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Club History
15 Aprl 2005
The 1990's saw the F&DMCA begin to decline as a competitive body with a gradual erosion of teams. When North Fremantle resigned in 1995 their passing left only seven clubs and 35 teams which was a drop of ten teams and two clubs from 1990. At the beginning of the 1995-96 season meetings were held with the South Suburban Cricket Association with a view to a merger taking place for the 1997-98 season. However, prior to the 1996-97 season one of the SSCA's leading clubs in Thornlie decided to move to a turf association so the SSCA offered Spartans their place. After a meeting between the club committee and its current life members the decision was made for Spartans to join the SSCA. The decision was based on the fact that :-
Some 23 Spartans had clocked up 15 years or more playing in the F&DMCA since 1957 and a large number of Spartans had represented the F&DMCA at inter-association level. It was a tough decision but in the end it was unaminously decided that the club take the step and move into the SSCA which at this stage now comprised 58 teams from 16 clubs. However, the moment the news of Spartans move became public there was at last a breaking of the apathy that had been the lot of the rest of the F&DMCA since 1990. A hurried meeting between the remaining clubs - CBCOB, Cockburn, Kardinya Lakes, Phoenix, Hilton Tempest and East Fremantle - resolved that they too would apply to join the SSCA for the 1996-97 season with the merger still to take place the following year. The SSCA accepted this move and so the F&DMCA as an association passed once again into history bearing in mind that it had been dissolved on two previous occasions. However, it would seem that this time there was little likelyhood of the F&DMCA ever being re-constituted again so Spartan's playing record prior to entering the SSCA stood at :-
The leading Spartan players in the club's sixty seven year participation in that competition were:-
Club President Brian Waterer was seconded to a position on the controlling executive of the SSCA so the club was represented at the highest level in this vital first year. An added bonus to all this change of direction was that the relationship between the club and Melville Corinthian Soccer Club who were the winter tenants of John Connell Reserve had become much better established, and after a rather unsettled decade of existence the Leeming Sports Association under the leadership of Brian Waterer had become a much more united and professional body. 1996-97 Officials. Senior Vice-President. Peter McGilvray Junior Vice-President Garry Boyes Secretary Graeme Ashley 7th Year. Treasurer. Lee Donovan First Grade Captain Greg Dudley Second Grade Captain Peter Agostino Third Grade Captain David Blight 6th Year. Fourth Grade Captain Dick Manning Fifth Grade Captain Graeme Ashley 5th Year Sixth Grade Captain Alan Cole The sixth grade competition played only one day cricket and as the club had some twenty five players who were only available on a part-time basis the club entered a team in this grade to accommodate those players. The early days in this new competition were testing as many of the SCCA's operating and playing rules were far different to those of the F&DMCA and the club experienced quite a few problems coming to grips with them. In particular the SCCA's points system heavily favoured batting sides and this meant that a losing side could earn as many points as a winning side if they batted second and smashed a big second innings score. Thankfully Graeme Ashley the club's secretary par excellence s soon established a very good rapport with both the association secretary and the registrar so that the club soon developed an operating procedure that fitted in smoothly with the requirements of the association.The SCCA's attitude towards the game was far more casual than that of the F&DMCA clubs with the former playing the type of cricket that was more suited to social one day games. As a consequence the harder approach of the Fremantle based sides led to them dominating the top half of each grade... so much so that the Fremantle clubs won nine of the ten premierships contested. The first grade was comprised of 12 teams and they only played 11 two day games but the seconds, thirds, fourths and fifths had a similar format to that they were used to, that is 7 two day games and 7 one day games. Spartans inability to cope adequately with one day cricket was once again very obvious and with the exception of the seconds all did very poorly in this form of cricket. The seconds won 6 of their 7 games to head the qualifying table and duly met Cockburn in the final at John Connell. Spartans controlled this game for most of the day and duly won with a scoreline of 4 for 135 to Cockburns 133. It was the club's first success at this level since 1974 and was a great boost to club morale. The Premiership Team. Craig Forsyth, Peter Phillips, Joshua Mann, Graeme Bond, Brad Mant Peter Agostino [Captain], Jason Hamling, Shane Hersey, Duncan Munro Andrew Wragg, Steven Hope-Hume Munro with 5 for 42, Forsyth with 53 and Phillips with 52 were the stars. The major premiership competition was Spartans most successful year in its long history. Five of the club's six sides reached the finals with the Seconds and Sixes winning premierships. The Sixes were also Minor Premiers. First Grade. The team performed well enough without ever really looking like a premiership combination. The batting was solid and put together some very good scores but the attack proved to be two quality bowlers short, this being very evident in the semi-final which was lost to the eventual premiers in Cockburn 237 to 204 with Cockburns last three wickets adding one hundred runs. Best performers for the season were captain Greg Dudley 495 runs, former state country representative Rob Dreghorn 367 runs, Paul Hitch 335 runs and 17 wickets, wicketkeeper Darren Rose 320 runs and 21 dismissals , Graham Pound 31 wickets and young leg-spinner Jason Cunningham 22 wickets. Second Grade. PREMIERS A marvellous year saw them win both the One Day and the major Premiership. Brilliantly led by Peter Agostino they performed consistently at a very competent level all season. There were many fine performances for the season-- Brad Mant 500 runs (who was suspended by the club for various misdemeanors and did not play in the last two qualifying rounds or the finals), Joshua Mann 417 runs and 30 wickets, wicketkeeper Peter Phillips 405 runs and 37 dismissals, Mark Webber 391 runs, Craig Forsyth 375 runs, Jason Hamling 230 runs and 27 wickets, Shane Hersey 210 runs and 17 wickets and Steve Hope-Hume 27 wickets. The Premiership Final. The Scores. Leeming Spartans 5 for 145; Kelmscott 143 Mann 46, Phillips 31 and Hope-Hume 6 for 34 were the Spartan stars. The Team. Craig Forsyth, Peter Phillips, Mark Webber, Joshua Mann, Graeme Bond, Peter Agostino [Captain], Duncan Munro, Jason Hamling Shane Hersey, Andrew Wragg, Steve Hope-Hume. Third Grade. Were a competitive unit and their fourth placing was probably a fair indication of their strength and ability. Their better performers:- Andrew Walker 381 runs, skipper Dave Blight 326 runs,Gary Mitchell 145 runs and 13 wickets and Mick Bennett 18 wickets. Former Tasmanian Sheffield Shield player Rob Knight scored 132 in one of his rare games for the club. Fourth Grade. They too finished fourth and this too was about right although had they been able to overcome Central Districts in the semi-final they could have well taken out the pennant as Centrals were the only side in the grade who caused them major problems. Good players were:- captain Dick Manning 401 runs and 8 wickets, Tony Bright 278 runs and 12 wickets, Peter Lansbury 226 runs and 12 wickets and Glenn Dobson 24 wickets. Fifth Grade. Finished in sixth spot but given their lack of real quality players were very competitive and recorded some solid wins during the season with Barry Preedy 354 runs and 11 wickets, skipper Mike Bunyan 287 runs and 14 wickets , Noel Wood 24 wickets and Matt Scott 131 runs and 16 wickets showing the way. Veteran Noel Wood was recognised for his fine efforts in winning the Read/Waterer medal as the Club Champion. Sixth Grade. PREMIERS This grade played all one day cricket - some 22 games in all- and won the Premiership by beating the Minor Premiers in East Fremantle. The club had entered a side in this grade to cater for those players who could not make themselves available for all games. It was a great success as many very good players who had fallen away from the club due to work commitments were attracted back with the grand final side being a very strong side indeed. Excellent captaincy and management from Alan Cole led to the team's many fine performances. The stars were:- Murray Sibson 563 runs with 3 centuries as well as 10 wickets, Miles Jordan 440 runs,Jim Leinasars 289 runs and 30 wickets, Dean Stammers 233 runs and 15 wickets, Justin Parsons 206 runs and19 wickets,wicketkeeper Joel Manning 245 runs and 10 dismissals and veteran left hander Chris Bibrlik 38 wickets. The Grand Final. The Scores. Leeming Spartans 149; East Fremantle 141 Stammers 42 and 2 for 32 was the star. The Team. Murray Sibson, Dean Stammers, Miles Jordan, Joel Manning Jim Leinasars, Mark Palumbo, Justin Parsons, Mark Dobson Alan Cole [Captain], David Jones, Chris Bibrlik. 1997-98 Club Officials. Senior Vice President Peter McGilvray. 2nd Year. Junior Vice President Gary Boyes 2nd Year. Secretary Graeme Ashley 8th Year. Treasurer Lee Donovan 2nd Year. First Grade Captain Greg Dudley 3rd Year. Second Grade Captain Peter Agostino 3rd Year Third Grade Captain Peter Read Fourth Grade Captain Gary Boyes Fifth Grade Captain Michael Bunyan Sixth Grade Captain Alan Cole The club was now in a very sound position financially and began the year with a bank balance of $11000 which was the healthiest it had ever been. The season itself began in fine style and at the Christmas break the Thirds, Fourths and sixes were on top of their respective grades while the Firsts and Seconds were in second place and the Fifths were lying third. Then the traditional Spartan "wobble" began after the break and all sides began to struggle. This was partly due to the fact that we were in the one-day segment of the season - when results were very much a matter of luck - and partly due to lack of application by the better players. However, a mid season boost to club morale was provided by the First Grade when they won the club's first ever premiership at first grade level in the One Day Competition. The Scores. Leeming Spartans 5 for 231; Phoenix 137 The Premiership Team. Greg Dudley ( Captain ),Peter McGilvray, Paul Hitch, Brad Mant, Michael Fletcher, Shane Hersey, Peter Phillips, Steve Hope-Hume, Graeme Bond, Jason Cunningham, Matthew Smith The Stars. Mant 90n.o. Dudley 67 Cunningham 44 Hersey 4 for 39 Hitch 3 for 22. However this was to be the First Grades last hurrah as they lost every two day game after the Christmas break except the very last one which they won outright ! As they had also one the first game outright it was probably the first time since the sixties that a first grade side had won two games outright in the one season. To miss the finals having done that showed how sub-standard they were in the other games. The side finished fifth with the better performers being :- captain Greg Dudley with 563 runs and 10 wickets, Matthew Smith who was developing into a genuine fast bowler with 356 runs and 34 wickets, leg spinner Jason Cunningham with 45 wickets and 222 runs, Paul Hitch with 378 runs and 19 wickets and wicketkeeper Peter Phillips with 346 runs and 43 dismissals. Second Grade. Didn't quite have the talent of the previous season but still managed to reach the grand final of the major competition for the second year in a row. They had their chances in the grand final but a couple of lapses of concentration, one with the bowling and fielding late on the first day and one with the middle order batsmen late on the second day saw them lose to Hilton Park by a narrow margin. The better players were:- Mark Webber with 468 runs, Graeme Pound 298 runs and 15 wickets, Duncan Munro 309 runs and 10 wickets, Joshua Mann 217 runs and 20 wickets and David Abercrombie 35 wickets. Third Grade. A very powerful batting side that could be brilliant at times but was also a little brittle on other occasions, usually important occasions, which led to them being Minor Premiers but losing their semi-final to CBC Old Boys. There were many good performers:- captain Peter Read 585 runs, Mal Green (a former coach of Cockburn and Hilton Park ) 435 runs and 20 catches, Steve Quartermaine 388 runs, David Blight 379 runs, Sean Wright 301 runs and 26 wickets and veteran left hander Mick Bennett 34 wickets. Fourth Grade. PREMIERS Struggled to make the four then carried all before them to win the premiership defeating Hilton Park in the grand final. The batting went up a level in class when outstanding batsman and stroke player Alex Read-Brain returned after 15 months in the United Kingdom and was added to the fourths for the finals. His half century in the grand final made the match secure. Two veteran bowlers in leg spinner Ray Turnbull and left hand medium pacer Noel Wood also gave outstanding performances in the finals with the latter being almost unplayable in the grand final. The captain Gary Boyes handled the side with a great deal of common sense and some very good tactical moves. The stars were:- Peter Lansbury 452 runs, Gareth Finlay 248 runs, Dave Hackett 238 runs, Peter Ferguson 203 runs and 11 wickets, Ray Turnbull 31 wickets, Kevin Wade 190 runs and 20 wickets and Noel Wood 18 wickets. The Grand Final. The Scores. Leeming Spartan C.C. 5 for 152; Hilton Park 149 The Premiership Team. Dave Hackett, Craig Monceiff, Miles Jordan, Alex Read-Brain Andrew Walker, Peter Ferguson, Peter Lansbury, Gary Boyes [Captain], Kevin Nash, Noel Wood, Ray Turnbull Fifth Grade. Was probably the srongest team the club had entered at this level in several seasons. They should have made the four but inexplicably threw away games they should have won. Two games in particular when in one they scored 321 and lost and the second when they needed 6 runs to win with 4 wickets in hand and lost that one as well. Better players were:- opener Steve Hall with 551 runs, veteran Dick Manning 429 runs and 24 wickets, Mick Bunyan 266 runs and Ross Cherry 24 wickets. Sixth Grade. The Grand Final. The Scores Leeming Spartan C.C. 171; Hilton Park 97 The Premiership Team. Mark Dobson, Joel Manning, Ron McDonald, Kevin Poller, Glenn Dobson, Dale Sutherland, Justin Parsons, David Jones, Jim Leinasars, Chris Bibrlik, Alan Cole [Captain]. A pre-war star in Roy Thomson also passed away having reached the cricket hoodoo number of 87. Roy was a fine all-rounder whose record of 90 wickets in a season will probably stand for ever. His statistics, like all the pre-war players are not complete as yet but as the records stand he scored 785 runs and took 154 wickets for the club. Roy's father had been president of the club for 22 years from 1920 to 1942. Roy and his family had been an enormous help to Brian Waterer in the early 1970's when these records were being researched and set up. 1998-99 The club entered its eightieth year with a great deal of optimism. The bank balance had jumped to $16000, the club looked to be retaining most of its players and there were good players from other competitions expressing an interest to join. The Officials. Senior Vice President Peter McGilvray 3rd year. Also his 11th year as coach. Junior Vice President Gary Boyes 3rd year. Secretary Graeme Ashley 9th year. Treasurer Paul Hitch 1st year. First Grade Captain Greg Dudley 4th year. Second Grade Captain Peter McGilvray Shane Hersey. 1st year. Third Grade Captain Peter Read 2nd year (7th in total.) Fourth Grade Captain Gary Boyes 2nd year Fifth Grade Captain Tony Bright 1st year. Sixth Grade Captain Ron McDonald. 1st Year. To honour the memory of Joe Rayner who had passed away early in 1998 the club joined forces with the Kwinana Club to play an annual match for the Joe Rayner Memorial Shield. Joe had been awarded a Life Membership by both clubs. The inaugural match was won by Kwinana. Off the field momentous things looked to be in the making. The club had approached the Melville City Council for a loan to add a second ground to the John Connell complex and to extend the clubhouse to accomodate a coolroom and a committee room. After some discussion the Council suggested that if the Leeming Bowling Club were to join the Leeming Sportsmans Association ( the parent body for Leeming Spartans and the Leeming Strikers Soccer Club ) the Council would be prepared to enter into a feasability study to investigate the possibilities of building a multi-faceted building to cover the needs of the three sporting clubs. This project would also include the new cricket / soccer ground and another bowling rink. After several meetings and some months of discussion the architects concept plans were approved and these plans then went to the finance committee of the Melville City Council for approval. Subsequently the Council allocated $1 million dollars to the project which left the Leeming Sports Association to pursue a further $1 million through grants and loans to get the project to its next stage. A solid pre-season recruiting programme attracted a number of first grade players to the club. These were Chris Bagshaw a fast bowler from Postals, Alec Lacey a fast bowler from Canning Districts, Barry Harken a middle order batsman and fast bowler from South Perth, Gary Mathews an opening batsman (and captain coach ) from Kardinya and James Pipe a wicketkeeper from Worcester (U.K. County C.C.). At the Christmas break the results had been sound without being what the club had really hoped for. The One Day Knockout had been a disaster with the First and Second grades being annhilated by Cockburn and Armadale respectively. At Chrismas the sides occupied the following positions on the points table:- First Grade fifth; Second Grade fourth; Third Grade First; Fourth Grade fourth; Fifth Grade second; Sixth Grade fourth. The fourth and fifth sides had virtually been eliminated from the one day finals while the thirds were in a three way battle with Armadale and Kwinana for a place in their one day final. Ultimately the Third Grade defeated Armadale to win the One Day Pennant for that grade. With a game to go all six sides were in their respective top fours but the last round saw that situation come unstuck. The First Grade missed the four despite defeating the eventual Premiers CBC in the last game due to an anomaly in the points system allowing another club to jump over them. The Fourth Grade played poorly to lose their last game to bottom side Roleystone and as a consequence they too missed the four, and cost the club what would have been its first ever Club Championship. First Grade. Won 8 of their 11 games which included solid victories over both the clubs that played off in the Grand Final. They were unbeaten after round five and understandably somewhat shattered at not making the finals. Captain Greg Dudley led the way with 503 runs and 10 wickets with his century against CBC in the final round being one of the best hundreds ever made for the club. He was supported by Paul Hitch with 351 runs and 18 wickets, Chris Bagshaw 263 runs and 23 wickets, James Pipe 361 runs and 19 wicketkeeper dismissals, Matthew Smith 298 runs and 21 wickets and Peter McGilvray with 251 runs at an average of 62.7 which won the Association Batting Trophy . Second Grade. PREMIERS This side was probably one of the best to represent the club in this grade. While it was a reasonably young side it was a very experienced one with every one in the team having First Grade experience After having two changes of captain by the fifth game Shane Hersey , one of the young "veterans" in the sidetook over and moulded them into a very powerful combination. A hard fought semi-final win in which a great deal of character was needed to achieve the win, was followed by an outstanding team effort in the Grand Final where they comfortably accounted for Hilton Park The Grand Final Leeming Spartans 9 decl. 238 Phillips 105: Mant 81 n.o.; Hilton Park 136 Hope-Hume 4 for 47. The Team Peter Phillips, Paul Emmanuel, Joshua Mann, Darren Rose, Graeme Bond, Brad Mant, Clint Barnes, Shane Hersey [Captain], Steven Hope-Hume, Tony Bacich, Darren Fletcher There were many fine performances over the season demonstrating just how strong the side was; Brad Mant 506 runs and 15 wickets: Peter Phillips 338 runs and 19 wicketkeeping dismissals with his century in the Grand Final being the first ever scored by a Spartan player in a Grand Final: Graeme Bond 396 runs: Paul Emmanuel 371 runs and 12 catches: Peter McGilvray 242 runs: Shane Hersey 203 runs and 27 wickets: Joshua Mann 198 runs and 11 wickets : and opening bowlers Steven Hope-Hume 27 wickets and Darren Fletcher 24 wickets. Third Grade. A very,very good side, probably the strongest in this grade but couldn't get past CBC in the semi-final. However they did receive some compensation for this failure by easily accounting for Armadale in the One Day Final. The One Day Final. Leeming Spartans 3 for 107 Quartermaine 38no. Carlson 36; Armadale 104 Bacich 3 for 12: Bennett 3 for 19 The Team. Dan Hambleton, Luke Carlson, Steve Hall, Steve Quartermaine, David Blight, Peter Read [Captain], Graham Pound, Tony Bacich, Kevin Wade, Andrew Wragg, Mick Bennett Like the players in the Seconds many of the thirds enjoyed very good seasons- Dan Hambleton 568 runs and 11 catches: Steve Quartermaine 458 runs and 33 wicket keeping dismissals: David Blight 395 runs and 11 catches: Peter Read 297 runs: Graeme Pound 221 runs and 27 Wickets: Andrew Walker 288 runs: Mick Bennett 39 wickets and Andrew Wragg 24 wickets. Fourth Grade. Were enjoying a good season up until the last game when a batting collapse saw them crash from 3 for 130 to 145 all out--chasing 157 to win. The better performers were Miles Jordan 350 runs and 10 catches: Steve Hall 278 runs (and also won the Association Batting Trophy for this grade): Luke Carlson 275 runs : Craig Moncrieff 261 runs and veteran bowlers Ray Turnbull and Noel Wood with 30 and 26 wickets respectively. Special mention needs to be made of newcomer Clint Barnes, who scored 208 runs and took 16 wickets and during the season won his way through from the Fourths to a place in the First Grade, an oustanding performance that led to him winning the "Best First Year Player" Award. Fifth Grade. This side ,with a couple of exceptions, lacked talent but reached the semi-finals with some good wins based on team spirit and "having a go." Unfortunately circumstances prevented them getting the side they should have had for the semi-final and they lost that game to Phoenix the eventual Premiers. The side was led well by captain Tony Bright with 420 runs and 24 wickets and he received great support from veteran Graeme Ashley with 532 runs and 26 wicketkeeping dismissals. Others to do their bit were Dave Hackett with 234 runs: Darren Long with 181 runs and 17 wickets and Gareth Finlay 154 runs and 21 wickets. Hackett with 78 and 89no against Cockburn became the first Spartan player to score a half century in each innings of a game. Sixth Grade. Performed well all year to comfortably earn a place in the finals. However, in the semi-final they got the worst of the conditions in a rain affected match and they lost to eventual Premiers Roleystone. Veteran all rounder Jim Leinasars had another great season with 506 runs and 33 wickets a performance that enabled him to win the Read/Waterer Medal as Club Champion. Ron McDonald captained the side well and led from the front in scoring 509 runs while Glen Dobson 340 runs and 19 wickets, Justin Parsons 320 runs and 15 wickets, Dave Jones 229 runs 26 wickets and Chris Bibrlik 229 runs 24 wickets gave solid support. 1999-2000 Following discussions between club officials and the officials of the Leeming Junior Cricket Club the junior club formally became a part of the Leeming Spartan Cricket Club. This added 11 teams of juniors to the club structure ranging from Under 10's to Under 17's. The amalgamation was planned with a view to providing a structure for juniors to have an easier progression into senior ranks while not standing in the way of those who wanted to try themselves out at a WACA club. The projected new building complex was progressing steadily and in August 1999 it was expected that the project would go to tender in May 2000 and that building would commence in July of the same year. Club Officials. Senior Vice President. Peter Read 2nd Term. 1 year previously. Junior Vice President. Junior Vice President Errol Olney Junior Division Secretary. Graeme Ashley 10th year. Treasurer. Paul Hitch 2nd Year. First Grade Captain. Greg Dudley 5th Year. Second Grade Captain. Shane Hersey. 2nd year. Third Grade Captain. Peter Read 3rd year (8th overall.) Fourth Grade Captain. Tony Bright 1st year.(2nd overall.) Fifth Grade Captain. Peter Lansbury. 1st year. Sixth Grade Captain. Gary Boyes 1st year.(3rd overall) The season produced a mixed bag of results and in all probability the club's standards slipped below that of previous seasons. The loss of some fourteen players from the top four grades due to work and travel commitments left a hole in the playing strength that the club was not able to fill adequately. Three of the six teams finished last in the two day competition and last or second last in the one-day competition which was a set of results never experienced by the club before. Fortunately the Sixth Grade won their Premiership which was some light among the general gloom. First Grade. Weren't as good a combination as the previous season but finished third at the end of the qualifying rounds only to be soundly thrashed by Cockburn in the semi-final. The team looked to be couple of class players short of being Premiership contenders. Captain Greg Dudley led the way with 361 runs and 21 wickets -an ordinary season by his standards- and he received some backing from Barry Harken 202 runs and 23 wickets and Neil Benbow 199 runs and 21 wickets. Stars of previous seasons Paul Hitch 189 runs and 18 wickets, Matt Smith 274 runs and 12 wickets and Peter McGilvray 183 runs and 4 wickets performed way below what was expected of them. Second Grade. Didn't do a lot wrong and won 7 of their 10 games to miss the finals by just 2 points and as they had beaten every team that did make the four it is quite possible they could have taken the Premiership had they played in the finals. Andrew Walker with 343 runs showed he was developing into a relable top order batsman, Jason Cunningham with 275 runs and 12 wickets was steady while Darren Fletcher with 24 wickets and Steve Hope-Hume with 16 wickets bowled well. Third Grade. After nearly a decade of being close to the outstanding team in this grade their performances fell right away and they finished last in both the Premiership and the one day competitions. They started the season well but after the fourth round of fixtures their key players struggled to reach the standards achieved in previous seasons. Danny Hambleton with 430 runs and Steve Quartermaine with 424 runs were the best of the batsmen while Mick Bennett and Andrew Wragg each took 21 wickets. Fourth Grade. For most of the season the players available to this team were not up to fourth grade standard. Many were young players in their first or second year in senior ranks while their better senior players were all too often rquired by the higher grades due to the player drain mentioned previously. They finished last in the Premiership competition but won enough one-day games to avoid the wooden spoon there. Captain Tony Bright with 368 runs and 15 wickets was outstanding and he received help at times from Des Carruthers 218 runs and veteran spinner Ray Turnbull with 30 wickets which enabled him to pass the 500 wicket milestone for the club. Fifth Grade. Like the fourths they too generally took the field with inexperienced teams. They had a couple of successes but finished last in both the Premiership and one-day competitions. Veteran stalwart Graeme Ashley scored 310 runs , Peter Lansbury 233 runs and Chris Grant took 19 wickets to be the only performers of note. Sixth Grades. PREMIERS This team proved to be far too strong for this grade to finish 45 points clear on top of the points list at the end of the qualifying rounds then won both their semi-final and the Grand Final without being troubled by the opposition The Grand Final. LSCC 9 for 225. Ferguson 57, Dobson 31; Kenwick 132 Dobson 3 / 35 The Premiership Team. Dave Hackett, Ron McDonald, Phil Flavell, Peter Ferguson, Glen Dobson, Dean Stammers, Jim Leinasars, Justin Parsons, Gary Boyes [Captain], David Jones, Chris Bibrlik. There were many outstanding performances with Glen Dobson 654 runs and 30 wickets, Jim Leinasars 515 runs and 24 wickets,Peter Ferguson 574 runs and 13 wickets (in only half the season ), Phil Flavell 569 runs and 19 catches, Dave Hackett 430 runs and David Jones 228 runs and 36 wickets all showing why the team had such an outstanding season. Some of this side weren't always available many were in the veteran category and most couldn't train but obviously a way had to be found to move some of them into the higher grades to support the inexperienced players in those grades. 2000-01 The 2000-01 season saw the dawning of a new era for the Club. Peter Read assumed the role of club President, following a reign of 21 years by IPP Brian Waterer. Brian first joined the Committee as Treasurer in 1958 and there were very few years in the interim that he did not have a role on the Committee. Club Officials: Vice President Brad Mant Secretary Graeme Ashley 11th year Treasurer Paul Hitch 3rd year A mixed success in regards to playing for the season. Four sides made the “four” and the 3rd grade and 6th grade went on the win a Premiership. The stand out team performance was the 3rd grade, who finished Minor Premiers, won the Premiership and also the One Day Final. Eight players scored hundreds, including a club record 187no by Glen Dobson. Five bowlers took more than six wickets in an innings, including 8/3 by Chris Spinella against Gosnells. First Grade: [Greg Dudley – captain] A disappointing season, winning 3 and losing 8, to finish seventh. Greg Dudley continued to lead from the front, scoring 441 runs {including 100no} for the season, with wicket keeper Clayton Wilson scoring 309 runs and making 29 dismissals. Paul Hitch also had a great season, with 227 runs and 31 wickets and Jason Cunningham also impressed with 364 runs. Second Grade: [Peter McGilvray – captain] Finished in second place with a win/loss ratio of 8/6. Lost the Semi-Final to East Fremantle. An outstanding all round performance by skipper Peter McGilvray, who scored 550 runs and took 20 wickets. Other solid performers for the season were Brad Mant 397 runs, Jason Hamling 384 runs and Graeme Bond with 317 runs. Steve Rickard took 27 wickets {including 7/97}, with Shayne Hersey taking 24 wickets {including 7/18 in the routing of CBC}. “Pommie” import Craig Thornton scored 100no against Kwinana. Third Grade: [Graham Pound – Captain] PREMIERS An outstanding season, taking all three trophies – Minor Premiers, Premiership and One Day Final victory, with a win/loss margin of 12/2. An interesting aspect of the season was the tussles with Hilton Park. Defeated Hilton by 1 run in the two day fixture, 3 runs in the 1 day fixture and by 1 run in the Semi Final. An outstanding season by veteran opener Danny Hambleton, who scored 572 runs. Graham Pound led from the front with 370 runs and 25 wickets. Bowlers with major contributions were Darren Fletcher with 27 wickets, Kevin Wade 26 and Sean Wright 25. One Day Final: Leeming-Spartan 8/194 (Steve Quartermaine 110no, Andrew Walker 50 {involved in a 111 run 5th wicket partnership} defeated East Fremantle 97 (Darren Fletcher 4/14, Kevin Wade 4/40) The team: D.Hambleton, S.Buckby, M.Brown, S.Quartermaine, G.Bond, A.Walker, G.Pound[C], S.Wright, K.Wade, A.Wragg, D.Fletcher Grand Final: Leeming-Spartan 9/105 (Steve Quartermaine 30, Sean Wright 20) defeated Canning Districts 104 (Kevin Wade 4/16, Darren Fletcher 4/37) The team: D.Hambleton, G.Marle, M.Brown, A.Walker, S.Quartermaine, G.Pound [C], S.Buckby, S.Wright, K.Wade, A.Wragg, D.Fletcher Fourth Grade: [Antony Bright – Captain] Split the season, with seven wins and seven losses to finish 4th overall, losing to SJ Blues in the Semi final. A season highlight was the outright defeat of Gosnells; bowling them out for 40 (with Chris Spinella taking 8/3) and 25 (Mick Bennett 4/16 and Chris Spinella 4/8). David Blight had a great year with the bat, scoring 583 runs (including 114) and Captain Antony Bright scored 327 runs also. Chris Spinella was the standout in the bowling department with 37 wickets, well supported by Craig Pereira 25 and Mark Nash 22. Twenty five players moved through the grade during the season, making stability difficult and in the end a creditable result. Fifth Grade: [Peter Lansbury – Captain] Finished seventh, winning four and losing nine games. Although most players made a contribution at some stage of the season lack of consistency proved the downfall. Veteran opener Graeme Ashley made 330 runs, with Peter Lansbury 276 and Gareth Finlay 205 being the other main contributors. The bowling was evenly spread; Mike Thyssen and Beau Carter with 15 wickets and Blake Carter, Gareth Finlay and Peter Lansbury getting 14. Mick Bennett took 7/33 against Kenwick to help achieve an unlikely victory at the end of the season. Sixth Grade: [Dave Hackett – Captain] PREMIERS Another stellar season, again winning the Premiership to follow last season’s success. Once again although the team suffered losses to Kenwick during the season then proved too strong in the Final. Season highlights included back to back scores of 300, including a club record score of 187no by Glen Dobson against Armadale in Round 15 (8/300). The following round saw another 8/300 score against Roleystone. Glen Dobson finished the season with 678 runs, with Phil Flavell also getting over 600 (621 – including 115no). Skipper Dave Hackett made 532 (including 123) to cap off a great batting performance for the team. Team stalwart Jim Leinasars again starred with the ball, capturing 32 scalps for the season, while Phil Maley 29, Glen Dobson and Dave Jones 24 helped maintain ascendency against most comers. Grand Final: Leeming-Spartan 2/104 (Ron McDonald 50) defeated Kenwick 102 (Noel Wood 4/24) The team: D.Hackett [C], R.McDonald, P.Flavell, G.Dobson, J.Parsons, P.Maley, G.Boyes, D.Stammers, J.Leinasars, D.Jones, N.Wood 2001-02 A further changing of the guard saw the 2001/02 season start with a new First Gade Captain. Cricket journeyman Wayne Fontana was recruited from Ballajura CC to take over from Greg Dudley as 1st grade captain. Greg Dudley has not only been our best batsman over the past decade (and possibly in the history of the Club), but has been a fantastic club supporter, serving the club as committman, 1st grade captain, financial advisor to the President. His business commitments were restricting his efforts as Club Captain and he decided to stand down from the position. Fortunately he is continuing as a player. Club Officials: Vice President Brad Mant 2nd year Secretary Jason Hamling Treasurer Andrew Walker On the field we had a rare unsuccessful season, using past seasons as a bench mark. In terms of the Association it was still a record to be envied amongst other Clubs. We continue to field six competitive sides and two teams the finals, with the First Grade finishing Minor Premiers and the Ffith Grade being Minor Premiers and Premiers. First Grade: [Wayne Fontana – Captain] Recruitment was the order of the day during the off-season and resulted in the addition of quality batsmen in Kevin Adair and Stefan Vucens in addition to the new captain. A win/loss record of 9/2 saw the side eventually finish third, losing to Phoenix in the Semi final. A highlight was scoring 9/305 against Kardinya/Lakes, including a second century of the season for Jason Cuningham (127). Kevin Adair also scored a “ton” with 114 against Kelmscott. New Captain Wayne Fontana also scored a century, making 128no against Kardinya/Lakes. Four batsmen scored over 300 for the season, Jason Cunningham 433, Kevin Adair 369, Wayne Fontana 364 and Greg Dudley 332. Neil Benbow (34 wickets) and Matt Smith (27 wickets) led the bowling attack. Second Grade: [Brad Mant – Captain] Started the season in great style, but fell away after Christmas and finished fifth, with 5 wins and 8 losses (1 match washed out). Jason Hamling scored 299 runs and Captain Brad Mant contributed 281 for the season. Alec Lacey led the bowling attack taking 23 wickets, ably assisted by Shayne Hersey and Seas Wright with 18 each. Third Grade: [Graham Pound – Captain] An even display throughtout the season enabled the 3rd’s to come fourth, winning 8 and losing 6 during the year. Lost the Semi final to Hilton Park. Kevin Wade took 7/30 against Roleystone and finished with 22 wickets. Craig Forsyth scored 403 runs, evergreen Danny Hambleton finished wth 397, including 100 against Hilton Park. Steve Quartermaine also contributed 323 for the season. Fourth Grade: [Des Carruthers – Captain] A creditable performance with a number of inexperienced players. Finished fifth winning 6 and losing 8 for the season. Thirty one players turned out for the 4ths during the season. Antony Bright enjoyed an excellent season with the bat, scoring 375. David Blight made 214. Andrew Wragg was the leading bowler with 27 wickets and Gareth Finlay taking 22 wickets. Fifth Grade: [Dick Manning – Captain] PREMIERS Finished the round fixtures as Minor Premiers and went on to win the Premiership. The team won their last two matches outright to claim top spot, defeating first Kelmscott and then Cockburn outright. Mick Bennett claimed 8/27 and 6/36 against Kelmscott. Captain Dick Manning led superbly scoring 340 runs and taking 22 wickets. Peter Lansbury scored 284 and new player Leon Kingston got 239. Mick Bennett took a fantastic 49 wickets and Chris Spinella turned in a great all round performance with 219 runs and 39 wickets. After defeating Phoenix in the Semi final went on the win the Grand Final against old enemy CBC. Grand Final: Leeming-Spartan 7/170 (Kevin Nash 46, Kevin Poller 33) defeated CBC (Mick Bennett 5/31, Dick Manning 3/27, Chris Spinella 2/31). The team: K.Poller, K.Nash, B.Stray, R.Manning [C], P.Lansbury, L.Kingston, C.McNerney, G.Ashley, C.Spinella, M.Bennett, A.Seaward Sixth Grade: [Dave Hackett – Captain] By their own high standards the 6’s had a reasonably average season, winning 7 and losing 14 games to finish seventh. Notwithstanding the season result a number of batsmen had good season; namely Phil Flavell 534 runs, Dave Hackett 442 and Dave Abercrombie 354. The bowling was carried by Dave Jones and Justin Parsons with 28 wickets. Dave Abercrombie added to his runs with 22 wickets and Ray Turnbull also took 22. Article by Author |