Randall Woodley
“Winners are willing to go longer, work harder, and give more than anyone else.” ― Vince Lombardi Famous NFL Coach
The Tewantin-Noosa Thunder Cricket Club’s First Grade side were presented with the shield last Sunday as the Sunshine Coast’s One-Day (50 overs) competition winners. Unfortunately, the final which was to be played at Read Park against their long-time adversaries, the Caboolture Sharks, was abandoned after the wicket and field was determined to be unplayable by the official umpires. The match was originally to be played the Sunday previous but had been rescheduled due to the wet weather.
However, there was no doubt that the Thunder team deserved to be declared the winners due to their performances during the One-Day scheduled matches. The team played seven matches, won four, lost only one match and had two games abandoned due to the weather. On the other hand, the second placed Caboolture team had won only two of their matches. It was a fitting reward for the Thunder team who are in the rebuilding stage with many of their players still teenagers or in their early twenties.
Next weekend all grades will be commencing their final fixture matches of the 2023-24 season. The games will be played over two Saturdays, February 24 and March 2. First Grade are guaranteed a place in the semi-finals and the Second-Grade boys are planning on a positive outcome in their match in the hope of playing in the finals.
FIRST GRADE: The team currently sits on top of the ladder with 129 points, followed by Caboolture 116, Maroochydore 104 and the young Coolum team with 95 points. Next Saturday they will play the last placed Glasshouse Rangers in their two-day match at Read Park. In the batting statistics for the grade to date, the Thunder has four batsmen, (Jarrod Officer, Michael Eckard, Ben Laughlin and Andy Batten) in the top ten run scorers. In the bowling stats, the team boasts three players in the top ten wicket-takers. (Zac Murray 34, Michael Eckard 33, and Ben Laughlin 28.). And to round off a team of allrounders, wicketkeeper Cooper Lea heads the fielding statistics with 32 catches and 3 stumpings. The team is full of confidence as they head for the finals in early March.
SECOND GRADE: The team has had an up and down year and are sitting in 6th place as they move into the final round. They will need to win outright against the Coolum Sharks at their ground over the next two Saturdays and rely on other results if they have any chance of moving into the top four.
In the grade statistics to date, captain Tristan Griffin (356 runs at 32) is the only Thunder player to appear in the top ten. The grade bowling statistics are a similar story with young Ollie Wilson being the lone Thunder bowler in the top ten. He has taken 22 wickets but has the best bowling average of the top ten at 8.68 runs per wicket.
THIRD GRADE: The team is in sixth position on the ladder and appear unlikely to make it to the finals this season. In their final match they will travel south and take on Caboolture. The team included a number of junior players in their ranks each Saturday during the season and they all acquitted themselves very well. With this season’s experience under their belts, they will be a more experienced and tougher outfit next year. They have no players in the top ten in either batting or bowling.
FOURTH GRADE: The team are in 9th place on the ladder after a tough season. They had three wins and a couple where they were in a position to win only to be denied by the weather. However, the standout statistic is that their captain, Jeremy Holland is topping the batting with 451 runs at an average of 90. He was only able to play in 7 matches during the season. The team’s final hit out will be against Cooroy-Eumundi at Dale Officer Oval over the next two Saturdays.
FIFTH GRADE: This team has won the premierships in previous seasons, but the competition has certainly strengthened since then. They kept the nucleus of their side but throughout the season lost players to higher grades and often had to fill in with juniors to make up a team. To finish the season, they are at home over the next fortnight to the ladder leaders, Landsborough Loggers. The only batter to appear in the top ten was stalwart Wayne Moore who topped scored for the team with a 92 during the season. Young Justin Latimer also appeared in the bowling top ten as the team’s leading wicket taker.
JUNIOR GRADES. There were some outstanding performances, both by individuals and the teams during the season. The Under 17s did not make the finals but the Under 15sA and Under 13As ended up third on their respective season’s table and both teams will be playing off in the semi-finals next weekend. The 13sA play their semi- final at Matt Thornhill Oval on Saturday morning in a 30 over match. If they win, they proceed straight to the final the following weekend. The 15sA will play their semi-final at Caboolture on Sunday. It is hoped that club supporters will turn up at these matches to cheer on the club’s future stars.
WOMEN’S GRADE: The season was interrupted by many games being abandoned due to the weather, but the girls performed well and won three of their matches. The Thunder had three of their batters in the top ten. (Talei Owen, Tracey Diprose and Petina McAulay.)
