Last Saturday the final round of fixtures for 2023 were played by the Tewantin-Noosa club’s senior and junior teams. The club’s First Graders had a big win against long time rivals, The Maroochydore Swans which sees the Thunder team at the top of the ladder. The other teams had mixed results with the storms having an effect on the results.
Andrew Kratzmann: However, the big news this week at the club was the selection of Andrew Kratzmann into the Australian over 50s Veterans Cricket Team. Andrew has been a vital member of the Thunder’s First Grade team for the past 14 seasons and recently represented Queensland in the National Over 50s Championship, together with his brother Mark.
The Queensland team won the championship with Andrew registering a series of good scores- 27, 91 not out, 87 and 128 of 126 balls. In the last match, the final against Victoria, he and his brother Mark put on a partnership of 102. They won the match by 10 runs which was played on the prestigious Junction Oval in Melbourne.
Andrew was selected, along with 4 other Queenslanders in a 14-man Australian team to tour New Zealand in March and playing 8 games as part of a quad series against NZ, NZ A and USA teams. Then they will tour the United Kingdom in June/July and later play in the World Cup Over 50’s which is to be held in Sri Lanka November 2024.
Andrew was a professional tennis player from the 1990s to early 2000s. He played singles and doubles at all the four major championships and for a season teamed up in doubles with Roger Federer. His brother Mark won the Wimbledon Junior Boys championship in 1984. Currently Andrew is the senior tennis coach at the Matthew Flinders College on the Sunshine Coast. The Kratzmanns originally came from Murgon and as a younger cricketer, Andrew represented South Burnett and Wide Bay in regional cricket championships. The club, players and supporters wish Andrew all the best when he wears the baggy green cap in the 2024 international matches.
FIRST GRADE: The team were at Maroochydore in the last match of 2023 (50 overs a side). This fixture was very important to win to keep the Tewantin-Noosa boys on top of the ladder at the halfway point of the season. Again the team were down four first graders which just seems par for the course this year.
The pitch had plenty of grass and a series of green cracks all over and the Swans sent Thunder into bat first. The batting was slow at the start with the ball doing plenty. A couple every over would go sideways as well as up and down so it was a great challenge for the batters.
Blake Steel looked good before going for 15, Michael Eckard made 22 and Jarrod Officer 26 with Sam Baker holding the innings together at the other end, scrapping for every run. Talon Reichert batted patiently for his 22 but the innings was all about Sammy. Ultimately the young man carried his bat to finish 89 not out, off 142 balls in one of the grittiest innings you will see against a really strong bowling attack. Thunder finished up posting 7-201 which was something like 50 above par on that wicket.
Fielding second the Thunder bowlers were only able to bowl 4 overs before the storm arrived. Talon Reichert had taken a wicket to have them 1-15. Play was off for 75 minutes before the next ball was bowled and the match was now reduced to 42 overs with the target adjusted to 185.
If it was the Sammy Baker show before the rain break the team were treated to a great second stanza of the Zac Murray show after the storm. Bowling like he has all year, he destroyed the Maroochydore batting seeing them reeling at 4-25 and then 5-50 when he came off with figures of 4-19 off 7 overs.
Talon Reichert bowled well for 1-24 off 7 and Michael Eckard and Chris Hopper had them on a string. Oliver Wilson picked up a wicket before drinks to see Maroochydore fall to 6-69 off 21 overs before the umpires decided they had seen enough and called the day off for bad light for a bonus point win to the Thunder.
Sammys innings becomes more exceptional when the scorebook shows that no one else from either team passed 30. Great to see some reward for the hard work!
The team will take a break until January 6 when they will resume their quest for another premiership.
SECOND GRADE: Their match was abandoned after a heavy storm. They are placed 5th on the ladder going into 2024 but only 3 points behind the third placed team.
THIRD GRADE: This match was interrupted by storms and eventually called off with Caloundra 7 for 208. The wickets were shared around. Thunder felt they had the batting to reach the target but now they will move on to next year. This team always picks up in the second half of the season and should improve on their current fifth place on the ladder.
FOURTH GRADE: The team went down to Caloundra Lighthouses in their match. Caloundra scored 203 and Thunder could only muster 155 for the loss of 7 wickets.
U15A v Glasshouse at Dale Officer Oval. With five regular players away the team were able to recruit Henry Blackwell and Nate Watson from the U13A team. Both teams were short and provided fieldsmen to each other. Batting first the Thunder boys scored 9 for 174 off their 30 overs. Top scorers were Alek Dillewaard 63* (45), Will Caspers 29 and Eddie Smith 21.
In reply Glasshouse scored 6-128 to give the Thunder team a win. Henry Blackwell and Jackson Holland took two wickets each. A tough morning for all the players in very warm conditions but the win sees the team secure 2nd spot on the ladder heading into the Christmas break.
UNDER 13A: The team finished the year on a positive note rolling USC for 51 then knocking up 200 off 20 overs before mercifully declaring 3 down on a stinking hot day. The team is sitting Third on the ladder heading into the break with five more rounds to be played in the New Year.
