Appliances Online’s cricket team bound for glory

January 24th, 2012

Company News

In a week that saw Appliances Online honoured by David Hasselhoff, a team of the company’s finest also sought glory and recognition on the cricket field.

That’s right, a gutsy unit comprising the cream of Appliances Online – leading appliance retailers turned park-cricket gladiators – took on the formidable Centrebet Sledgers in the Last Man Stands cricket comp, Centennial Park.

Last Man Stands delivers an 8-a-side (semi) amateur version of T20, which (for the uninitiated) is a shortened cricket format. Each side gets a limit of 20 overs to slog their way to a respectable score.

Skipper Kevin Bradford won the toss for AOL and sent the opposition into bat.

A positive start – and things were looking even better when Chris White opened up the bowling with impressive pace and swing to get the opening batsman out, caught behind.

Unfortunately, the Centrebet batting order then proceeded to consolidate, using some ugly and ungentlemanly (if brutally effective) shots that resulted in a few lucky boundaries. Rest assured, we made them work hard for their sixes and many of them weren’t that big or off any more than four successive deliveries.

Kevin was a notable highlight with the ball – bowling with good pace and swing while tossing up the odd slower ball to bewilder the hapless opposition. Dave Olsen proved he was more “tweaker” than “twitterer” with some spin bowling, while Rob Dowling bowled with fire to pick up a late wicket.

AOL ended up staring at a chase of 217 to win. Impossible? – possibly.

Morris Bryant and Big Aussie Pete Harris opened up and were doing well until Morris was unfortunately run-out.

Enter Nick Chernin. On debut, “Slogger” proceeded to decimate the bowling, hitting the ball to all parts (of cow-corner) using an unconventional technique he was heard to say “he got from playing golf”. He was eventually out for 26 trying to take the one wood to a yorker.

Solid performances from the middle-order gave the score some respectability, but we ultimately fell short by a mere 107 runs.

Notwithstanding coming a (respectable) second in this particular contest, it was a positive start for the Appliances Online team – a cricketing triumph is just around the corner.

Make sure you come down and support the team in this week’s clash against the “Muppardos” – 5:40, Centennial Park.  If the sight of eight athletes in their prime playing for your company doesn’t make you want to reach for the pom-poms and form a cheer-squad, nothing will.