ball cleanly. With the pitchers pitching well there was no back up for them in the infield and their good work was unrewarded. Even though Knox at this stage look the strongest team in this division I believe that with out all of our mistakes we could of giving them a run for their money. Thanks to Tommy for filling in and playing first base for the first time. This was a tough game to start in a new position, he battled on and made some nice plays. Everyone makes mistakes but we made too many to be competitive against a strong team like Knox. Training Training Training boys! See you Tuesday and Thursday.

Round 8: VS Melbourne Uni

The 8th game of the season was our second bout against Melbourne Uni, having defeated them earlier in the season, all team member seemed confident coming into the match. Having a full team of 9 was also a comforting factor for all, knowing that Mr Blank was warming the pine, as he has a awful record of striking out and ruining any potential innings. Staring out of the blocks slow we allowed 4 runs to score, after which we strung 3 outs together and had a bat. Scoring 3 runs we were back in the game, putting pressure on Melb Uni, with a string of good hits and aggressive base running. But it all started to fall apart in the third with misfields turning outs into baserunners. Battling along we were able to score more runs and keep the scores neck and neck with Melb Uni. But this week our fielding was to be our undoing, being unable to keep Melb Uni from scoring in the last inning, they atchieved their 3 winning runs. This capped off a disappointing game with the better team loosing through simple errors, in which Melb Uni were able to capitalise. From here on in I hope we can field a consitant team of 9 where we can work on the "little things" that have let us down through out the year.

Round 7: VS Watsonia

Coming into the 7th game I was quietly confident of our chances against Wastonia. Looking at there win / loss ratio they seemed to be on par with ours. Starting with only 8 players, giving one of our best to the undermanned 3's, it was going to be hard to get the good start we sorely needed. As it tured out the day was not to be ours with Mr Blank repeatedly striking out and simple errors in the field, Watsoina with ease took a comfortable lead. After a little controversy during the change of innings any momentum we had coming off the previous inning was lost. Batting continues to be the biggest worry, being our Achillies heal, with only a handful of safe hits throughout the game. On the up side the outfielders were excellent, who in turn had a lot on there hands and handled the pressure well. Thanks to Joe who helped with fielding in right field, your presence was most apprieciated.

Round 6: VS Forest Hill

Sixth game of the season was played against little known Forest Hill. This is the first time in some seasons that we have faced this team, so we weren't quite sure what to expect. First run for Forest Hill and of the game came off the first batter with a long bomb to left field. Hoping this wasn't going to be the start of a long day, we soldiered on without conceding another hit. During our first at bat we were able to score our first four runs and take back the one we lost. The fielding was very tight during the game with all ground balls quickly gobbled up and safely thrown to first. Encouraged by our form on the field we quickly refilled the bases but were unable to score. Returning back to the field we shut down the opposition quickly with some good pitching and excellent fielding. The bases were bludging once more when Jeff Thompson struck a lightning bolt through the infield to bring home 3 more. The final inning saw us dispatch the opposition with little effort only giving up 4 hits in the entire game, leaving us all but to snatch the game by scoring twice more. Special thanks to our beloved scorer Shelby who scored on her birthday. Happy Birthday Shelb!
Thanks again to Jeff Thompson who filled in for Cam.
Brendan make sure you get your stuff ready on Friday night! P.S There are such things as alarm clocks! 11.15 start boys!

Round 5: VS Heathmont

The fifth game was against Heathmont. The team itself was in a good mood
considering the belting of last weeks game, all arriving on time, for once.
Things seemed to be travelling well so far, a perfect sunny day, just right
for baseball. We started slow out of the blocks in the first innings, with
Josh hurting his arm and was unable to throw the rest of the game, Heathmont
were able to jump out to a quick lead.This was to be short lived. A change
of pitcher and we were back in the game quickly disposing of the opposition
batters. Giving us a chance to settle the score. By the top of the forth
inning the opposition were deflated, having to change three pitchers in one
innings, as they struggled to attain three outs. Our runs came hard and fast
with everybody contributing at least two hits each. Cam Carr had a day out
hitting two doubles and a home run. The overall game was of very high
standards with excellent fielding and swinging red hot bats, we returned to
Heathmont what Knox gave us last week. Special thanks goes out to Gibbo,
Andrew Kent, Ryan and Joe for helping out with the umpiring. An extra
special thanks to Julie Thompson for manning the canteen during the 4's
game.

Bring on Forest Hill !!!

Round 4: VS Knox

The forth game of the season was against our arch rivals Knox. As expected
they had a very strong batting line up and flexed their muscles in this
department through out the game. Our young inexperienced team was
overpowered by the Knox veterans, who won easily in a disappointing but
fairly predictable match. On a brighter side, our two young junior rookies
Lee Barnett and Sam Thompson show signs of improvement every week. Keep it
up boys! Special thanks to Joel Mann who was the ring in of the week and did
well in his first game against a quality team. See you next year Eddy!

Round 3: VS Ringwood

The third game of the season against Ringwood was a tough old game. Fielding
was solid, with three double plays and no errors in the infield. But the
lack of hits was a major factor with only 5 thoughout the whole game,
playing a major part in our loss. Special thanks to Bubba and Jeff Thompson
who filled in for us, they are welcome to play anytime. The final score 11
to 3.

Wheres Eddy????

Round 2: VS Melbourne Uni

No report submitted.

Round 1: VS Greensborough