With the season drawing to an end, the Crusaders can look back on a much-improved performance from them throughout the season. Not only did they finish second in their T20 group, but they did well enough in the one-day and first-class leagues to not be relegated. The Crusaders’ final official match of the season comes in the form of a playoff on Friday.

With season-ending activity preparations underway, the club is bustling with team news regarding player personnel, including players who will be leaving the club.

Probably the biggest name on the list is that of Marc Weeks, the 30-year old middle-order batsman who became the first Crusaders player to score back-to-back first-class centuries. Weeks has had limited opportunities this season in league matches due to the younger players being shown preference in the middle-order, however, he has been able to participate in some 2nd XI friendlies which allowed him to produce a top score of 49. Overall, Marc Weeks played in 28 first-class matches with a highest score of 122. In 41 limited-overs matches, he scored eleven fifties with a best of 96 in a SA Cup match.

Other players who are not being renewed at the end of the season are batsman Jimmy Mokoena, and quick bowler John Immelman, both of whom are 26 years old and who have also not been regular features in the Crusaders league matches. Immelman played in 11 first-class matches for the club, taking 25 wickets with a best of 5/17. In 40 one-day matches, Immelman picked up 62 wickets with a best of 5/12. Mokoena was more geared to first-class cricket and he played in 14 matches, scoring a best of 84 as opener.

Club captain Michael Prince commented on this news, “Over the last two seasons we have been looking towards reducing the squad size, and at the same time have funds available to develop schoolboys through the Academy. Unfortunately these three players have been adjudged as excess to the needs of the club, evident by the minimal cricket they have played this season. These guys are good guys and I know that they will succeed wherever they end up.”

There had also been talk amongst the administrators about releasing one of the frontline spinners onto the transfer list, due to the fact that both Prince and John Simpson offer the option of part-time spinner. Chris Kotzo was the one that the administrators were considering, but manager Neville Smeda, along with Prince and Matt O’Shea, took the stand that Kotzo’s experience, especially in the spin department, are required to nurture the teenaged spinners into becoming quality spinners. Prince pointed out that Hayward’s 44 first-class wickets this season have been a result of the excellent coach that Kotzo has been to him.

At the awards ceremony on Saturday, Matt O’Shea is expected to be named as club captain for next season, with Graeme Jeremy as his vice-captain. O’Shea had taken over as skipper of the first-class matches mid-season, giving Prince the opportunity to focus on his batting which had slumped somewhat.

In a 6th round Cup match on the weekend, the Crusaders picked up a narrow victory by 2 wickets against the LTX Breakers at the T&N Smeda Stadium.

The visitors won the toss and chose to bat first on a slow wicket, conducive to the medium-pacers and spinners. There was not too much assistance for the fast bowlers of Blott and Ayres, as they struggled to get anything from the wicket. Ayres discovered early on that the key was to pitch it up and bowl straight, as he had opener McEverley trapped in front on the toe for just 5. The entire innings for LTX Breakers was an interesting one in that they were never able to get completely on top of the bowling, despite their final effort of 240/6 in 50 overs. Chris Kotzo was the best of the bowlers picking up 2/32.

Crusaders’ turn at bat began well with Prince and Simpson putting on 40 together, followed by 50 between Prince and Jeremy. The captain looked solid with his 67 which included two sixes. After Prince’s dismissal, it was up to Marc Weeks(52) and Ron Stearman(26) to steer the ship home and they were cruising along until Higgins came back for his second spell and picked up 4 quick wickets, leaving the home team with 25 to win in the last 4 overs with just 2 wickets remaining. Keeper Ahad and bowler Immelman were at the crease when the winning boundary was hit by Immelman off the final ball of the innings, sending the Crusaders into round 7 of the Cup.

Man of the match, Michael Prince, said of the victory, “In a pressure situation at the end, our lower order guys showed the BMT that we have come to expect from everyone in the team. Overall, though, it was a good effort by the boys and we’re looking strong for our next Cup tie”.

The Crusaders will play away against Polla in round 7 of the Cup.

The fans filled the T&N Smeda Stadium to capacity on Friday night in an excellent one-day match between the Crusaders and the team from Grimbeekpark. The most amazing experience ever had by fans of the Crusaders happened at the Stadium as they witnessed supreme batting and exciting bowling.

Michael Prince, once again batting at 3 in the one-day side, won the toss and elected to bat first. The Crusaders began strong with an opening stand of 128 between Jimmy Mokoena(68) and Graeme Jeremy. Prince went for a slow 15, although he played mostly a support-role in the 2nd wicket partnership of 60. Stuart Capp joined Jeremy and they demolished the bowling to all corners of the park as they put on 147. Jeremy was finally dismissed for 169 as he was caught at deep cover, going for his 4th six. The crowd gave him a standing ovation after his 144-ball knock which included 13 fours and 3 sixes. Capp followed shortly after for 71 as he tried to drive over the infield, caught at mid-on by Doig off Bolan.

Once again, for the second week running, Immelman was the star of the bowling attack as he and Branson ripped through the batting lineup, taking the visitors to 27/8 before Fox cleaned up in his only over. Immelman ended with 5/12 and Branson took 3/12.

This win brought about the 5th successive limited-overs victory for the Crusaders as they strive for a league victory and promotion to division 4.

T&N Crusaders walked to victory by 10 wickets in their 2nd round Cup match at the Balmoral Cricket Ground thanks to some brilliant bowling led by John Immelman.

On a green wicket, the pace bowlers were itching to get first use of the wicket and this occured after Balmoral won the toss and elected to bat first. The bowling of Immelman and Greg Ransom proved too much as they quickly folded for 56 all out in 25 overs. Immelman stole 4/12 with Ransom being an able support with his 3/14. Ciaran Winder, picked up 1/3 in 5 overs with his chinamen spinners.

The target was too easy for the Crusaders and they polished off the runs in the 10th over with Prince making 47* and Mokoena ended unbeaten on 11.

Prince on the victory, “Nice that we ended the match in under 3 hours, allowing us some free time this afternoon. We pretty much expected this to be all over quickly, but we try not to take anything for granted as that has proven our downfall in the past.”

I just happened to be watching Chris Matthews’ “Hardball” last week when Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann came on for a good old fashioned orgy of Talking Points.  But something happened along the way, and she veered wildly off track.

“What I would say is that the news media should do a penetrating expose and take a look. I wish they would. I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America? I think the American people would love to see an expose like that.”

Well, thanks to that little episode of verbal diarrhea, a congressional race that was long considered a done deal has just gotten a little more interesting.  Her Democratic opponent, Elwyn Tinklenberg, received $800,000 in donations in the days following Bachmann’s comments.  And now the Republican that Bachmann beat in the primaries, Aubrey Immelman, has resurrected his campaign and announced that he will be running as a write-in candidate.

And they say nobody watches MSNBC…

Una splendida immagine di altri tempi che ritrae Isidoro Quaglio in compagnia di Giuseppe Rivaro (zio di Marco Rivaro, ex azzuro e primo italiano a giocare il “varsity match” con Cambridge). La foto di riferisce alla stagione 1970/71, durante un amichevole disputata in notturna a Offanengo in provincia di Cremona tra l’allora Tosimobli Rugby Rovigo e il forte CUS Genova. (collezione G. Rivaro)

Sabato 20 settembre 2008, alle ore 15.15, in occasione dell’incontro tra FEMI-CZ Rugby Rovigo e il Cammi Calvisano, presso lo stadio “M. Battaglini” si terrà una breve cerimonia per ricordare la figura di Isidoro Quaglio scomparso nell’aprile scorso.

La Rugby Rovigo in partecipazione con l’amministrazione comunale, il Panathlon di Rovigo e il CAI di cui ‘Doro’ era presidente, dedicherà all’indimenticato rossoblù la tribuna est dello stadio. Questo avverrà con l’apposizione di una lapide per ricordare una delle figure più esaltanti del mondo sportivo polesano e italiano allo stesso tempo.

Alla commemorazione saranno presenti il Sindaco di Rovigo, sig. Fausto Merchiori, il Presidente della Provincia, sig. Federico Saccardin, gli Assessori allo sport sia comunale che provinciale, Sigg.ri Virgili e Cattozzi, il Presidente del CONI provinciale, Sig. Giuseppe Osti, Mons. Santato, parroco del cocattedrale del Duomo di Rovigo dove risiede la famiglia Quaglio.

Saranno numerosi giocatori che sono stati compagni di squadra di Isidoro Quaglio.

E’ prevista anche la presenza del presidente della Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR), Sig. Giancarlo Dondi, e del presidente della Lega Italiana Rugby Eccellenza (LIRE), Sig. Sandro Manzoni.

Questa la probabile formazione che Massimo Brunello e Flaviano Brizzante farranno scendere in campo:

15 Basson, 14 Calanchini, 13 Pizarro, 12 Sanchez, 11 Bacchetti, 10 Bustos, 9 Canale, 7 Giuria, 8 Immelman, 6 Favaro, 5 Britz, 4 Reato(C), 3 Sclosa, 2 Mahoney, 1 De Marchi. In panchina andranno: Fortuna, Damiano, Tumiati, Barion, Pavin, Ambrosio, ancora dubbi per chi farà parte della partita tra Anouer e Badocchi.

Al rientro in rossoblu il numero 8 Immelman, in questa foto della passata stagione, mentre è in sostegno a Legora. Il mediano di mischia oggi non farà parte della parita per un problema fisico.

SUPER 10 GROUPAMA – II GIORNATA

A De Santis il debutto casalingo della FemiCzRovigo

Il programma

19.09.08 – ore 19.10 – diretta RaiSportPiù
MPS VIADANA – ALMAVIVA UR CAPITOLINA
Arb. Passacantando (L’Aquila)
G.d.l. Pasquin (Rovigo), Rebuschi (Rovigo)
Quarto uomo: Palmerio (L’Aquila)

20.09.08 – ore 16.00
BENETTON TREVISO – CASINO’ DI VENEZIA
Arb. Ventura (Roma)
G.d.l. Bonacci (Roma), Lento (Udine)
Quarto uomo: Fracasso (Padova)

FUTURA PARK RUGBY ROMA – PLUSVALORE GRAN PARMA
Arb. Pennè (Milano)
G.d.l. Roscini (Milano), Reale (Bari)
Quarto uomo: Violante (Bari)

FEMI CZ ROVIGO – CAMMI CALVISANO
Arb. De Santis (Roma)
G.d.l. Castagnoli (Livorno), Pier’Antoni (Colleferro)
Quarto uomo: Rosamilia (Colleferro)

20.09.08 – ore 18.00 – diretta RaiSportPiù
OVERMACH CARIPARMA – CARRERA PETRARCA PADOVA
Arb. Damasco (Napoli)
G.d.l.Traversi (Rovigo), Bonaccorsi (Prato)
Quarto uomo: Commone (Napoli)

In a 2nd XI friendly at the T&N Smeda Stadium on Sunday, Nils CC beat Smeda 2nd XI by 8 wickets with 6 overs to spare. The visitors won the toss and put the home team into bat first on a wicket which was sure to produce some movement for the pace bowlers.

De Livera struck early, having John Simpson caught behind for 3 and then bowling Danny Giles for just 14. Opener Jimmy Mokoena(32) and Stuart Capp steadied the scoring in a 3rd-wicket partnership of 36 before Mokoena fell. Marc Weeks joined Capp and the two put on 65 together before Capp’s score of 57 came to an end. This was Capp’s 3rd successive 50 for the 2nd XI. The rest of the batting order fell with only Weeks showing any restraint with a brilliant 76 from 85 deliveries. 2nd XI were bowled out for 222 with Beckford claiming 4/29.

Nils CC began confidently and never really looked like being beaten. After a century opening partnership between Ashmore(52) and captain Wylie(112*), the game was taken away from the home side and they won convincingly in the 44th over, this despite an excellent bowling display from John Immelman(0/28) and Tim Fox(0/26).

A lot of good was gained from this match as the coaching staff were able to continue their experimentation with various combinations. Simpson, still continues to show poor form in the one-day game, although Weeks’ poor run in the one-day setup ended with his valuable contribution. Tim Fox also showed that he is well-placed to play a big part in the limited-overs 1st team for next season.

In a one-day league match this week at the T&N Smeda Stadium, Smeda XI take on South Coast Fever. The homeside are only a victory away from the non-relegation zone and only have 3 matches left in which to do it. After a really close encounter last week, some needed changes should give the team a better chance at walking away with the 4 points.

In a batting order shuffle, John Simpson returns to the one-day line-up at number four, replacing spinner Ciaran Winder. Ron Stearman moves down to number 5 with Danny Giles continuing at number 6. Giles just comes off a fabulous hundred in the 2nd XI match last Sunday and will look to improve on that performance if given the opportunity. In an unexpected change, rookie wicket-keeper Rohana Ahad replaces out-of-form Chris Gossland at number 7. Ahad’s 25 off 18 balls at the top of the order for the 2nd XI was enough to get given the chance to show his metal at number 7 and behind the stumps in the 1st XI.

On the bowling front, Greg Ransom retains his place in the starting XI and will be key in the latter half of the innings with his reverse swing. Eddie Ayres, who still has not figured out his one-day bowling strategy, is replaced by John Immelman. Immelman will open the bowling with Allan Blott. John Simpson’s return to the team will allow for he and Chris Kotzo to use the semi-cracked pitch to full potential in the spin department.

In the first leg between these two teams, South Coast Fever scored a blistering 331/3 in their 50 overs with opener Gamble scoring a massive 155. Smeda XI were dismissed for 158 with Graeme Jeremy being the only contributor with 96 from 84 balls. The team has developed a great deal since that heavy defeat and have form players in Prince, Kenny, Jeremy, Giles, Kotzo and Blott.

Captain Prince indicated a need to be patient, “Both our batsmen and bowlers have felt the pressure early on and this has caused lapses in concentration, allowing for the team to fall apart. We need to be more patient with our various disciplines because the bad ball or lose shot will eventually come if we keep our consistency.”

Rohana Ahad on his 1st XI keeping debut, “I didn’t expect it to come so soon, having just taken over the gloves, but I am looking forward to the challenge.”

Team: Prince(c), Kenny, Jeremy, Simpson, Stearman, Giles, Ahad(wk), Blott, Ransom, Kotzo, Immelman. 12th: Branson.

Age 24; R/H lower order bat; R/A fast-medium

John Immelman’s consistency as a bowler has allowed him to cement his place in the attack for the T&N Crusaders.  He began as the new-ball bowler before the Blott/Ayres partnership surfaced and went through a period of exhaustion as he struggled to find balance in his performances.  After a brief early-season break, he came back firing and now contributes to the team’s pace trio.

Season 1

John Immelman started the season as one of the main strike bowlers for the team, but faded out towards the end of the season with the acquisition of stronger bowlers. He did, however, play in 7 first-class matches and picked up 20 wickets at 13.4. While his haul may not seem impressive, he very often played second fiddle to Blott and Ayres, although he did enough to take a best of 5/17. He excelled in the one-day setup, taking 22 wickets in 12 matches including an excellent 5/22. Immelman collected the award for best fielder of the season after collecting 14 catches and contributing to many run outs.

A few reflections on perhaps the best weekend for sports post-March Madness:

• April 11-13 is far far far too early for Red-Sox vs. Yankees. As far as I am concerned these two teams should not play each other until mid June.
• While I will not at all complain about taking 2-3 from both the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees, the Red Sox look a little flat. The starting pitching is a little bit shaky as evidenced by the drastic difference between Daisuke’s last two starts, Lester’s lack of command and everyone’s inability to pitch deep into the game. This brings us to our next problem: the bullpen. While, still probably better than most bullpens in the league, beyond Delcarmen, Okajima, and Papelbon I am terrified of having anyone else pitch a meaningful inning. The offense is doing very well considering the abomination that is Ortiz’s early season performance and the 2008 World Series MVP’s DL trip.
• You heard it hear first: J.D. Drew will keep up his early season success and have a monster year.
• While the Red Sox and Yankees shouldn’t play in early April, the Master’s define the month of April for the sporting world (especially now that MLB has pushed Opening Day into March– a rant I will save for another day).
• Trevor Immelman has an absolutely beautiful swing and it was a pleasure to watch his game all week long. As a huge Tiger fan, I was obviously disappointed in his game (doesn’t it say something about his sheer dominance when people are upset with a 2nd place finish in a major?), but that was diminished by great golf from Immelman. I don’t think this is the last time we will hear his name.
• Lastly, to see the non-nationally televised Friday night Red Sox-Yankees game, I went to the ESPN Zone in Chinatown and will never be returning. The service was awful from trying to get seated, to the bar, to our actual waitress at the table. While I understand that a night that had a Washington Capitals playoff game, Red-Sox Yankees, other playoff hockey and important end-of-the-season basketball games would be stressful for a sports bar, an ESPN Zone should have been able to handle it better. The highlight of the evening was a pedestrian burger that was overcooked. I think that ESPN had a great opportunity to make an incredible sports bar with the ESPN Zone concept and royally screwed it up, but that’s for another post.