We are at the halfway point of the 2023-24 season and so, let’s take stock of how teams are progressing.

Valley Vixens (Women's T20)

With Tracey now in charge on the field, the team is ticking along nicely and gaining momentum with each game.

The team highlight of the season so far has been new players joining the team. With captain Kalina, out injured for the foreseeable future, the new additions have been timely.

A new face for Heathcote is Sarah French (Frenchy), who brings a powerful knock and can bowl a tidy over or two.

(Tidy) Heidi is back and happily opens the bowling and batting. It’s great to have her back in the fold.

The team has struggled a bit for numbers. One game a couple of players were “borrowed” from Lancaster Park, which highlighted the camaraderie between the teams in the grade.

1st XI (Men’s Premiership)

Skipper Jamal Sukhon is very pleased with the team’s efforts so far. A win against St Albans in the last game of the season would have had the team 2nd overall on points. It wasn’t to be, but the side sits in 4th place, just a point behind the 2nd and 3rd-placed teams.

The highlight of the season so far was the first-ever innings outright win, which came against East Shirley.

Our Dutch international, Philippe Boissevain, has had a good start with the ball, picking up 6-37 vs East Shirley. Flip is one of the top wicket takers in the premiership grade with 25 wickets.

Player-coach Tyler Lortan has been outstanding with the bat, leading the runscoring chart for the grade and producing two of the best innings the club has ever seen.

“It’s not often you’ll see someone score two 160s and not get a curry voucher,” Jamal says.

Daniel Stanley’s 83 off 40 against Lancaster Park was impressive too, as he hit their Irish international bowler, Theo van Woerkom, for four sixes in a row.

2nd XI (Men’s Championship)

The 2nd XI is in its first season in the Championship grade, having won promotion last season. It’s an indication of the club’s strength as our 1st XI was playing this grade just four seasons ago.

Skipper Shaun Berryman is pleased with how the team is tracking, sitting in fourth place just five points off second place, and 15 points from the top.

The team made the T20 competition final; a special achievement for its first year in the grade. We won’t mention the result.

Season highlight so far was beating Burnside outright in a two-dayer, defending 150-odd with Marsyle Scott and Max Chaplin taking nine wickets in the final innings.

Jack O’Rourke’s 160 against Lancaster Park was the individual highlight. The 16-year-old made his Heathcote 1st XI debut a week later. Alan Bennys 5 for 9 against Halswell to secure a first innings win was another highlight.

3rd XI (Men’s Division 2)

The 3rd XI, this season skippered by Shannon Stone, is well placed at third on the table after the completion of the 45-over one-dayer section of the grade.

The objective is to win the grade and gain promotion to Division 1, so the club has teams in each of the top three men’s grades. So far, so good, but it’s the two-day cricket that determines who wins the grade.

The team highlight of the season so far has to be beating the 2nd-placed Riccarton team in a tricky chase at Hillsborough Domain.

James Hamilton’s bowling, batting, organisation, and passion for the game is one of the individual highlights of the year. James has returned to Heathcote after a season a few years back. It’s bloody good to have you back, James. Stay on, if you like.

Vansh Malik’s performances with the bat have been excellent too. At one point, he was averaging 150!

*Heathcote 3rd XI star player Harry Khan plays his signature knee-drop lofted slog-sweep cover drive*.

4th XI (Men’s Division 4)

The Alley Cats are placed 7th out of 8 teams in Division 4.

Skipper Carlos Smith-Diaz says the team has made a habit of falling 10-30 runs short when chasing. “Our team is full of talent and I’m confident that we will provide some stronger performances in the second half of the season.”

In his fifth year leading the side, Carlos says the team culture has aged like “cheese or fine wine”.

“For many of us, Saturday is about cricket but also about spending time with a great group of friends and sharing a few laughs,” he says.

Not a high- but low-light was Duncan Gibson’s dropped catch, which triggered an unfortunate cascade of events leading to two ruptured patella tendons and an extended hospitalisation period. After dropping a catch at mid off, he was duly punished by the cricketing gods, with a severed patella tendon in one of his knees. Duncan soldiered on, but promptly shattered the patella tendon in his other knee after taking a tumble at first slip.

Jonny Pugh is going well with the bat, scoring 76 runs on a tricky pitch at Hillsborough, and averging 37.4. Taylor McLellan’s 5/24 at Barnett Park has been the bolwing highlight. Meanwhile, Carlos is the top wicket taker with 13 wickets at 13.

*Duncan Gibson is carried from the field after rupturing the patella tendons in both knees.*

Tunnel Rats (Men’s Masters)

The Tunnel Rats are, in the words of team wrangler and club social media guru Richie Howard, “just happy that we are still alive after struggling for numbers early season”.

Recent additions from Matt’s ‘House of Cricketers’ have bolstered numbers., however.

The individual highlight of the season thus far was Jason Law’s 98 against Ohoka at Mandeville Domain. Unfortunately, Jason was out LBW just short of his 100. He and Jono Spicer put on 160 for the opening wicket, and the game ended in a tie!

Another highlight was Campbell McClimont and Shay Horay’s match-winning 60-run partnership in the final eight overs to take the team from “dead and buried” at 86 for 8 to chase down 148 against Burnside.

Off the field, the team’s club host night featuring bacon sandwiches was the definitive highlight for the entire club… according to Richie.

Every over the team survives without an injury is a highlight, says Richie. The “Man Down” award has been presented to several players (mostly called Mark), who have succumbed to ‘fitness issues’ already this season.

Mid-season progress reports