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Beginning in 2007, the Ipsen Era marked a period of great change for the Leeming Spartan Cricket Club, highlighted by significant advancements on and off the field.
Named in honour of the Club’s 8th President, John Ipsen, who took the reigns following the retirement of our longest serving leader in Brian Waterer, the years between 2007 and 2013 were among both our most successful ever financially and on the field.
Incredible performances within the First Grade, and in fact, all grades, a never-to-be-forgotten ninetieth year (which culminated in an incredible night of nights at the Sheraton Hotel), the launch of a record ninth side and saw the introduction of the Spartans hosting Country Week Cricket (thereby resulting in great financial success), made this piece of Leeming Spartan Cricket Club history an extremely successful one indeed.
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The period saw the Club continue in the South Metropolitan Cricket Association (the SMCA), which had by now become the largest hard wicket cricket competition in Western Australia.
After a mammoth three terms as President over 26 seasons, Brian Waterer handed over the Presidential reins to John Ipsen, thereby seeing the commencement of another hugely successful era at Leeming Spartan.
It was certainly enormous shoes for John to fill – during his stewardship of the Club, Brian saw the numbers of sides rise dramatically from just one to six, and so too our premiership count, especially in the 15 years prior.
It is therefore difficult for words to describe the monumental efforts Brian Waterer had provided over his twenty seven years at the helm – and his name is certainly synonymous with Leeming Spartan.
However, John was not to be intimidated, and certainly, he too has played an unparalleled role in shaping the history of the Leeming Spartan Cricket Club.
Taking the reigns with immediate effect, John’s time in office was nothing short of incredible.
The best period in the history of the Club’s First Grade saw us victorious in no less than five premierships in seven seasons, with some of the best players to have graced the Club strengthening our foundations thanks to John’s efforts.
Off the field, the Club saw financial stability and then some, with record profits, great attendances at events and functions, and stronger ties in the local community helping put the Leeming Spartan Cricket Club on the map.
This culminated in a sensational 90th Year celebration, the single largest event in our history to date, and this was largely due to John Ipsen.
These seasons were among the best in Leeming Spartan history, and under John Ipsen, the Club had soared to new heights.
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Next Chapter (A New Era Begins 2013-2015)
Celebrating a Fifth Grade Premiership in 2013. (Credit: Shayne Hersey)
2007/2008 Season – The Ipsen Era Begins
President: | John Ipsen (1st Year) |
Senior Vice President: | Ron McDonald (1st Year) |
Junior Vice President: | Sean Wright (4th Year) |
Secretary: | Shannon Davies (1st Year) |
Treasurer: | Craig Pereira (2nd Year) |
The 2007/2008 season began with a new President at the helm, as John Ipsen succeeded Brian Waterer, following Brian’s retirement after a record twenty six years in the role!
Off the field the Club enjoyed a bumper season, with increased sponsorship, the addition of a new team – thereby bringing the total to seven, furthering the development of the ‘Player’s Tea’, and new fundraising ideas all proving pivotal to the success of the Club.
Our on-field success was mixed, and although we didn’t win a premiership, considerable development of young players and good recruiting had us in good stead for the future. Despite the lack of a title, three sides finished in the finals.
Life Memberships were awarded to Mick Bennett and Jim Leinsasars for their outstanding long term service to the club.
2007/2008 Award Winners | |
Graeme Ashley
Best Club Person Award |
Read/Waterer
Club Champion Award |
Mrs. Sandy Boyes (2nd Win) | Wayne Fontana (2nd Win) |
1st Grade:
Captained By Wayne Fontana & Mark Atkinson
Wayne Fontana started as defending Premiership captain, however, due to increased family and business commitments relinquished the job mid-season and a former Western Australian state player in Mark Atkinson took the reigns.
Although our bowling was consistent throughout the season, recurring battling collapses let us down. The side did make the two-day finals, although were defeated by East Fremantle in Semi.
Atkinson lead from the front with 423 runs (including an unbeaten 111) and 27 wickets, and was well supported in the batting by newcomer Dale Meyer with 344 runs, Craig Pereira with 330 (despite missing games with a broken hand) and Jason Cunningham with 325.
Bowling wise Wayne Fontana has an outstanding season, taking 47 wickets at just 10.1. Recruit Will Badger performed well with 23 wickets.
2nd Grade:
Captained By Graeme Bond
Finished the season as Minor Premiers and defeated Hilton/Palmyra in the semi-final, with Chris Wright taking 6/18 to rout the opposition for a low score. However, they lost the Grand Final the following week to Phoenix.
Overall, it was an up and down season with some very good cricket mixed with indifferent results.
Once again, Andrew Walker led the batting with 369 runs (resulting in the term ‘No Walks, No 2nds’), and was assisted by Captain Graeme Bond, Andrew Gibbs, and Brad Mant who all scored in excess of 200 runs.
Chris Wright took the bowling honours with 31 wickets at 11.3, ably assisted by Andrew Gibbs who finished with 30.
3rd Grade:
Captained By Shannon Davies
After a slow start, the side stormed home but just missed out on the finals.
The mid-season recruitment of experienced player John McGuire lifted their stocks considerably. John finished the season with 315 runs (including a score of 145). Future Senior Vice President Glenn Hack put in a good all-round performance, scoring 190 runs and taking 19 wickets.
Captain Shannon Davies led the bowling with 27 wickets, and was ably assisted by Ryan McKinlay.
4th Grade (SMCA 5th Grade):
Captained By Bill Greenshields
Unfortunately, this side became the “chopping block” of the Club with an ever changing side, churning through thirty-four players in the season!
We never able to get a consistent team and as a result struggled on the field.
Good personal performances came from Jay O’Neill – 280 runs and 17 wickets, with Steve Hinchcliffe, and Mark Scarterfield both making over 200 runs.
Recovering from injury didn’t prevent Ian Murfitt from leading the bowling with 27 wickets, assisted by Captain Bill Greenshields‘ 16.
5th Grade (SMCA 6th Grade):
Captained By Gary Boyes
After many years playing together as a one-day side, Gary’s troops ventured back into the world of two-day cricket with mixed results.
They scored plenty of runs but struggled to contain opposition sides, and had a rare finish outside the “four” (the number of sides qualifying for finals).
Dave Hodgetts led the way with the bat, scoring 372 runs, and was well assisted by perennial performers Craig Moncrieff (324), Jim Leinasars (249 and 20 wickets), and Phil Flavell (240 runs).
Dave Abercrombie took 17 wickets, despite missing the last part of the season through injury.
6th Grade (SMCA One Day ‘A’ Grade):
Captained By Paul Petkovich & Blake Carter
The Club’s Premiership one day side from the previous season started in this grade, with Paul Petkovich as Captain. However, part-way through the season they sustained a metamorphosis when most of the team stopped playing and others moved to the One Day ‘C’ team.
“Part way through the season this side sustained a metamorphosis when most of the team stopped playing and others moved to the OD ‘C’ team.”
Blake Carter took up the challenge of captaining the new look side and they performed very well in the latter part of the season.
The stars with the bat included recruit Ray Thompson, who led with 362 runs, and the captain’s brother Beau Carter, who scored 324 runs (including 123 not out).
Paul Petkovich scored 224 runs (with a highest of 107), before moving to the One Day ‘C’ team. Keith Davis took 20 wickets in half a season, assisted by Thompson with 11.
Another recruit from Bunbury, Graeme Tysoe did a great job as the new wicket keeper, taking six catches and making five stumpings.
In all, forty-three players made their way through this grade during the season!
7th Grade (SMCA One Day ‘C’ Grade):
Captained By Todd Lavender
Our newest team, introduced this season, primarily consisted of mates from Success who just wanted to have a game of cricket together.
Naturally, they gelled very well together and took all before them – that is, until the Grand Final!
Five players scored in excess of 300 runs and they finished the season Minor Premiers. They easily defeated Southern Districts in the Semi Final, with Paul Petkovich scoring 99, and Paul Phillips taking 5/27.
Unfortunately, the wheels fell off for the side’s all-conquering batting lineup in the Grand Final, and they were well beaten by Southern River.
Despite this stumble at the final hurdle, they enjoyed a most successful season, set to be repeated in the coming year.
Captain Todd Lavender led the batting onslaught with 538 runs (including 172 and 123), with great efforts from Dale Putland (384), Paul Phillips (333), Damian Halden (327 runs) and Glen Parise (308 – including 148).
A consistent all-round performance came from Robert Blazevich with 287 runs and 23 wickets. Others amongst the wickets were Paul Phillips with 27 and captain Lavender with 19.
2008/2009 Season
––– OUR 90TH YEAR –––
President: | John Ipsen (2nd Year) |
Senior Vice President: | Ron McDonald (2nd Year) |
Junior Vice President: | Adam Seaward (1st Year) |
Secretary: | Shannon Davies (2nd Year) |
Treasurer: | Craig Pereira (3rd Year) |
Matthew Smith decided not to continue as Coach this season, and as a result, the Club recruited the services of former WACA Willetton 1st Grade player Paul Kalleske to fill the role, a decision that proved to be among the Club’s best in the years to come. Paul now serves as the Club’s Junior Vice President under Peter Coombs.
It was an outstanding season on the field, although the unavailability of many senior players stretched our resources to the limit in the lower grades. Nevertheless, we still managed to field seven sides each match, take two premierships, and set a number of significant records along the way!
2008/2009 Award Winners | |
Graeme Ashley
Best Club Person Award |
Read/Waterer
Club Champion Award |
Adam Seaward | Wayne Fontana (3rd Win) |
In the end, four sides – the 1st, 3rd, 6th, and One Day ‘C’ grades – made the finals, with the First and Sixth Grades winning the Grand Final to become Premiers.
Season highlights included Gary Boyes becoming the seventh Spartan to play three-hundred games and Mick Bennett taking the record for the most 5 Wickets in an Innings for the Club.
A total of 18 century partnerships were scored across the grades during the season, and an incredible nineteen hundreds were also scored. Twenty-one “5-fers” were taken by the Club’s bowlers.
Glenn Parise broke the batting club record for most runs in a season with 948, and Brad Mant broke the record for the highest score recorded by a Spartan, with 194.
It was an outstanding season for the Club – perhaps by fate to coincide with our 90th anniversary. The season saw three premierships (including one in First Grade), and a mountain of long standing records broken, including Brad Mant setting a new highest score by a Spartan with 194.
Off the field, we celebrated our ninetieth year in grand style with a formal Gala Dinner at the Sheraton Hotel.
One hundred and eighty current and former players, supporters, and family members attended a fantastic night that will live long in the memory of the Leeming Spartan Cricket Club.
From a corporate aspect of the Club, our finances continued to be strong as support from sponsors continued to excel.
1st Grade – PREMIERS!
Captained By Mark Atkinson
First Grade completed another outstanding season by winning the Cricket & Football Shop First Grade Premiership.
Despite starting the season the with a hiccup by losing to a depleted East Fremantle side, they rebounded exceptionally strongly, and didn’t lose another game for the rest of the season!
Five batsmen scored in excess of three hundred runs, with Todd Lavender a stand-out, opening the batting and getting us off to a great start most games.
Others over three hundred runs were Club Treasurer Craig Periera, captain Mark Atkinson (with two centuries), Paul Kalleske and Matt Smith.
Atkinson again led the bowling attack with 34 wickets, ably assisted by newcomer Anand Mavani with 33, Will Badger (21) and another newcomer in Brett White (18).
The Premiership Victory:
We won the toss and batted first at John Connell, defeating Armadale in a final worthy of its 1st Grade status.
The Spartans batted first and were in immediate trouble, losing Lavender to just the second ball of the day, and Darren Rose soon after to be at a precarious 2/2.
Steady batting by Matt Smith (39) and Craig Pereira (27) got things back on track, and a good partnership between Smith and Paul Kalleske (35) followed by some good hitting at the end by Dale Meyer (35) and Mark Atkinson, who made an unbeaten 39, (and a great six by Shane Thompson!) saw us make a very competitive 6/196.
Although Armadale applied themselves to the run chase and ensured the final was a closer affair than some might have thought, they lost wickets at regular intervals and were eventually out for 121. Will Badger took the bowling figures with 4/42, assisted by Mark Atkinson 3/28.
In all a great team effort all summer and our Spartan First Grade were well deserving Premiers in the 2008/09 season.
The Premiership Team (In Batting Order): T. Lavender, D. Rose. M. Smith, C. Pereira, P. Kalleske, D. Meyer, M.Atkinson (Captain), S. Thompson, W. Badger, B. White, A. Mavani.
Click to view a larger version.
2nd Grade:
Captained By Chris Geers
Started with a blaze of glory but unfortunately faded in the second half to miss out on the finals.
Played some good cricket but were not able to sustain it throughout the season.
Captain Chris Geers led the batting with 392 runs, including a century. Others over two hundred runs were Stuart Hennessey, Graeme Bond, “Mr Second Grade” Andrew Walker and Sean Wright (including his first century for the Club).
The bowling honours went to Nick Leavy with 25 wickets, assisted by Sean Wright and the ever-reliable Andrew Wragg.
3rd Grade – Minor Premiers & One-Day PREMIERS!
Captained By Shannon Davies
Had a great season, finishing on top of the ladder and winning the One Day Premiership.
Unfortunately, however, they couldn’t take their winning form into the two-day finals, losing the semi to Cockburn.
Andrew Gibbs had a fantastic season with 792 runs (including two centuries) and 22 wickets.
John McGuire was superb with 521, including two centuries. Others in the runs were Kevin Poller, future Club President Adam Seaward, and Glenn Hack, who all scored over 200 runs.
Captain Shannon Davies led the bowling with 26 wickets. He was ably supported by Ben Rushton, Kevin Poller and Gibbs who all took over twenty wickets.
The One-Day Premiership Victory:
We won the toss and batted first.
Glenn Hack got us off to a flying start and we lost our first wicket at 33 in just the third over.
John McGuire then accumulated a great fifty, having good partnerships with Andrew Gibbs, and Kevin and Gavin Poller.
Unfortunately, the tail didn’t wag and we were bowled out for a below-par, yet still highly competitive, 163.
Cockburn started well , but then lost three wickets in quick succession, with Gavin Poller snaring two. After another good partnership, Kevin Poller came on and bowled exceptionally well to take 4/41 and tighten the screws.
Cockburn was eventually all out for 145, and thus, a well-deserved victory for the Spartan 3rd Grade had been obtained.
Andrew Gibbs made 25 and took 2/24 in a good all round performance.
The Premiership Team (In Batting Order): G. Hack, A. Seaward, J. McGuire, A. Gibbs, K. Poller, G. Poller, L. O’Dea, B. Rushton, J. Hewitt, R. McKinlay, S. Davies (Captain).
4th Grade (SMCA 5th Grade):
Captained By Bill Greenshields & John Ipsen
They remained competitive throughout the season, but absences in higher grades robbed this side of any chance of finals glory.
They were often fighting “above their weight”, playing the higher sides from other clubs.
Eventual captain (and incumbent President) John Ipsen had a good season opening the batting and scored 374 runs, with super recruit Sam Vellios getting over two hundred, as did Jeremy Gibson.
Steve Murfitt and new player Chris Rajandra shared the bowling honours.
5th Grade (SMCA 6th Grade) – PREMIERS!
Captained By Gary Boyes
Although at times inconsistent, they made the final four and went on to defeat Phoenix, who had gone through the season undefeated, in the Grand Final.
This was sweet revenge for the side – Phoenix had defeated Boyes’ side to win the One-Day Final by a narrow margin.
Some great individual performances – Brad Mant broke the individual club batting record in scoring 194, and Wayne Fontana won the Read/Waterer Club Champion Medal.
Brad Mant broke the record for the highest score by a Spartan in scoring 194, and later, Mick Bennett took the record for the most 5-wickets in an innings in the Club’s history!
Fontana had an incredibly dominant season, scoring 857 runs (including three hundreds), and took 53 wickets (including 7/53)!
Mant also scored heavily with 672 (including two hundreds), and Peter Ferguson and Dave Abercrombie had over three hundred runs for the season.
Abercrombie and Mick Bennett ably assisted Fontana with the bowling. Mick Bennett took three separate 5-wicket-hauls, becoming the leading “5 for” taker for the Club in the process.
The Premiership Victory:
Phoenix won the toss and batted.
Two great bowling spells by perennial finals performers in Mick Bennett (25 overs – 5/47) and Wayne Fontana (27 overs – 4/29) meant that Phoenix didn’t get into the game at any stage.
A twenty-eight-run partnership was not enough to provide a substantial total and they were bowled out for just 86!
We were 1/20 overnight, looking to come back the next and complete victory.
However, drama ensued on Sunday as the pitch at Enright Reserve was damaged and made unplayable overnight.
Quick negotiations resulted in the match continuing at Davilak Oval (Cockburn’s home ground and therefore a ‘neutral’ venue).
We resumed on 1/20 and lost both overnight batsmen without addition to the score.
Peter Ferguson and Brad Mant took the score to 53, and Brad continued to bat well in making 37.
With Mant’s dismissal, Tim Brent and Jim Leinasars got us over the line to beat the previously undefeated Phoenix side by five wickets.
The Premiership Team (In Batting Order): W. Fontana, D. Abercrombie, P. Phillips, P. Ferguson, B. Mant, D. Hodgettes, T. Brent, J. Leinasars, G. Boyes (Captain), M. Bennett, K. Boyes.
Click to view a larger version.
6th Grade (SMCA One Day ‘A’ Grade):
Captained By Blake Carter
Played a very competitive season, eventually just missing the finals. Had a great victory over nemesis Kenwick and were consistent in most games, whilst not quite matching it with the top sides. Graeme Tysoe opened the batting with distinction and made 367 runs, with Matt Scarterfield and Captain Blake Carter both scoring over three hundred runs.
Beau Carter was the best-performed bowler with 26 wickets, assisted by Kyle Salzmann and Blake Carter.
7th Grade (SMCA One Day ‘C’ Grade):
Captained By Damian Halden
Undefeated during the season, but unfortunately once again the finals proved their undoing, losing to Thornlie in the semi-final.
Despite this loss, it was a great season and there were some excellent individual performances. Glenn Parise scored 804 runs (with three hundreds) and took 37 wickets.
Rob Blazevich made 433 runs and took 39 wickets, and Dale Putland was influential with 405 runs, including his first century for the Club.
Captain Damian Halden and newcomer Travis Fryers scored over three hundred runs.
Paul Petkovich scored the fifth hundred for the team.
The bowling was dominated by Blazevich and Parise, assisted by Paul Phillips and Darren Humble.
2009/2010 Season – Further Expansion
President: | John Ipsen (3rd Year) |
Senior Vice President: | Ron McDonald (3rd Year) |
Junior Vice President: | Adam Seaward (2nd Year) |
Secretary: | Sandy Boyes (1st Year) |
Treasurer: | Kylie Atkinson (1st Year) |
The Club’s 92nd year saw an historic eighth side entered into the SMCA competition for the new season, a record number of sides for Leeming Spartan.
It was a great season in every aspect except for premiership wins. Despite this, five sides made the finals, with the three remaining teams missing out by one, finishing in fifth place.
Two new initiatives for the Club included providing a host venue for Country Week cricket and hosting the SMCA Wind Up.
Both of these ventures increased our standing in the general cricket community and have been held every year since.
2009/2010 Award Winners | |
Graeme Ashley
Best Club Person Award |
Read/Waterer
Club Champion Award |
Mrs. Lisa Gosatti-Seaward | Dallas Eparaima |
Todd Lavender broke the 1st Grade batting aggregate record, and a total of thirteen centuries were scored for the Club in the season, to go with seventeen century partnerships.
Ben Carter took a double hat-trick for the One Day ‘B’, and Dave McKay took a hat-trick for himself. A record fifty new players took the field and total player registrations for the club went over the 1000 mark.
Double and single hat tricks, record centuries and a new record for most runs in a season in First Grade highlighted the 2009/2010 season – but unfortunately, there weren’t any Premierships to match the outstanding individual efforts, although all eight sides finished fifth or above!
1st Grade – Minor Premiers:
Captained By Mark Atkinson
A fantastic season following on from their victory the previous season, culminating in an epic grand final battle with CBC where we came within one ball of being premiers!
We started the season in great fashion with a record score (8/431) against East Fremantle, making up for our shock loss the previous year. Todd Lavender scored 90 and took 6/55 against East Fremantle.
Lavender scored a century and six fifties to break the batting aggregate for most runs in a season in First Grade, and Paul Kalleske scored his maiden Spartan century. Six players scored over 330 runs.
Bowling honours were shared by Anand Mavani with 30 (in just his second season in the grade), and Mark Atkinson and Will Badger with 27 wickets each.
Todd completed a wonderful season by also breaking the record for catches for the season by a non-keeper in the First Grade!
2nd Grade:
Captained By Brett White & Kevin Poller
Had a mixed season, finally finishing fifth.
New captain Brett White was forced to relinquish to position due to work commitments and Kevin Poller took over the role.
Stuart Hennessey had a good year with the bat and finished with over 300 runs. Graeme Bond, Kane Mitsopolous and Kevin Poller all got over 200 runs.
Gavin Poller was the standout bowler, with assistance from Andrew Gibbs.
Steve Kirk had a good year with the gloves, taking 24 dismissals.
3rd Grade – Runners Up:
Captained By Andrew Walker
A great first up season as captain by Andrew Walker, who led from the front with 544 runs and a record 15 catches as a non-keeper by any Spartan in any grade!
They eventually came runner up to Cockburn after defeating top side Riverton-Rostrata in a hard fought semi final.
A good even season dominated in the batting by Walker and John McGuire (432 runs).
Ben Rushton (32 wickets) and Shannon Davies (29 wickets) had great seasons with the ball, assisted by first year player Luke Hanrahan (20) and Ryan McKinlay (16).
Adam Seaward had another good year with the gloves with 25 dismissals.
4th Grade (SMCA 6th Grade):
Captained By John Ipsen
Played a very competitive season, finally finishing fifth.
Dale Putland made a great transition from one-day cricket with 447 runs, and Jeremy Gibson had very good season scoring 384 runs and making 12 dismissals.
Matt Hosking (258), John Ipsen (221) and Travis Fryers (214) also contributed to the batting.
Bowling honours were evenly shared with Hosking, Fryers, Michael Roberts and Jordan McArdle, who returned to the playing field following injury.
5th Grade (SMCA One Day ‘A’ Grade) – Runners Up:
Captained By Damian Halden
This side had a good and consistent season, only beaten in the Grand Final by a very good Thornlie side.
Stand out performer was undoubtedly newcomer Dallas Epariama, who dominated with bat and ball, winning all team trophies and the Read/Waterer Club Champion Medal. Dallas scored 744 runs, with two centuries, five fifties, and topped it off with 30 wickets.
He was well supported in the batting by Brad Mant with 644. The pair shared a grade record 5th wicket partnership of 171.
Brad Mant and the season’s Club Champion Dallas Eparaima shared in a grade record 5th wicket partnership of 171!
Rob Blazevich scored well with 469 runs, and Craig Aitken (439) and Oliver Stacey (364) also passed 350 runs for the season.
Blazevich made it a double with 30 wickets, with Paul Phillips, Dave McKay, and Damian Halden being the others to contribute with the ball.
6th Grade (SMCA One Day ‘B’ Grade) – Minor Premiers & Runners Up:
Captained By Blake Carter
6th Grade experienced a fantastic season, taking on all comers and finishing well on top at the end of the qualifying rounds.
Unfortunately though, they stumbled at the final hurdle and lost to East Fremantle in the Grand Final.
Highlights were Ben Carter’s double hat trick against Southern River and brother Blake Carter’s 7/22 against Murdoch University.
It was a very even performance with the bat, with eight players getting over 200 runs.
The best of the batsmen were Matt Scarterfield (641 runs), who was ably assisted by Steve Foster (467), Michael Grice and Beau Carter, who both made 351 runs for the season, and Ben Carter with 327.
Beau Carter took the bowling honours with 30 wickets, with good support from Blake Carter (28), Josh Foster (24), Steve Foster (23) and Mal McGivern (20).
A special mention goes to Graeme Tysoe, who completed a 1500km round trip from Meekatharra both weeks of the finals to play!
7th Grade (SMCA One Day ‘C’ Grade):
Captained By Gary Boyes
Started the season slowly but became very competitive as the season went on. Unfortunately they gave the other sides too much of a head start and had be satisfied with a fifth placing.
Peter Ferguson had a great season with the bat, scoring 682 runs, with two hundreds and five fifties. He got good support from Dave Hodgetts (386) and evergreen Jim Leinasars (300). Dave Blight and Justin Parsons scored over 200 runs as well.
The bowling was very even over the season. Tim Brent led the way with 23 wickets, well assisted by Ken Boyes and newcomer (and future Club Treasurer) Geoff Burgess, while Mick Bennett took 19 wickets from 9 games, including yet another 5 wickets in an innings.
8th Grade (SMCA One Day ‘E’ Grade):
Captained By Simon Hird
A new team for the Club this season, the One Day ‘E’s encountered a chequered start with three captains in the first few games.
Eventually things settled down and the side was well led by Simon Hird.
The nucleus of the team was made up from young guys from the neighbouring Bullcreek Leeming Amateur Football Club, who proved to be a very enthusiastic group of players.
Probably the highlight of the season came from Rex Miller, who took three catches in one game with just one hand due to injury on the other!!
If they had been able to field a full side every week, they would have challenged for the finals and in the end came a very creditable fifth.
Jamie McNamara led the batting after scoring a century, well supported by Miller. Andrew Johnston also scored a century from nowhere, and Simon Carrick showed he is a more than capable batsman.
Rex led the bowling with support from Manish Ankleshwaria (spell-check please!) and Mark Gannaway.
2010/2011 Season – Firsts Triumph Again!
President: | John Ipsen (4th Year) |
Senior Vice President: | Ron McDonald (4th Year) |
Junior Vice President: | Adam Seaward (3rd Year) |
Secretary: | Sandy Boyes (2nd Year) |
Treasurer: | Kylie Atkinson (2nd Year) |
2010/2011 certainly proved to be a very successful season on and off the field, furthering the success and legacy of the Leeming Spartan Cricket Club.
The 1st Grade won their fourth Premiership in seven years, and not to be outdone, the One Day ‘B’s also claimed a flag. To top it off, the 6th Grade took home the One-Day Premiership!
2010/2011 Award Winners | |
Graeme Ashley
Best Club Person Award |
Read/Waterer
Club Champion Award |
James Hewitt | Andy Walton |
As expected with such an outstanding season, there were numerous highlights during the season – Dave Blight broke Brian Waterer’s long standing games record and was also awarded Club Legend Status.
Brad Mant broke Peter Read’s batting aggregate record for most runs ever by a Spartan. Matt Smith won his record fifth 1st Grade Premiership, and Steve Murfitt took a hat-trick in the process of taking an “8-for”!
Six players won Association trophies for batting or bowling.
On the field, we again fielded eight sides in the SMCA competition. We were the only club to win more than one end of season Grand Final. We competed for the first time in the SMCA’s Twenty/Twenty competition, finishing runner up to Kardinya Lakes.
Six of the eight sides made the top four at the end of the qualifying season.
1st Grade – PREMIERS!
Captained By Todd Lavender
A season that never really got going due to injury, player absence and other factors – and yet we still took home the Premiership flag!
We were always competitive, but lost a couple of matches we probably should have won.
Mark Atkinson again proved our most influencial player with 499 runs and 25 wickets, by now already being considered as one of (if not the) greatest Spartans of all time.
Paul Kalleske’s move up the batting order proved successful and he scored 421 runs. Todd Lavender, Matt Smith, and Greg Lathwell each got over 300 runs.
Andrew Gibbs led the bowling with 29 wickets – including “5 for’s” against CBC in the first match and the Grand Final!
Other bowlers with over 20 wickets were Lathwell, Anand Mavani, Atkinson, and Will Badger. Pommie import Scott McKechnie kept wickets and took 37 dismissals!
After an exciting final qualifying round match where we fluctuated between second and fifth position during course of the match, we finally settled in third place and played Armadale in the semi-final. The defeat of Armadale set up a return Grand Final with CBC, following a highly controversial loss the previous season.
The Premiership Victory:
Playing away, we lost the toss and CBC elected to bat.
They got off to a good start, but a great recovery with the ball saw them lose 10 for 65 to be all out for just 116.
Andrew Gibbs took 5 for 33 and Anand Mavani 3 for 26. Scott McKechnie took 6 catches. We were 5 for 104 and seemingly on the way to victory after Todd Lavender got us off to a good start with 37.
However, wickets then fell in quick succession and it was left to Anand Mavani to score the final three runs to achieve a hard fought victory by just one wicket!
The Premiership Team (In Batting Order): T. Lavender (Captain), P. Brown, P. Kalleske, M. Smith, G. Lathwell, M. Atkinson, G. Parise, S. McKecknie, W. Badger, A. Gibbs, A. Mavani.
Click to view a larger version.
2nd Grade (SMCA 3rd Grade) – Minor Premiers:
Captained By Kevin Poller
This season marked a change in the way the SMCA managed the competition, introducing a new rule that prevented sides with a First Grade from also having one in the Second Grade.
The side who finished the lowest in the First Grade was demoted into the Second Grade, and the premiers from that division were brought up to replace them.
As such, this side was compulsorily ‘relegated’ to the 3rd Grade for this season.
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A fluctuating season which eventually led to a successful campaign and top spot at the end of the qualifying rounds. Unfortunately we could not get past Hilton-Palmyra in the semi final.
Dallas Eparaima had another great season with the bat, scoring 401 runs (including a century) and also won the SMCA’s Association batting trophy.
Other contributors were Craig Aitken with 329 runs, Lewis O’Dea (293), and Graeme Bond with 223 runs.
Captain Kevin Poller led the bowling with 34 wickets. Gavin Poller took 29 wickets and won the Association bowling trophy. Ian Murfitt (son of Steve) also took 19 wickets for the season.
3rd Grade (SMCA 4th Grade):
Captained By Shayne Hersey
Captain Shayne Hersey returned from Tom Price to lead a side with a mixture of experienced players and youngsters.
After an exciting outright victory in the final match, they made the top four, but lost the semi-final to Cockburn.
Nevertheless, it was an encouraging season which saw some new players come through the grade, destined for higher duties in years to come.
Evergreen batsman Andrew Walker again led the batting with 435 runs, Mitch Lane scored a century amongst 404 runs and won the Association batting trophy.
Captain Shayne Hersey had a great all round season with 338 runs and 24 wickets as well. A welcome return to the club by Sean Wright saw him top the bowling with 30 wickets. Rex Miller continued to improve and took 14 wickets and a former Leeming Spartan Junior in Ben Meek impressed in his first full season with 14 wickets also.
4th Grade (SMCA 6th Grade) – One-Day PREMIERS!
Captained By Dale Putland
Under new captain Dale Putland, this side had a very successful season, winning the One-Day Final and just losing to Kardinya Lakes in the Grand Final.
They finished in second spot to Kardinya and were minor premiers in the two-day competition, to go with their premiership in the 40-over competition.
Russell Lee led the batting with a century and 596 runs, also winning the Association batting trophy.
Captain Dale Putland led from the front and scored 516 runs, assisted by Rob Blazevich‘s 353 runs, with Matt Hosking, Travis Fryers, and Ben Rushton each making over 200 runs.
Matt Hosking led the bowling with 39 wickets. Others to assist with the ball were Ben Rushton, Jayden Putland and Shannon Davies.
The Premiership Victory:
We won the toss and batted first at home.
Were in a bit of trouble at 2/20, but great partnerships between Russell Lee and Andy Walton, and then Lee and Putland, saw us to a very competitive 8/220.
Russell Lee scored 88, Andy Walton got 55 and Dale Putland made 30.
Kardinya were very well restricted due to some tight bowling and at no stage challenged our score.
Walton made it an excellent all-round performance with 3/14, and Matt Hosking took 3/41 to be the chief destroyers, with Shannon Davies and Jayden Putland lending support.
The Premiership Team (In Batting Order): R. Blazevich, T. Fryers, R. Lee, A. Walton, B. Mant, D. Putland, B. Rushton, J. Putland, M. Hosking, S. Davies, P. Phillips.
5th Grade (SMCA One Day ‘A’ Grade):
Captained By Kyle Salzmann
This side had a consistent season under new Captain Kyle Salzmann, but in the end just fell short of the finals and finished in fifth position.
Beau Carter again was a very consistent performer and finished with 405 runs and 20 wickets, whilst also having a stint with the wicket-keeper’s gloves. Josh Foster scored 337 runs, with Steve Foster and Blake Carter scoring over 200 runs.
Steve Foster and Salzmann led the bowling with 25 wickets each, with solid contributions from Blake Carter, Andrew Ballantyne and Josh Foster.
Considering at times they played short, it was indeed a very commendable effort for the season!
6th Grade (SMCA One Day ‘B’ Grade) – PREMIERS!
Captained By Ron McDonald
A great season with side ending as Minor Premiers, before culminating in a Premiership!
Star recruit Andy Walton capped a fantastic season with not only a Premiership, but also being named the Leeming Spartan Cricket Club’s Read/Waterer Club Champion.
Andy scored 736 runs and took 23 wickets.
Steve Murfitt had a standout season, equalling the grade bowling record of 44 wickets, whilst taking an 8 for (including a hat trick) and later, a 6 for!
Brad Mant broke the grade record for wicket-keeper dismissals with 30, and scored a very handy 614 runs (with a century) for the season.
Others to contribute with the bat were Tyson Vickery 392 (including a century), Oliver Stacey 276 (including a century) and Dave McKay with 243 runs.
Bowling was of course dominated by Murfitt, although he did have assistance from Geoff Burgess and Michael Roberts, who both took 28 wickets each, as well as Walton’s 23.
The Premiership Victory:
We lost the toss and Cockburn elected to bat.
Cockburn were very well restricted to 9/112 with consistent bowling by all bowlers.
Tyson Vickery, Andy Walton, Dave McKay, and Steve Murfitt all took two wickets in a very even performance.
Vickery scored a valuable 40 which set up a platform for victory, and the One Day ‘B’s had achieved a very comprehensive and memorable premiership victory.
The Premiership Team (In Batting Order): R. McDonald (Captain), T. Vickery, O. Stacey, A. Walton, B. Mant, B. Greenshields, D. McKay, C. Thomas, S. Murfitt, G. Burgess, M. Roberts.
Click to view a larger version.
7th Grade (SMCA One Day ‘C’ Grade):
Captained By Peter Ferguson
Although this team was always competitive, they could not quite make it into the top four.
There were some great performances during the season, but they could not sustain this for all games that mattered in the end.
Dave Hodgetts had another great season with the bat, scoring a mammoth 713 runs (including a century). Captain Peter Ferguson again contributed well with the bat, making 612 runs (including a century), and in the process won the Association batting trophy.
Veteran Dave Blight made 444 runs, with solid contributions with the bat also coming from Jason Sweetman, and Tim Brent.
Andrew Wragg returned to the fold and took the bowling honours with 35 wickets, and the evergreen Mick Bennett had some great cameo performances when available to finish with 27 wickets.
Others to contribute with the ball included Brent, Ken Boyes, Sweetman, and Brad Jones.
8th Grade (SMCA One Day ‘E’ Grade) – Minor Premiers:
Captained By Cameron Lucy
This side burst out of the blocks and were well on top until player absences after Christmas greatly impacted their performances.
Still, they managed to finish on top and defeated arch rivals Southern River in the semi-final.
Unfortunately however, the side lost the Grand Final to Willetton.
Jamie McNamara again starred with the bat, scoring 523 runs (including a century) from only twelve games – Jamie also won the Association batting trophy.
Newcomer Steve McGuire proved to be a very handy all-rounder with 423 runs (including a century) and 10 wickets. Sheldon Carrick scored 321 runs (including a century) and Jason Hardie also had a good year with the bat.
Mark Gannaway took the honours with the ball, taking 28 wickets, including a “6 for”. Others to assist with ball in hand included James Dockery, Jarrad McEwan and Steve McGuire.
2011/2012 Season – Full Of Finals
President: | John Ipsen (5th Year) |
Senior Vice President: | Adam Seaward (1st Year) |
Junior Vice President: | Shayne Hersey (1st Year) |
Secretary: | Sandy Boyes (3rd Year) |
Treasurer: | Steve Murfitt (1st Year) |
This season marked an incredible first for the Club – all of our seven sides finished in the top four at the end of the qualifying rounds!
The Third Grade capped off a great season by winning the Premiership, having finished on top of the ladder, also triumphing in the One-Day Final earlier in the season.
Brad Mant went past 10,000 runs, becoming the first Spartan to do so.
Andrew Gibbs capped a wonderful season by winning the Read/Waterer Club Champion medal, and Glenn Hack won the Graeme Ashley Award for Best Club Person.
2011/2012 Award Winners | |
Graeme Ashley
Best Club Person Award |
Read/Waterer
Club Champion Award |
Glenn Hack | Andrew Gibbs |
Off the field, the Club continued to lead the competition and again successfully hosted Country Week Cricket, once again providing a venue and entertainment, and later presented both the Association Wind Up and Umpires Wind Up.
John Ipsen and Matt Smith were awarded Life Memberships and Peter Read was inducted as a Club Legend.
1st Grade – Minor Premiers:
Captained By Todd Lavender
Although the side finished as Minor Premiers it was never able to settle during the season due to a large number of injuries and absences which continually upset the balance of the side.
In the end, they lost the semi final to Cockburn.
Recruit Rhys May had a great season with 492 runs and 29 wickets. Unfortunately injury prevented him having an even greater impact.
Paul Kalleske scored 423 runs and took 22 catches behind the stumps, and Craig Pereira contributed 397 runs (including a century).
Greg Lathwell continued his great form with the ball with 29 wickets and Mark Atkinson took 19.
2nd Grade (SMCA 3rd Grade):
Captained By Kevin Poller
Finished the home and away in third place and defeated Cockburn in the semi-final, but were unfortunately defeated by Phoenix in the Grand Final.
The season highlight was Andrew Gibbs‘ fantastic season with 304 runs and 45 wickets, for which he won the Read/Waterer Club Champion medal.
Another highlight was a hat trick to Anand Mavani on his way to 7/16 against CBC!
Lewis O’Dea had a great season with the bat, scoring 329 runs, newcomer Brad Eames scored 296 and Mitch Lane and Captain Kevin Poller also contributed to the run scoring. Poller also took 21 wickets.
3rd Grade (SMCA 5th Grade) – One-Day PREMIERS & Two-Day PREMIERS!
Captained By Shayne Hersey
An absolutely outstanding season for the 3rds, winning the One-Day flag, finishing on top of the ladder as Minor Premiers, and then took the Two-Day Premiership for good measure.
They won the lot during the season defeating East Fremantle in the One Day final, beating Cockburn in the semi-final and finally CBC in the Grand Final – on the way achieving some great milestones.
Brad Mant scored 502 runs and went past 10,000 career runs, Shayne Hersey took his 400th wicket and Sean Wright went past 300 wickets, including taking a hat trick.
Andrew Walker took his 150th catch and made his maiden century (a massive 158 not out), helping him accumulate 415 runs.
Jason Cunningham also had a great season with the bat, scoring a century and making 529 runs.
Sean Wright took a grade record 47 wickets and Captain Hersey took 28.
Sumeet Panesar also contributed in the wickets column.
The One-Day Premiership Victory:
We lost the toss and East Fremantle elected to bat.
Batting first, East Fremantle made a competitive 182 thanks to a single handed effort by their own Cameron Leehane who scored 117.
Sean Wright took 4/25, and Shayne Hersey, and Alan Culbertson took 2 wickets each.
A 2nd wicket partnership of 71 by Jason Cunningham (32) and Brad Mant (48) set up the victory, which was achieved with the loss of 7 wickets.
The Premiership Team (In Batting Order): B. Mant, A. Culbertson, J. Cunningham, D. Eparaima, A. Walker, G. Hack, S. Wright, S. Hersey (Captain), D. McKay, S. Panesar, B. Shepherdson.
The Two-Day Premiership Victory:
We won the toss and elected to bat, defeating CBC in a tight encounter.
Our batting was steady throughout our innings, with a well made 76 by Dale Putland seeing us reach 203.
Sean Wright then took 5/49 and Henry Shawcross 3/27 to restrict CBC to 180, although the result was closer than the scores indicate.
After the victory, stalwart Andrew Walker announced his retirement after 250 matches and 5801 runs.
The Premiership Team (In Batting Order): G. Hack, B. Mant, J. Cunningham, D. Eparaima, A. Walker, D. Putland, S. Panesar, S. Wright, S. Natarajan, S. Hersey (Captain), H. Shawcross.
Click to view a larger version.
4th Grade (SMCA 6th Grade):
Captained By Dale Putland
A very successful season and were narrowly defeated by top side Bicton-Attadale in the semi-final.
Russell Lee again led the batting with 530 runs, including a century. He also combined with newcomer Alan Culbertson for a grade record 3rd wicket partnership.
Captain Dale Putland make a solid contribution with the bat with 277 runs.
Culbertson, who scored his maiden Spartan century, Dave Blight, and Adam Seaward all made over 200 runs.
Matt Hosking took the bowling honours with 23 and was assisted by Jayden Putland and Culbertson.
5th Grade (SMCA One Day ‘A’ Grade):
Captained By Ian Murfitt
The side performed well to make the top four but were to be defeated by Armadale in the semi-final.
A total of fifty three players moved through this grade during the season, making stability a major issue.
New player Luke Cecchi led the batting with 272 runs and was ably assisted by Captain Ian Murfitt with 229.
Spartan Treasurer Steve Murfitt took the bowling honours with 24 wickets, assisted by Geoff Burgess and Ian Murfitt.
6th Grade (SMCA One Day ‘B’ Grade):
Captained By Kyle Salzmann
The side experienced a very good season, which resulted in a runners up placing following the Grand Final loss.
They defeated top side Canning Districts in the semi final but lost to Southern River in the grand final.
Josh and Steve Foster provided a highlight in scoring a grade record 5th wicket partnership.
Beau Carter had another great season scoring 403 runs and taking 26 wickets.
Josh Foster scored 367 runs, brother Steve Foster made 336, and Matt Scarterfield got 297.
Bowling honours were even with Blake Carter on 29, Beau Carter and Steve Foster 26 wickets each, and Josh Foster took 23 wickets.
7th Grade (SMCA One Day ‘C’ Grade):
Captained By Peter Ferguson
A very good season with mixed results, finally finishing in third position, but were defeated in the semi-final by Southern River.
The season standout was Captain Peter Ferguson’s batting, scoring a grade record 841 runs (including three centuries).
Jason Sweetman scored 329 runs and took the bowling honours with 29 wickets. Evergreen Mick Bennett took 23 wickets, including a 7 for.
Ferguson and Anthony McGhie combined for a grade record 6th wicket partnership.
2012/2013 Season – President Calls Stumps
President: | John Ipsen (6th Year) |
Senior Vice President: | Adam Seaward (2nd Year) |
Junior Vice President: | Shayne Hersey (2nd Year) |
Secretary: | Sandy Boyes (4th Year) |
Treasurer: | Steve Murfitt (2nd Year) |
After six extremely successful years as President, John Ipsen retired from the position at the end of the season.
Ipsen has presided over a fantastic period in the Spartan history, increasing the number of teams to nine, improving off field professionalism in terms of how the club is managed, and upgraded standards in regard to training and match day presentation and performance.
2012/2013 Award Winners | |
Graeme Ashley
Best Club Person Award |
Read/Waterer
Club Champion Award |
Chris Edwards | Russell Lee |
John had taken the reigns after Brian Waterer’s mammoth 27 years in the top job, and as such, he had enormous shoes to fill. At the time of John’s appointment, the Club was in the best position in its history, and by the end of it, he had raised the bar to a level unheard of for social sporting clubs.
The First grade had continued to be a consistent performer during this period, making the top four every season during John’s Presidency, winning two Premierships and a One Day flag.
A highlight of John’s time in the top job was the very successful 90th Year Dinner, which attracted an attendance of one hundred and eighty former and past players.
The securing of our ninth team by encouraging the Southern Districts Cricket Club to become enveloped by the Spartans was a significant achievement. Not only did this merger add a number of very good players to the Club, it also introduced some potential Committee members as well.
John’s other major contribution to the Leeming Spartan Cricket Club was the introduction of hosting Country Week Cricket, especially in the hosting of the Warren-Blackwood teams at our home venue on the Thursday night – the highlight of the tournament.
Leeming Spartan Junior Cricket Club:
Furthermore, John’s involvement in strengthening the Leeming Spartan Junior Cricket Club has placed us in good stead for the future. John’s efforts in improving the relationships between the two clubs with their President Geoff Miller means that we can expect a number of young players coming through the Club.
Under the guidance of Miller and Secretary/Registrar Lynda Wake, the Juniors had an outstanding season, culminating in winning the Under 17 and Under 15 Premierships. The inaugural all-girls team also won the T20 Premiership.
Lynda Wake and Wayne Meek were also recognised at South West Metropolitan Junior Cricket Association level (the governing body for the Juniors competitions) for their outstanding contributions over many years by being awarded Outstanding Volunteer Awards. The club was also named the “Spirit of Cricket – South of the River, Club of the Year” winner by the WACA.
The Season Itself:
On the field, there were some outstanding achievements during the 2012/13 season.
Former Southern Districts player Matt Walters broke the Club batting record, scoring 1177 runs for the season. Ben Rushton took an incredible 9/56, and Russell Lee and Walters both scored three centuries in a row.
Gareth Finlay was awarded Life Membership for his long service to the Club.
With nine sides (the last of which was entered mid-way through this season), the Leeming Spartan Cricket Club had continued to grow at a record pace, and thanks to the monumental efforts of John and his committee, the era will live long in the memory of the Club.
1st Grade – One-Day PREMIERS!
Captained By Paul Kalleske
The First Grade had an up and down season, playing very well in patches and not so well at other times.
Nevertheless, they defeated East Fremantle in the One-Day Final.
Unfortunately they lost the Semi-Final in the two-day competition to East Fremantle, receiving compensation for their one-day defeat.
Four players scored in excess of 300 runs for the season, Mark Atkinson with 480, Matt Smith 397, Todd Lavender 359 and Craig Pereira making 301.
Andrew Gibbs was the stand out bowler with 30 wickets at 15, and was well supported by Anand Mavani with 22.
A highlight was an impressive debut season for 16 year old wicket keeper Mitch Wake.
The One-Day Premiership Victory:
Playing at home, we lost the toss and East Fremantle elected to bat.
East Fremantle were restricted to 7/153 by some consistent bowling by all bowlers.
A 122 run opening partnership between Todd Lavender and Craig Pereira set up a comfortable win, and a great send off for outgoing President John Ipsen.
The Premiership Team (In Batting Order): T. Lavender, C. Pereira, M. Smith, P. Kalleske (Captain), M. Elvidge, S. Hennessey, M. Atkinson, G. Lathwell, M. Wake, A. Gibbs, A. Mavani.
Click to view a larger version.
2nd Grade (SMCA 3rd Grade):
Captained By Peter Brown
A season that looked promising on paper, with experienced players and a good mixture of young guys as well, didn’t finish as anticipated and the side finished sixth.
Youngster Ryan McLeod, who won the Best Club Junior trophy, had an introduction to the grade and scored a maiden 50.
Ben Meek continued to improve and took 16 wickets for the season. Oliver Stacey, Dallas Eparaima, Mitch Lane and Kevin Poller all scored over 200 runs, whilst the wicket taking was pretty much equally shared between Michael Cecchi, newcomer Samhit Jarial, Lane, Meek and Kevin Poller.
3rd Grade (SMCA 5th Grade) – PREMIERS!
Captained By Shayne Hersey
After a slow start, the side gradually gained momentum towards the end of the season.
They defeated Cockburn in a semi-final thriller, thanks to the efforts of Sean Wright and Sre Natarajan, who got them home against all odds.
Played perennial opponents CBC in the Grand Final and again Sean Wright saw them home for a great victory, achieving back to back Premierships against CBC.
During the season, Brad Mant had an outstanding year with the bat until a back injury ended his season early. Brad scored two centuries and two 50s for a total of 563 runs.
Jason Cunningham (513 runs) and skipper Shayne Hersey (352) also had good years with the willow.
Sean Wright was again outstanding with the ball, taking 42 wickets at just 10.33 and providing the fire power to knock sides over cheaply.
Good contributions also came from Sre Natarajan with 20 wickets, and Hersey (21), with support from Jason Cunningham and Shannon Davies.
Shayne Hersey and Brad Mant shared a 202 run opening partnership against Thornlie, which is a grade record for all sides. Both players scored centuries during this partnership.
The Premiership Victory:
We lost the toss and CBC elected to bat.
CBC batted first and lost a wicket in the first over, one of five that Sean Wright captured at the start of their innings.
A couple of middle order partnerships were starting to become a problem when Dave McKay took control with four wickets.
They eventually scored a competitive 189 from their seventy five overs.
After Will Webber was dismissed early, Nathan Whitely and Jason Cunningham put on 92 to steer us towards victory.
In a typical Spartan v CBC Final, we then lost a number of wickets and the game see-sawed, until finally Sean Wright hit a towering six to claim victory!
The Premiership Team (In Batting Order): N. Whitely, W. Webber, J. Cunningham, D. Britto, D. McKay, J. Leunig, S. Hersey (Captain), S. Panesar, S. Natarajan, S. Wright, S. Davies.
Click to view a larger version.
4th Grade (SMCA 6th Grade) – Runners Up:
Captained By Dale Putland
In the end the 4th Grade had a very successful season, albeit a slow start.
Still, they finished the season really well with the help of late comers Darren Humble and Mitch Putland, eventually finishing in second place at the end of the qualifying round.
Defeated Cockburn in the Semi-Final on the back of some great bowling from Ben Rushton and Mitch Putland.
They played Bicton Attadale in the Grand Final, who unfortunately proved to be too strong in the end.
Russell Lee was exceptional with the bat after Christmas, scoring four hundreds and a fifty to amass 716 runs for the season.
Captain Dale Putland also had a very good year with the bat in making 472 runs, and Ben Rushton had a great all-round season with 323 runs and 42wickets, including a 9-for.
Darren Humble scored 250 runs in only six matches, and Mitch Putland also only played the six matches, taking 24 wickets.
Michael Martella and Jayden Putland also contributed with the bowling effort.
Adam Seaward had a very good year with the gloves and broke the grade record for dismissals.
5th Grade (SMCA 7th Grade) – Runners Up:
Captained By Steve Murfitt
Began the season in a competitive fashion, albeit without much success, sporting a number of newer players in the side.
Unfortunately as the season went on, the side was worn down by the opposition fairly easily.
An experiment of using pinch hitter Geoff Burgess to open the innings proved a master stroke and Geoff finished the season with 330 runs.
James Leunig, who scored 308 runs, and Travis Fryers and Gareth Finlay did the bulk of the scoring.
Burgess added to his runs by leading the wicket taking as well, with support from Captain Steve Murfitt.
A highlight was the fielding of James Leunig, who not only saved countless runs, but took a number of spectacular catches.
6th Grade (SMCA One Day ‘A’ Grade):
Captained By Neil Hewson
This team was the former Southern Districts’ One Day ‘A’ side, coming over after Christmas to join the Spartans setup.
They were competitive all season and finished in the “four”. They took on nemesis side Southern River in the Semi Final and just missed out on knocking them off.
The season stand out was Matt Walters scoring 1177 runs, breaking the overall club batting record by a considerable margin.
Matt scored six centuries and six fifties during the season.
Others in the runs were Captain Neil Hewson with 352, and brother Darren also contributed with the bat.
Bowling honours were also taken by Neil Hewson, who took 33 wickets, assisted by Nathan King, Glen Harris and Paul Popiel.
Matt Walters and Clint Gandy broke the grade partnership record for the 5th wicket.
7th Grade (SMCA One Day ‘B’ Grade):
Captained By Kyle Salzmann
Started the year slowly, but had a good winning streak during the middle of the season.
Unfortunately needed to win the last game to get in the “four” and ultimately fell short.
A very even season with the bat saw six players score in excess of two hundred runs. Captain Kyle Salzmann promoted himself to opening the batting and scored a very creditable 325 runs with a top score of 97.
Others to assist were Beau Carter, Josh Foster, Steve Foster, Matt Scarterfield and new comer Michael Simpson, who scored 98 on debut.
Beau Carter and Kyle Salzmann broke the grade record for the 2nd wicket partnership.
8th Grade (SMCA One Day ‘C’ Grade):
Captained By Peter Ferguson
Another side who started slowly, possibly due to their pre season regime (or lack thereof!) – but gained momentum as the season progressed.
Came home really well after Christmas and claimed a spot in the “four”, however, they were ultimately defeated by Kwinana in the semi-final.
Captain Peter Ferguson had another great season with the bat, scoring 575 runs.
Wicket keeper/batsman Peter Phillips came out of retirement and had a good season with the bat and kept very well, finishing with 374 runs to go with his 17 dismissals and 14 catches, a grade record.
Jason Sweetman was the pick of the all rounders with 288 runs and 23 wickets. Sean McGowan had a very consistent season with the ball and ended up taking 20 wickets.
9th Grade (SMCA One Day ‘D’ Grade):
Captained By Ron McDonald
Thirty five players made their way through the Leeming Spartan Cricket Club’s newest side this season, made up of a mixed bag of experienced campaigners and lots of new players.
They were competitive throughout, but lost games to teams around them and missed out on the four in the end.
A great first up season came from Sam Edwards, who scored 321 runs, including a maiden century.
Another new comer to do well was Dane Batley, who got 191 runs.
Matt Hosking did well with bat and ball, scoring over 200 runs and taking 14 wickets.
Mark Atkinson, Ron McDonald, and President John Ipsen celebrating the 2009 First Grade Premiership.
The Era In Review:
And with that, the enormously successful Ipsen era had concluded.
With a mammoth nine sides, an incredible 90th anniversary, multiple Premierships and a First Grade team for the ages, the Leeming Spartan Cricket Club had continued to set the boundary for sporting clubs in Western Australia.
It can be said that President Ipsen had enormous shoes to fill following the retirement of Brian Waterer, who had served in the role for 27 years.
However, Ipsen was not to be outdone, overseeing the most successful period in the Club’s history, with a series of record breaking premierships in most grades (including six in the First Grade), a change of direction at the Club which involved all players, and a series of upgrades and improvements to the Club’s structure to help bring it into the digital age, with improved signage, an updated website, new initiatives and events to name but a few.
John implemented new ideas to ensure the Club didn’t remain stagnant on the back of years of success thanks to Waterer (highlighted perhaps by the multi-million dollar clubhouse we enjoy today), and was always on hand to help out.
From simple initiatives like bringing food to the Club for dinners and lowering bar prices, to the larger ideas such as the introduction of the Country Week programme, meant the Leeming Spartan Cricket Club had revitalised its image under John, and attendance and enjoyment from all players was at an all time high.
The years from 2007 to 2013 were amongst the most enjoyable the Club had experienced, and by the time John finally hung up the boots in 2013, he could be considered to be amongst the Club’s finest Presidents.
Chapter Thanks:
A special thank you to Spartan legends Graeme Ashley and Brian Waterer for the countless hours they have spent in compiling the historical information regarding the Leeming Spartan Cricket Club and preparing it for our website. This incredible effort is part of what makes the Leeming Spartan Cricket Club one of the most historically accurate and successful clubs in Western Australia.
Adapted and updated with new content for the new Leeming Spartan Website in September 2016 by Daniel Coombs. Last updated in August 2017.
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The Spartan First Grade celebrating a memorable two-day premiership in 2008/09 at home.
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