The Night of Nights.....

On an evening in early March, while wearing suits and sitting at a sports bar at Melbourne’s Crown Casino. Pauly and I found ourselves discussing a recent lack of player enthusiasm towards the PCG. Both in full agreement on our problem, we brainstormed some ideas that could rejuvenate it’s spirit. It took no more than a few more drinks and some very ambitious, not to mention successful bets on the roulette table to make our idle bar chat PCG gospel.

Our concept was simple, the PCG needed something to rekindle it’s spirit, so we’d put the PCG’s spirit itself up for grabs, by holding a full-house season long PCG event.

The next night we ran our ideas past the committee, and after some debate a basic structure was nutted out:
Upon conclusion of every 4 way Quadrangular series held whereby the 4 full voting PCG members all participated in. Each member would sit down post series, and by private scripture record their 3, 2 & 1 votes with written justification. Votes are to be awarded on how each member performed in that series based against the ‘unwritten’ PCG code of ethics. All the votes would then be folded and sealed not to be seen again until the night of the vote.

After precise wording this concept was then put to vote, the PCG’s first ever full member vote (Pauly’s ‘Hall of Fame’ induction was never voted upon). The result was 4 to 0 in favour and thus the PCG “Night of Nights” was born!

As the season ending night approached, series were played with increasing intensity, no man wanting to drop a potential vote. Speculation began spreading too, vote tampering, ballot stacking, general integrity…. everything and one was being brought into question.

When the night finally arrived, 8 fully voted series had been held making up a total of 192 votes. Simon Beasly was paying me and Cashman as equal favourites for the title at odds of 2/1, and by the midway mark of the voting we were 2 and 1 respectively. But as the rounds wore on, our form faded and by the last round we were both out of the running. In the end it came down to the last vote of the evening with Pauly getting the 3 and taking it over Coyley 51 to 48.

With no speech prepared Pauly was in shock, compounded further when celebrity guest Russell Gilbert showed up for the presentation. But none the less he was a fitting winner, grasping the PCG Ashes with pride as he posed for post ceremony fan photos.

Upon review all committee members proclaimed the Dalton Bar “Night of Nights” a huge success, with Russ’ entertaining finale the cherry on top. If by chance the PCG lasts another year consideration has already raised to invite him back.


Regards,

Tim B.
PCG Committee Member

Presentation
(It is a bit out of sync, due to Pauly's instantanya running low on juice)

Night of Night's Tally Sheet

Cashman's votes.....

For every vote cast the player had to justify the vote with a comment, and early on one trend became clear, Cashman nearly always managed to squeeze himself into his own votes.

Round 1
P. Cashman - 3 votes
Won the final what more can you say.

Round 2
P. Cashman - 2 votes
Unlucky, bowled the best spell of bowling ever

Round 3
P. Cashman - 1 vote
There abouts but not good enough.

Round 4
P. Cashman - 2 votes
What lost it for me was the 2 chicken pies at 5AM

Round 7
P. Cashman - 2 votes
Unlucky not to score one of the best hundreds ever seen at the PCG

I would have put up some of the comments from Pauly and Coyley, except they didn't vote for themselves as much, plus they can't spell or punctuate. Though things of note were that Pauly loved to sign off everything as "The PCG Hall of famer", an accreditation he just decided to assume one night. And Coyley loved stating bookie Simon Beasly's odds whenever an outsider got up for the win.

It was also great to see Boonie getting some votes, all in attendance toasting with skol whenever he got one.

Offical PCG Statistics (9/05/07)

Batting

Bowling

Performance

Series Winners

Official PCG Statistics (24/3/07)

Batting

Bowling

Performance

New statistic feature:

Ducks now split between normal and Golden

The PCG Ashes

On the 29th of December 2006, Cashman and Coyley headed over to the PCG to join Pauly for an afternoon triangular; the new year was just around the corner and the mood was upbeat.

Coyley set the early running with a 50 against Cashy in the first game. He then knocked him over for 16 taking the easy win. In the next game Coyley was pitted against Pauly, again he had the measure of his opponent, notching up his first ever PCG ton (103*) and then conceding only a miserly 4 runs before claiming the wicket. With that win he assured his place in the final, it was now just a matter of who would join him.

It turned out to be Pauly, who managed to defend his total of 4 by tempting Cashy into an errant drive with one of his floating offies, Pauly took the catch and set himself to take revenge against Coyley in the final.

In the final after making 18 runs, Pauly got Coyley with one that jagged off the pitch and squeezed through his defences, taking out his middle stump in the process. Well Pauly was pumped and very confident he could turn his batting slump around to nut out a 19 and take the series win. But Coyley was in form with bat and ball and with his second delivery he ricod one in off the off-side wall that went straight through the gate, the death rattle following instantly. Pauly was fuming, not only had Coyley taken him for a 100, but to rub the salt in he’d just bowled him for a 2nd ball duck. With his anger at critical mass he exploded, thrusting the “Killcunda Super Palmer scoop” towards the PCG pitch with all his power. As it connected with the ground an earth shattering “CRAAAAAACK” sounded out that I almost heard over in Guatemala. The aftermath was a 6 inch split down the splice of the bat, and although the Killy lasted another 20days, (Simmo finished it off via a wayward cut shot) Pauly’s act of petulance marked the beginning of the end for our beloved Scoop.

On the 3rd of the February 2007 prior to “The test of new Beginnings”, Pauly cut up the remaining pieces of the Kilcunda Super Palmer scoop and with seven PCG members watching on we burned it in the PCG backyard. Afterwards I carefully collected up the ashes, and placed them into a specially designed container.

There will never be another bat like the original Killy scoop (The Palmer II twin scoop broke after 2 days!), thus all PCG Ashes tournaments will be conducted in a manner that mirrors the esteem in which that bat held with all of us.

Official PCG Statistics (6/2/07)

Batting

Bowling

Performance

To Enlarge Stats:

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The PCG Memoirs...

I moved into 168 Page Street about 6 months ago, it’s a pretty run down old place, paint peeling of the walls, palings falling off the fence, vines creeping into the outdoor dunny, to the naked eye not much to look at; except for one feature..... it’s hallway.

To most a hallway is what? A simple indoor stretch of corridor which you use to get from one room to another. But make this stretch a full 25 meters long then ad a 12 foot high ceiling and what do you have? Yes I know, a very long and tall hallway. But to those few dreamers of you out there I know you can see more..... and so did we.

Creating the PCG (Page Cricket Ground) was a team effort, visualised during the consumption of many a twilight beer out in the Page Street backyard. But as Kevin Costner knows they don’t come unless you build it. Thus on the 3rd of October myself and Pauly hand crafted the “Killcunda Super Palmer Scoop” from an off cut of Radiata pine. Aptly named after a Super Chicken Parmigiana that I’d consumed earlier that day down at the Kilcunda Pub, it’s creation marked the dawn of a new era at 168 Page St.

After some basic rules and a quick seam of red electrical tape being laid around 'The PCG pill', the Inaugural Page St Cricket test kicked off between me and Pauly. We both started tentatively not quite at home to the Rico deliveries bouncing in off the walls; but on the back of a nutty 38 in my 2nd dig I clenched the win, my final delivery getting Pauly a beautiful Bowled Rico off the legside wall.

Just like World Series Cricket back in the 70’s, the word spread fast, “What is this new game? What’s this Bowled Rico all about? How does this Caught Boonie work?
Less than 3 weeks after the 'Inaurgural Test' the First Triangular series was held, the results clearly illustrating - the PCG favoured aggressive batting and savy bowling. The next week ‘Triangular’ became Quadrangular, two days after it evolved to Pentagluar there was clearly no stopping this new form of the game.

To date the PCG has hosted no less than 18 series and had a total of 6008 “official” runs scored on it’s hallowed carpet. It’s had no shortage of controversy either with the infamous Lost Series still discussed with much passion.

With myself heading off to Mexico in a couple of days I can only hope that my fellow PCG Players continue diving for catches and striving to win matches on our hallowed PCG hallway.

Tim B.

The PCG Memoirs

A short video of the early memories of our time at the PCG.

The Lost Series

On the 29th of October, the 4th Quadrangular and 1st Pentangular series were played, won by Cashy and Pauly respectively. The following day I entered the Stats into my laptop only to discover the next day that the file was gone, I spent an hour trying to recover it, but to no avail. With myself having a dogged series and Cashy and Pauly posting some very solid numbers speculation spread that it was deliberate, but it is mere speculation, and to this day I still proclaim my innocence.

The only official evidence that the series ever took place were these 2 photos. The series were soon after renamed “The lost Quadrangular and Lost Pentangular”.

PCG Player Profiles (as at 17th Nov)

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Boonie

Boonie is a brown cardboard box that sits to one side of the PCG hallway just passed Pauly's bedroom. He has always been a member of the PCG, but he was upgraded to official "PCG fielder" status on the 31st of October after a brief committee meeting between Pauly and I.

He is handy for stopping 4’s & 10’s down the ground and his official status also allows him to take catches.

On the odd occasion that he does hold onto one (he's claimed only 6 catches to date so far) celebration always rings out from any crowd members in the backroom pavilion.

Official PCG Statistics (21/11/06)

To Read:

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Killcunda Super Palmer Scoop

The video footage of the birth of the 'Killcunda Super Palmer Scoop'

The PCG Rules

Scoring:

It’s simple – the further you hit the ball down the PCG hallway (which is about 25mtrs long) the more runs you get, with extra runs on offer for getting it in one of the 4 adjoining rooms and a whopping 14 runs on offer for getting it in the back bathroom. A clear stance was agreed from the outset, no runs are awarded for shots square of the wicket.

Runs are awarded as listed below:

2 runs into front TV room
2 runs passed Pauly’s bedroom door
3 runs passed Timmy’s bedroom door
4 runs into Pauly’s bedroom
4 runs passed Ryan’s office door
6 runs into Timmy’s bedroom
8 runs into Ryan’s office
10 runs into back room
14 runs into the back bathroom

Getting Out:

The rules for getting out are standard to anyone familiar with FYC or BYC, all bar one that is. It's the rule of 'Rico' and its what separates PCG cricket from all other forms of the game. It is inspired by the tight environment offered only by hallway cricket, and at the PCG the savy bowler is allowed to use these unique conditions to ‘rico’ (‘ricochet’ if you are French) the ball off the wall in an attempt to catch his man off guard.

Methods of going out are listed below:

Bowled
Bowled Rico
Bowled Double Rico (aka "Cashy Rico")
Caught
Caught Auto (Wicket keeper)
Caught Rico
Caught Boonie
Hit Wicket

Special Rules:

• The game can only commence after the toss of one of the two official PCG coin’s.
• In One Day games the bowlers run up is limited to starting from Ryan’s Office doorway.
• If a bowler misfires a delivery into a room, the batsmen is awarded the value of runs allotted to that room.
• If a batsmen is out for a Golden Duck he must draw a duck on the score sheet and colour it in with the Yellow marker provided.
• In any match during a ‘series’ the batsmen must retire at 100 runs.