The Big Picture
Welcome back dear reader, we trust you have begun the start of Season 2025/26 with the annual mix of hope, optimism and delusion.
This summer will be The Quokkas 16th (?) in the YPCA. Where once we were the young, brash, talentless kids in town, we are now older and still without talent.
The YPCA organised (and sanctioned) T10 competition was cancelled due to lightning in the skies, rather than the sort on the field, so this match will be our first of the season.
We begin it with a new entry into the YPCA; Rocky Ridge. I asked Jeeves and he (?) told me that Rocky Ridge is a bar in Brunswick, which is neither a Pub nor in the City of Yarra, but we embrace them to our bosom all the same and wish them the same enjoyment and longevity in the league that we have enjoyed.
Pitch and Conditions
We kick off at one of our favourite YPCA grounds, Fairfield Park oval. Looking back at when we started, it had a lovely brick grandstand that was the home of many syringes and broken bottles.
Since it’s renovation, the outfield is lush and the new stand has an awning that makes one feel like one is in a greenhouse. Still, it’ll be great to be back.
It’s looking like it is going to be a clearish day with a top of 17 and the possibility of some light rain, but given how well the BOM has been going with websites and forecasts, anything is possible*
Team News
The announcement of the Australian Mens Test Squad has been made recently and, despite failing to pick Glenn Maxwell, they have done the world a favour by not picking any Quokkas. That being said, the introduction of cans on the field may be just what Test Cricket needs.
At the time of writing we have 13 available for the game, including one new name in ‘Nathan’. Please stand by for initial impressions, deviations from said impressions and the murmurings of the Nickname committee to change all references to him forthwith.
The squad (at the time of writing) is:
- Radar (w/k)
- Ed (c)
- F1
- Prez
- TBC
- Fargo
- Sizzle
- Gelder
- Animal
- Nathan
- Daisy
- Hendo
- Jay
Facts and Stats
«Leans back on chair, cracks knuckles, grins broadly»
This will be Fargos 20th YPCA match (yes reader, it does feel much, much longer), the B&F winner is only 28 runs off 200 career runs, so should get there by the end of the season. Much, much lower odds on him increasing on his 15 catches by December;
This will also be our new Club Presidents 20th YPCA match, congratulations to F1. For those of you wondering, he’s hit 368 runs at 30.67 and taken 10 wickets at 22.7;
On record games, The Animal will be suiting up (or at least putting his pants on) for his 40th YPCA game this weekend. The great man on the e-bike has 16 YPCA wickets, going at a miserly 6.87 RPO. Unbelievable considering he often opens the bowling;
* Anything is not possible