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In a commanding display Phillip Morgan’s 5ths claimed the flag in under a day at Elderslie Reserve this afternoon.

James Ratcliffe and James Hadfield went to work and cleaned up Grovedale for 100 to ensure a miserly total to chase in a one sided match.

Ratters with 6/31 was well supported by the Cougar with 4/34 while SpecsDevlin (27) and skipper Morgo (47 not out) ensured the premiership with the loss of just two wickets.

EIGHT premierships, more than 8000 runs, 300 games and life membership have secured Russell Mitchell’s rightful place as a Newtown & Chilwell legend.

Mitchell is in the middle of his 300th match for the Two Blues and remained confident his team could defend a modest total against St Joseph’s seconds tomorrow.

The 44-year-old scored six as Newtown crawled to 139 on a low and slow wicket last Saturday, but believed the Joeys would need to bat the majority of the day to spoil his party.

He conceded he had not had the best year with the bat so far but he still loved playing and planned to continue for many years to come.
“I plan to play for a long time,” Mitchell said.
“Whether I end up playing in the fifths or sixths … doesn’t matter. I’ll keep playing until I can’t run anymore.”

Mitchell is revered by all at Newtown, where he started his playing career as an 11-year-old in 1975 under the guidance of then under-13s coach Don Royce, who has become a lifelong friend.

He played his first senior match in the Two Blues’ fifths as a 14-year-old and received club life membership earlier this year.

But, Mitchell means much more to the club than his longevity. He was a gun player and an integral part of the Newtown teams that dominated Geelong cricket in the 1980s.

Mitchell is the only player to have made two double centuries for the club, with a highest score of 213 not out in the firsts against Geelong West in 1985.

He played in four first XI premierships and has added three second XI triumphs and one in thirds for good measure.

Mitchell said those heady days were built on a core of brilliant players and a belief the team could win from any position.

“The thing about it was, no matter what we did with bat or ball, we believed we were going to win. We always thought we would win and most times we did,” he said.

In between those cricket triumphs, Mitchell enjoyed a brief league football career with Geelong.

He played two senior matches and “about 10 reserves games” for the Cats in 1985 and 1986, receiving a call up after the infamous Leigh Matthews-Neville Bruns clash.

“I got called down from Bell Post Hill because they were short,” he said. “I played three games in the reserves, got a call up to the seniors and played in the first round of 1986. I also played a night match against Hawthorn.”

by Daniel Breen, courtesy of the Geelong Advertiser

Newtown and Chilwell was well represented at the Geelong Cricket Club Bakker Squad launch last night with six members of the 56 strong squad coming from Queen’s Park.

Dean Turnley, Jai Sheahan, Jamie Harrison, Alex Carr, Tom Jefferies and Darcy Del Rio will enjoy specialist coaching from some of the best junior coaches in the State over the coming weeks.

After an address by Geelong captain-coach Damian Shanahan, this year’s Bakker squad members were presented with their training shirts at Skilled Stadium last night by Victorian Bushrangers batsman Aaron Finch. Finch then told the region’s best young cricketers how their career can benefit from the Geelong Cricket Club program.

The squad is named after former Victorian all-rounder Jason Bakker, a stalwart of the Geelong Cricket Club. About 70 young cricketers from the Barwon region have been invited to participate in specialist coaching sessions during July and August.

The players, aged between 13 and 17, have been put into specialist groups batting, pace bowling, spinners and wicketkeeping and will learn from leading coaches from Cricket Victoria and the Geelong Cricket Club. Finch, who started his cricket career at Colac West, said development programs like the Bakker Squad had helped to fast-track his development as they provided him with access to excellent coaching.

Regional cricket manager Bruce Nunn said being part of the squad was a great opportunity to gain exposure to the best specialist coaching and the latest technology. “The program aims to identify player strengths and weaknesses,” Nunn said.

Spin bowlers; Andrew Casey, Lachlan Crook, Kal Dubbledam, Chris McKay, Hugh Maloney, Jack Rodgers, Sam Schaller, Tom Treble, Dean Turnley, Brendon Wray
Pace bowlers; Alex Carr, James Colman, Scott Condy, Andre Delorenzo, Matthew Elliot, Jason Grozdanovski, Jamie Harrison, Reece Illig, Cameron Johnston, Nick Lynch, Dylan McFarlane, Dom McGlinchey, Tom Quinlan, Jai Sheahan, Tom Stewart, Matthew Tarbutt, Josh Vagg, Tim Wight

Batters; Meyrick Buchanan, Michael Condy, Darcy Del Rio, Shane Dillion, Dane McFarlane, Luke Ford, Jack Wood, Dylan Flanigan, Alex Hickey, Jake Ibbs, Tom Jefferies, Dylan McMahon, Hayden McMahon, Daniel Maclean, Tom Mathieson, Jane Neil, Liam Phillips, Mitch Reid, Patrick Richards, Blake Troy, Eamonn Vines

Wicket keepers; Nicholas Dixon, Scott Dixon, Riley Ferguson, Jarryd Garner, Liam McGuane, David Peel

by Bradley Green courtesy of the Geelong Advertiser