Sport Lived cricketers impress in Melbourne

Congratulations to Richard Moore for winning the Third Grade District One-Day Cricket Premiership! In a thrilling Grand Final, Richard’s club beat Geelong by just four runs!

Rick Moore (top row, 3rd from the left)

Congratulations also to Harry Moores for winning the 2nd XI Premiership beating Bentleigh by 75 runs.

Congratulations to Thomas Crosse who played for his club in a 2nd XI Grand Final. Unfortunately his team were beaten at the last hurdle but Tom performed extremely well taking 1/26 off 10 overs in the first innings and 2/21 off 8.1 overs in the second innings.

A very special mention must also go to Charlie Cooke who scored not only one, but two centuries in consecutive weeks! His latest effort was a

Charlie (right) with Tom Parfett

sparkling 116 not out. This is an outstanding achievement to score two centuries at District Cricket! Charlie, a wicket-keeper batman from Sherborne, has consistently scored runs throughout the season.  Prior to his 2 centuries Charlie notched up a classy 98 in early January. Congratulations on this excellent achievement! Well Done Charlie!!

Harry Moores – Player of the Month

Sport Lived has awarded Harry Moores the March player of the month award. Harry has been on a Sport Lived play cricket programme to Melbourne where he’s played for one of the top clubs in the city. He has been living comfortably in one of Sport Lived’s city centre apartments and thoroughly enjoying his cricket. Harry hails from Somerset, England where he plays for Castle Cary CC 1sts. Harry also played First XI cricket for his school Sherborne prior to his trip Down Under.  Harry is playing for his club’s 2nd team and paid testament to the standard of Australian club cricket when he claimed that the standard is considerable better to his team back home.

Harry at the Boxing Day Test Match in Melbourne

But Harry has excelled in this environment and has had a remarkable programme having been in excellent nick with the bat. The highlight of his time in Australia came in October when he scored a century for his club on debut.  It was a knock that ultimately changed the course of the match. His team were serious trouble at 10/4 before Harry’s 103 helped them to reach a match winning total of 340 from their 80 overs. He described it as an ‘amazing experience,’ one which I’m sure he will carry with him throughout his playing career.  Harry’s performances have helped his team reach the end of season Grand Finals which will take place later this month.

Sport Lived organise sporting gap year programmes to numerous destinations in Australia and New Zealand. You can also play cricket in Australia by finding out more on our website www.sportlived.co.uk

James Herbert – Rowing in Australia

James Herbert is on one of Sport Lived’s exciting six month playing programmes, where he is rowing in Melbourne.  He is part of one of the best clubs in Australia where he is rowing alongside national hopefuls and awed by the club’s ‘incredible strength in depth’.

James hails from a solid background on the water. He first picked up an oar in Year 9, finally making it a ‘full time’ commitment a year later. This led to four years of serious rowing for Bedford Modern School, one of England’s top ‘day’ schools for the sport. In these four years James was part of the BMS senior crew and raced at the National Schools and Henley Regattas and also attended GB trials with his brother. So he approached this new and unique challenge well equipped and full of experience.

Rowing on The Yarra

Rowing Australia has been a rewarding contrast to James’ previous experiences and he has noticed a more intensive strength and weights programme. Early morning sessions remain and the ethos of the sport is fairly universal – ‘you train long and hard.’ But replace English rain, wind and dingy mornings, with a touch of mist, a golden sunrise and calm, blue still water. The River Yarra runs through the heart of Melbourne where there is hardly a whisper of the wind. Gone are the thermal leggings. Conditions are so perfect, says James, that they ‘definitely take your concentration off the rowing.’ But great weather is no obstacle to the success of James’ club. Their bottomless strength was evident at the Head of the Yarra – an 8k processional race – where the men’s crews won three of the four levels of competition and the women’s crew were victorious in theirs.

The prospect of joining such a prestigious club and embarking on such a challenge may seem intimidating even in a domestic setting, let alone playing away in one of the world’s most successful sporting countries. But an undaunted James says ‘I was made to feel at home right from the start.’ Sport Lived has provided James with the perfect base for his Australian adventure: a comfortable, apartment in the heart of Melbourne, with some stunning views of the city. Living with a number of fellow Sport Lived players he has had an established social group from the moment of his arrival. His crew mates at the club were also immensely welcoming and their hospitality has of course created endless opportunities for James to socialise. At Christmas the club hosted a cocktail party and has hosted numerous events throughout his time there.

Club Boathouse in Melbourne

Living in the city meant James was able to cycle to his club’s boathouse in 10 minutes.  He was also close to Melbourne’s nightlife which he has said is as ‘large and varied as anywhere I’ve seen.’ Melbourne is a thriving metropolis, considered to be the sporting and cultural capital of Australia. Stunning Victorian architecture, beautiful parks and gardens and the meandering River Yarra make it a physically diverse city, reflected in the wealth of entertainment on offer. It is home to five major sporting arenas including the Melbourne Cricket Ground, home of cricket in Australia. It is also the live music capital of Australia and boasts a multitude of nightlife, from trendy bars, to clubs, to downbeat pubs; ‘a truly assorted bar scene.’ James has particularly enjoyed some of the idyllic beaches in the surrounding area, even taking the time to catch some rays on Christmas day.

Encouragingly, bar work has been easy to find when in need of money, meaning this has never been a worry. But some saving before he left the UK has allowed our man to concentrate on his rowing and enjoy the experience. When asked to sum up his time in Australia, James said quite simply: ‘Unbelievable! I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here.’

Representative Hockey Selections in Sydney

Congratulations to Matt Davey and Hannah Baker who were both selected to represent their hockey association at the Men’s and Women’s New South Wales State Championships.  Both players were nominated for the teams after performing well for their club’s first grade team this season.  Matt represented the Sydney Hockey Association whilst Hannah represented MacArthur.

Matt Davey (top row, 3rd from the right)

 

Each hockey association in NSW are represented at the Championships which were held over the long weekend in Sydney (7th/8th June).  The Men’s Championships were held in Grafton whilst the Women’s Championships were held in Tamworth. 

Hannah’s MacArthur team were knocked out at the group stage.  However in the Men’s competition, despite losing 9-3 to Illawarra in the group stage, the Sydney Hockey Association qualified for the semi final where they beat Newcastle.  In the final they got revenge over Illawarra beating them 5-2 to win the Championship. 

Commenting on the event Matt said “It was a thoroughly enjoyable weekend getting the opportunity to play with and against the state’s best players.  The final was great and it was fantastic that we won!”

Well done to Matt and Hannah!