2026-27 Round Up- Round 1

2026/27 SAWTY CRICKET CLUB

‘ROUND UP’- ROUND 1

The 2026/7 season of cricket is under way. The first round saw only senior grade cricket played. See the important dates below for junior start dates.

A few new players stepped up for the club as did some juniors playing seniors. I have no doubt that you will enjoy your cricket with our senior club. Way more fun than just about anything.

Captains or their delegates are writing a match report each week that I will publish in the weekly newsletter. It is surprising the people who comment to me about how they enjoy the reports even if they are removed from the club these days.

Couple of major games this week with 1st Grade meeting last years premiers in the first round. Always nice for the captain when the new import starts cracking sixes. Also the grudge match between Sawty Blue v Sawty Gold in 4ths. With so many families playing together in 4ths, it was more like a Christmas match. Neither game was a game for the faint hearted though, just like Christmas cricket.

A reminder that the draw is available (soon for juniors) and games are live scored (usually)  on the Play Cricket App. Get it on your phone from your app store.

SPONSOR OF THE WEEK- SAWTELL HOTEL  ( Major Sponsor)

‘Recently revitalised with a Mediterranean touch this coastal gem, deeply rooted in the local community, now fuses Australian coastal hospitality with the ambiance of the Mediterranean seaside. It's a welcoming haven where warm smiles greet guests, chilled brews pour, and a delicious menu of fresh favourites and classic pub fare will leave you satisfied. Families especially love our dedicated play area and tasty kids meal options.’

The Sawtell Hotel is our major sponsor in donations to the club but also providing us with the opportunity to improve finances by having raffles each Friday night from 5.30pm. It’s an easy way to support the club if families and players can make Friday nights and buy a ticket or two. Each team will have a turn during the year running the raffles.

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JUNIOR REPRESENTATIVE HONOURS

The future of our senior teams looks solid with a number of Sawtell CC junior players selected in Coffs Harbour District Representative teams.

U12s- Hudson Dolan , Walter Martin

U14s- Cooper Heinz (VC), Nate Maguire

U16s- Denzel Wynne-Primus (C), Jabien Johnson, Josh DeGroote

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COMMITTEE

Your Committee has been meeting and organising the year ahead. We meet second Monday of the month for an hour and a half. Captains have also attended district meetings to get season run down. Please consider coming along to committee meetings to see where you can do a bit, every little bit helps. This Years executive committee is:

President- Michael Cheers (MB: 0419161903)

Secretary/Treasurer- Barrie Roche

Vice President (seniors)- Rod Sawaya

Vice President (juniors)- Paul McPherson

Members- Kelly Sawaya, Nerida Wynne-Primus, Matt Bailey,  Tyh Murphy, Ransom Lambert, Daniel Maguire, Jesse Buckle.

DATE                                                RAFFLE RESPONSIBILITY                                                      Coordinators

16th Oct                                                 16s (No game)                                                                Coach/ Ransom

23rd Oct                                          1sts                                                                        Captain/Michael

30th Oct                                           2nds                                                                  Captain/Barrie

6th Nov                                         3rds                                                                Captain/ Ransom

13 Nov                                        4ths Blue                                                                        Captain/ Michael

20th Nov                               4ths Gold                                                                         Captain/ Ransom

27th Nov                                   14s                                                                          Coach/ Barrie

4th Dec                                        12’s                                                                          Coach/ Michael

11th Dec                                          10s                                                                          Coach/ Ransom

18th Dec                                         Committee                                                                   Barrie/Michael/ Ransom

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KEY  DATES

Monday 12th October                 Committee meeting at Sawtell RSL 6pm.

Saturday 17th October           First Game of season for 10’s and 12’s

Wednesday 21st October         First Game of season for 14’s (TBC)

Friday 23rd October                 First Game of Season for 16’s  (TBC)

Thursday 5th November         First T20 matches for Sawtell Blue and Sawtell Gold

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MATCH REPORTS

4th Grade- Gold

The season got underway with the Sawty derby, as cobwebs were blown off and new faces welcomed into the fold. They say that sometimes it’s a good toss to lose. Today was not one of those times.

Having agreed to go tails and bat in the rain, my first toss on debut as captain was going to plan until a last-minute change to heads, made while the coin was in the air, saw us lose the toss and march out to bowl in the rain. A promising start to captaincy.

Gold welcomed some new faces in Scott, Peter and Will, who were promptly assured that they had joined the better Sawty team. Myself and Hunter took the new ball, agreeing on the simple strategy of putting it in the right spot. I managed to find the spot, unfortunately the one that invited the batter to hit it, and the boundaries were unlocked with worrying immediacy.

As we toiled away in what I would describe as monsoonal conditions, but someone not getting carted might describe as a light drizzle, wickets proved elusive in the opening six overs. Lincoln ‘Top of Off’ Sawaya was brought on and quickly made bowling look easy, claiming the breakthrough with his second ball. Sniper Scott came on from the other end and picked up two wickets in his first over. Welcome to the team.

Lincoln grabbed another before Percy and Jai were brought on ahead of drinks. Both bowled tidy overs, with Percy finding another breakthrough off the final ball before the break. Peter was introduced straight after drinks, with myself operating from the other end, and we managed to keep things tight until D Maguire got hold of a few. Hunter and Will bowled some good middle overs to steady the ship, before Percy struck again thanks to a great catch from Will. Lincoln then finished things off in the final over to round out a solid team effort.

Ben and Scott walked out to open our innings as the skies cleared and the bowling conditions improved (another reminder of that toss). The lads got us off to a good start before Ben fell in the third over. Jai joined Scott at the crease, and the pair put together a solid partnership, supported by some good running between the wickets.

Jai departed in the 17th over, bringing Brett to the crease. Marto, that is. The run rate lifted before Scott fell to a good catch, having made a handy 34 on debut. As expected, Marto made batting look beautiful, combining with Percy to once again demonstrate their class. Percy eventually departed for a well-made 10, before Marto retired unbeaten on 40. Again.

Shockwaves rippled through the side when Rod was dismissed without scoring, but Lincoln kept us in the contest with some strong batting. Peter was unlucky to depart, while Will got off the mark with his first run on debut. With the lower order now facing the small matter of finding 60 runs from five overs, the team turned to some Chris Gayle highlights for tactical inspiration.

Lincoln and Hunter appeared to have done their homework, carving out some nice boundaries to keep things interesting. I joined Hunter for the final over and promptly managed to gift him his first run-out in cricket. A proud moment for the captain, and presumably one Hunter will remember for some time.

Well done to everyone involved, and a special welcome to our new players. As always, the game was played in the best of Sawty spirit, and it was a pleasure to watch the future stars of the club on display for both teams.

4thGrade-BLUE

Season 2026/27 kicked off with the rivalry game against the Golds to determine early season bragging rights.

It was a bit of a wet start and good fortune fell the Blues way from the start, winning the toss and batting first. A good total was set of 7/188 with Jon, Scotty and Dan getting 40no’s and Tim H a 35.

The heavens cleared and beautiful sunshine appeared just as our fielding innings commenced. Ground fielding and catching was a highlight of the innings with Scotty getting 3 wickets and Eli Heather 2 to restrict the Golds to 9/153.

Special mention to Walter who helped us out, picking up 2 valuable wickets and showing extreme dedication in the field, even if a little unconventionally - saving a certain four with his chin.

A good start to the season to get an early win with plenty of room to grow and improve.

3rd Grade

Into the first game of the season, we were a little short on players down at Macksville. Batting first after some rain, there was a good amount of swing by Macksville who put it to good use, closing our innings for 52 in the end. The standout batting being done by Joshua Phillips in his first summer cricket game, finishing his innings at 15 not out. The score was chased down without too much fuss with the extra gaps in the field, but the standout for our match was the fielding of our players taking the field, including a great diving save from Fin to stop a boundary. With our fielding and the tone we set on the field, it looks great for our future games as we all work our way into the new season.

2nd Grade

Second grade travelled to Urunga this week to take on Bellingen. Sawty were sent into the field first, and a rainy first hour or so didn’t help the ball or the fielders stay dry. Bellingen were classy with the bat, taking advantage of a short boundary and quick outfield, scoring 6-250 in their 40 overs. Some great bowling performances across the board, with most bowlers picking up a wicket.

With the bat, Sawtell looked good, scoring quickly early, putting the pressure back on Bellingen. A couple of wickets slowed our momentum, but a top score of 44 from Sri with the bat was definitely a good watch. Casey making 36 and Busby with 27. Just needed to bat our 40, and we would have gone close. Plenty to build on this season. See everyone at training 🏏

1st Grade

A big game for our boys to start the season off on the right note, taking on the side who beat us in the GF last year.

We lost the toss and were told to bowl on a gloomy Woopi day. The sort of day where if the bowlers and fielders get it right you can really run through a team. However, with  some rusty bowling and fielding Nana Glen were 1-120 after the drinks break.

The boys could not have been better from then on. Led by debutants Josh De Groot and our fresh recruit James Vlaeminck (brother of WBBL player Tayla), we were able to fight back momentum and restrict Nana to 168. The last 20 overs was the sign of a united team who are happy to fight back when the going gets tough. Well bowled to all. Shooter was the beneficiary of some handy death bowling, picking up 3 wickets.

Our chase could not have gotten off to a better start. James hitting 6’s for fun, including one over cover and a flick off the pads. Low and behold the boys decided to make things interesting with a nice top/middle order collapse. Alex Cheers-Flavell and Flynn Taylor were able to finish things off in fine style, despite Alex doing his best to run out of partners. A 4 wicket win with 8 overs to spare.

All in all, a classy win and an incredibly enjoyable day with great company. Certainly a hard side for anyone to break back in too.

Welcome to the club James Vlaeminck.