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Latest News |
12 June 2006: |
Apologies! It has been quite a while the site was last updated! A lot has happened since then. The Autumn 2006 came to an end and sadly, we have no medal to show for our efforts. All in all, a season we would like to get behind us as quickly as possible. The Winter 2006 season has already started, but this update only shows up the end of last season, allowing one last, dreadful look. Please visit the summary pages for all the details. Tip of the Week: Enjoy yourself while playing! It's the reason you are playing, isn't it? |
2 May 2006: |
On 25-04-2006 The Explosive Nukes squared up against The Motley Crew. They batted first and we struggeld in the first skin as they got 45 runs. The next three skins were more to our liking and they ended up on 106. We started off at an equally blistering pace, reaching 39 after the first skin. The second skin stepped on the accelerator and added 46 more runs, their total in sight. Our third skin passed their total to 109, while the last skin finished things off nicely to end on 140. Contributor of the Match was Nicholas vd Heiden with a massive net contribution of 35 runs and his first hat trick! Next, The Atomic Nukes faced Swing Ding. We batted first and found the going somewhat tough. We struggled to score runs due to some good fielding and bowling, but also some wayward batting on our side. We scraped to 47 runs, a total which somewhat difficult to defend! As expected, they were out the blocks quickly, passing out meagre total in the second skin. We were in damage control mode in the third skin, but still conceeded 26 runs. Their last skin let loose though and promply smashed 41 runs past us, to end on 130 runs. Contributor of the Match was Philip le Roux with net -4 runs. Tip of the Week: To bowl an inswinger, hold the ball with the vertical seam pointing towards fine leg, shiny side of the ball to the left. Your action could get slightly open chested and the front foot toe pointing towards 1st slip. Finish the bowling arm on the back leg. (If all else fails, ask Charl how!) |
14 April 2006: |
On 11-04-2006 The Explosive Nukes played Fitzone BB Boys. They batted first and got off to slow start in the first skin (14), but the second skin blasted 52 runs past us. Damage control kicked in and we restricted the next skins to 15 and 24 respectively, which meant we had to chase down 95 runs for victory. We steadily attacked their score and were confidently on 53 halfway through the overs. Our third skin kept the pressure up and left us just 7 runs short of the target. Our last skin passed their total easily as we reached 116 runs with the game and three skins in the bag. Contributor of the Macth was Turbo with 26 net runs and his second hat trick of the season! At the same time, The Atomic Nukes took on Old Timers. We batted first and got off to a flyer, courtesy of 47 in the first skin. Our opponents put their age behind them and turned on the screws in the second as we got 15 runs. Our third skin pushed on again and added 41 runs to leave us on 103 after three skins. Our last skin faced some good bowling and added 18 more runs, which meant we had 121 runs to defend. Our opponents came out firing and won the first skin with 48 runs. The second did not let up and added 30 more runs. We pulled back the third skin and limited them to 19 runs. Then their last skin took the game away from us by smashing 54 runs. Our losing streak continues to our dismay, but in the end we did not bowl and field good enough. Contributor of the Match was Philip le Roux with 6 net runs. Welcome to: Jaco du Preez and Nicholas van der Heiden who played their first match for The Nukes. Welcome dudes! Congratulations to: Gerhard van der Merwe and Heinrich Stander for playing their 100th game for The Nukes! Useles information: Collectively, we have now played 1656 games, scored 22 132 runs (13.36 runs/game), took 3047 wickets, conceeded 22 264 runs at 13.44 runs/game. Tip of the Week: When batting, get in line with the ball. This way it is easier to negate any swing, protect your wicket and not fish for the ball outside the off stump! |
11 April 2006: |
On 04-04-2006 The Explosive Nukes took on Elmosfire. The Elmo's batted first and scored freely in the first three skins to reach 96. In the last skin we got our bowling and fielding act together and conceded only 16 runs, which meant we were chasing a competitive 112 for victory. Sameer and Warren got us off to a great start, scoring 32 in the first skin. Ryan and Turbo continued the demolision job and added 35 in the second. Frank and Visagie were pegged back to 20 runs, which Steve and Martin to score 25 for victory. They scored 34 more and we ended on 122, a comfortable victory. Contributor of the Match was Warren King with 14 net runs. On 05-04-2006 The Atomic Nukes played Pollie Prop. We batted first and scraped to 75 runs. As expected, our opponents came out blazing, scoring 69 runs in the first two skins. The last two skins blazed even hotter and took their total to a mammoth 150 runs. We let ourselves down in all departments and hope for a considerable improvement tonight. Nobody enjoys any losing streak and ours are now spanning 5 games! Contributor of the Match was Dugald Smith with 7 net runs. Tip of the Week: When batting, do your best to at least make contact with the ball. Any deflection will make it difficult to field and give you time to complete that run! |
30 March 2006: |
On 28-03-2006, The Explosive Nukes played Centurion Autobody. They batted first and scored freely in the first skin (36). Their next skin was in fact the only one to score below 30, coming in on 29, with the thrid skin getting 31 and the last 33 more. That brought their total to a highly competitive 129 runs. We had our work cut out for us and got off to a steady startin the first skin (22). Our next two skins found the going somewhat tough and could only add 27 more runs, leaving the last skin with an uphill battle to score 80 runs, of which we managed 33 runs. We ended on 82 runs, which is unfortunately somewhat short of the required total. Contributor of the Match was Pieter Viljoen with 8 net runs. On 29-03-2006, The Atomic Nukes played against Unica. We batted first and scored a defendable 105 runs. Quite confident, we started our fileding session a bit sluggish, conceding 20 and 32 in the first two skins, leaving our opponents slightly ahead after two skins. The next skin was a close affair again, leaving the last skin to get 32 runs for a win. Unfortunately, they managed just that, which meant we lost by one run. Not very nice, at all! Congrats to our opponents for keeping their nerve in the end. Contributor of the match was Michael Correia with 14 net runs and his thrid hat trick! Congratulations to: Philip le Roux for reaching 1500 runs in 103 games at 14.66 runs/game! Useles information: We have now had 190 different batting partnerships... Tip of the week: When backing up, hold your bat in the hand that allows you to look at the bowler as he runs in. In other words, your back should be facing the closest side net. Don't look over your shoulder, as this impairs your vision! |
22 March 2006: |
On 21-03-2006 The Atomic Nukes played against Swing Ding. We started the batting (welcome back Steve!) and got off to a solid start with 40 runs in the first skin. Then things went a bit pear-shaped in the second, while the third skin clawed their way back to 57 runs after three skins. Our final skin brought the score up to 66 runs, which again left us a bit short. Swing Ding made a mistake if they thought this was going to be easy! We kept them very quiet in the first skin, conceeding only 16 runs. The second skin got things going for them and they were on 54 after two skins. Time to dig deep. We fought hard and they could only manage 12 runs in third skin, but the scores were now tied with one skin to go. Their last skin finished things off in style, walking off with 98 runs, but only two skins. Contributor of the Match was Erik vd Linde with 15 net runs. Later, The Explosive Nukes took on The Motley Crew. They batted first and got off to a shaky start as we bowled and fielded like crazy to keep them down to only 14 runs. Things went from bad to worse for them when the second skin could only add 7 more runs. The third did slightly better with 11 runs. In came the big hitters who got 19 in the final skin! They posted only 51 runs, which we thought was quite getable! Konrad and Turbo got things going nicely and almost got their total in the first skin (41)! Then Ryan and Steve really cut loose and added a massive 59 runs in the second skin to walk off with 100 on the board. Not to be outdone, Sameer and Charl kept up the hitting and smashed 32 more runs in the third. Piet and Michael finished off the game with another huge partnership of 47, leaving us on 179 runs and our opponents reeling. Maybe we need to move up a league or three? Contributor of the Match was Ryan Froude with 24 net runs. Congratulations to Turbo who got his first hat trick! Congratulations to: Erik van der Linde for reaching 2000 runs in 94 games at 21.49 runs/game! Tip of the Week: When fielding, really wait for the ball to come to you, especially off the net. Watch it closely until it hits your hands and only then can you start thinking of going for a run out. Do not snatch at the ball! Remember, you can't throw the ball at the wickets accurately or with sufficient power if you don't have control over it! |
16 March 2006: |
On 14-03-2006 The Explosive Nukes played against Regan. This is a new team and therefore an unknown quantity. We batted first and got off to a flyer, being on 94 after two skins. Their bowling and fielding somehow improved and we ended up on 132 runs, which we thought was quite defendable. They could not emulate our batting in the first two skins and were well and truly under pressure on 50 runs after two skins. We kept up the pressure and although they had a swing in the last two skins, could only manage 102 runs. Contributor of the Match was Martin Sage with 21 net runs that included his first hat trick! The Atomic Nukes played in the late shift against MOB. We batted first and had to contend with plain bad luck and some dubious umpiring. That aside, we managed to reach 79 runs. Defending that will be difficult, but we tried to give it a go. They came out firing and they were on 77 after two skins. We tried to limit the damage thereafter and they ended on 110 runs. Gerhard got his tenth hat trick and was also the Contributor of the Match with 12 net runs. Congratulations to: Gerhard van der Merwe for reaching 1500 runs in 96 games! Tip of the Week: Know the Action Cricket rules! Click here. |
8 March 2006: |
On 07-03-2006 we played round three of the current season. The Atomic Nukes squared up against Underdogs. We batted first and started off with 26 in the first skin. The next skin could only manage 1 run, while the third added 24 more runs. The last skin churned out another 8 runs, meaning that we ended up on 59. That will always be a difficult total to defend. We were impressed by the sharp fielding displayed by our opponents. They passed our total in the second skin already, so we just tried to limit the damage. They were on 95 after three and on 97 after four skins. We took two skins from this game. Our fielding performance were good, but we dropped too many catches. Contributor of the Match was Spiderman with a net contribution of 12 runs and some sharp catching and stopping at the back. The Explosive Nukes played next against The Wombles. Batting first, we were on -1 after the first skin. The second skin could only add another 11 runs. The third and fourth skins had to add some serious runs, but could not muster a respectable total and had to settle for 48 runs. Our opponents saw our score as their license to go ballistic. They scored 44 runs in the first skin and went on to score 103 after three skins. Never say die in a Nukes shirt! We fought hard for the fourth skin and won it easily by only conceding 2 runs in the final skin. Contributor of the Match was Charl Haasbroek with a huge net contribution of 21 runs, which included his first hat trick! Congratulations to: Gerhard van der Merwe for taking 100 stumpings in 95 games!
Tip of the Week: (from www.actioncricket.co.za)
When playing a shot and one leaves the crease to run between the wickets, |
3 March 2006: |
The score sheet for The Explosive Nukes game played on 28-02-2006 turned up and is incorporated in this update. As this was the second large defeat for us in as many weeks, the arena management kindly moved us down two leagues to D4. This coming Tuesday we will be playing The Wombles, who followed us down the league ladder, also from D2. We suspect they are already wombling... Tip of the Week: See yesterday's update! |
2 March 2006: |
The available players from The ∞ Nukes and The Nukes Kywalkers joined forces to form The Explosive Nukes. The Explosive Nukes are now playing in place of The ∞ Nukes in league D2. May you cause some serious havoc dudes! On 28-02-2006, The Atomic Nukes played against Pornstars. We played them twice before and lost on both occasions, so some pride was at stake here! For a change, we fielded first. They got off to a flyer, 37 and 20 in the first two skins. Then we turned on the screws, so much so that they stripped, conceeding only 3 runs for the third skin. Their last skin scored freely to push them to 98. We started off cautiously with 20 and 19 in the first two skins. Our third skin (Charl & Michael) played out of their clothes to score 39 and with that effectively taking the game. Our last skin played sensibly to score 24 runs, meaning we ended on 102, victory by four runs. Finally, we were on top! Contributor of the Match was Charl Hassbroek with 16 net runs. The Explosive Nukes played against In & Uit in the pajama shift. They batted first and positively plundered our bowling in the first skin (64). The next skin went better and the third better still, but the last skin was really big again, which meant they ended up on 188. Some indifferent fielding and bowling on our side never put any pressure on them and it showed in that huge total! When our turn came to bat, we could only muster 105 runs, which meant defeat by some margin. Unfortunately the score sheet has not been included in the stats (yet), due to it's unavailability! Welcome to Sameer Ismail, who played his first game in a Nukes shirt! May your neutron scatter be devastating! Congratulations to: (sorry, some of these were achieved a while ago!) Gerhard van der Merwe for taking 200 wickets (present 201) in 94 games (10.66 runs/game) Also congratulations to ourselves! It has been two years since The Nukes started playing, may there be many more! Tip of the Week: Balance is very important when batting. When facing up to the bowler, allow yourself to lift the bat ,in stance, in the direction of 3rd slip or gully, instead of lifting it in line with the wickets. It helps a lot to keep your stance balanced. But remember, when the bat comes down to meet the ball it must come down as straight as possible! Happy scoring! |
23 February 2006: |
The Autumn 2006 season is already underway and as always, things are still changing for The Nukes. The Atomic Nukes was promoted (together with Vasvat after that tight final) to league B3, where we expect even stiffer opposition! The ∞ Nukes was promoted to league D2. Unfortunately, due to other commitments or injury, we have (temporarily?) lost many players, so much so, that we only entered two teams for this season. BUT, do not think that the remaining bunch are not 110% committed to our mantra: Running is Pointless! On 21-02-2006, The ∞ Nukes played against Explorers. They went in first and scored big in all four skins to reach a total of 142 runs. We conceeded few extras, but put the ball in the slot too many times and paid the price. We went in to bat and tried to force the pace, but could not get the ball away successfully. The second and thrid skins contributed nicely, with Konrad smashing 31 runs when his turn came. In the end, 142 was just too many to get as we stumbled to 97 runs. Contributor of the Match was Konrad vd Merwe with 15 net runs. Later, The Atomic Nukes squared up against, yes, you guessed it, Vasvat! We dearly wanted revenge for last week and bemoaned the fact that they got themselves a provincial import! We batted first and were halfway (49) to 100 runs after two skins. We completed our quest for at least 100 runs in the end by finishing on 101. Again, the Kansvatters got off to a good start and were ahead after 8 overs. We then turned on the screws in third skin, Charl being destroyer in chief, swinging the ball about half a meter into the blockhole, followed by the sweet clatter of furniture. They needed 27 from the last skin. We contained as well as we could, but in the end they again hit a 7 and a 4 from the last two balls to scramble a draw, of all things! Another tight, enjoyable game. Contributor of the Match goes to Charl Haasbroek with 16 net runs. Tip of the Week: Bob Woolmer gives these basic tips on his website on batting: (a) Watch the ball [makes sense!] (b) Keep your head still on release of that ball (be balanced) (c) Judge length accurately (d) Put your feet into the correct position (e) Select the correct shot. |