Category Archives: australian media

March 29, 2025 · 11:32 pm

Pitch Invasion when South Australia Claim Sheffield Shield

Alex Malcolm in ESPNcricinfo, 29 March 025

South Australia 271 and 270 for 4 (Sangha 126*, Carey 105, Steketee 3-40) beat Queensland 95 and 445 (Wildermuth 111, Clayton 100, Labuschagne 61, Steketee 51, Doggett 5-109) by four wickets
Stunning centuries from Alex Carey and Jason Sangha have helped deliver South Australia their first Sheffield Shield title in 29 years after they beat Queensland by four wickets at Karen Rolton Oval. The pair produced a brilliant rearguard 202-run stand to help the hosts run down the highest fourth innings chase in Shield final history, 270, on the fourth afternoon with Sangha finishing unbeaten on 126 while Carey was dismissed for 105 with 40 runs still required. Carey’s innings was a masterclass in rotating the strike under pressure. His 105 came off just 132 balls with only nine fours and a six.

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March 28, 2025 · 7:10 pm

Donald Friend’s Acid Readings of the Sri Lankan Scenario, 1957-1962

EXTRACTS From The DIARIES Of DONALD FRIEND, Volume 3** …. The Ceylon Diaries cover the period 25th January 1957 to 22nd July 1962 and run into 180 pages in small print. During this period Donald Friend, the gifted Australian artist, based himself at Bevis Bawa’s ‘Brief’, Bentota.

“His diary entries are pithy, sarcastic, self-critical and wonderfully observant of people, places and events. I dare say he was a better writer than a painter. One can only look on aghast at how little things have changed in Sri Lanka in nearly 50 years of turmoil. ….”  .… (the author of this ASSESSMENT remains unclear; while the highlights are interventions on my part: Michael Roberts).

26th January 1957: Time drifts through all this…. carrying on his back, like a turtle, a weight of the idiotic likes and dislikes….

4th February: Who like Bevis, is a hypochondriac. They both make a fascinating hobby of pills and injections …

19th March: The horrid old guide jibbered on endlessly, telling whopping lies.

24th March: Ratnapura Resthouse – nauseatingly loud Americans and a rabble of Ceylon drunks.

11th April: Orientals fortunately regard madness as something allied to holiness.

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March 25, 2025 · 8:48 pm

Sheffield Shield Final Showdown in Adelaide Evaluated

Liam O’Loughlin in NineSport.com, 25 March 2025, …with a title that is far too long

It often flies under the radar, but this week’s Sheffield Shield final could be one for the ages and have ramifications for a number of players. While all the talk has been around Usman Khawaja‘s hamstring injury – or lack thereof, depending on who you ask – plenty of other big names will be in action.

South Australia have been the dominant team all season in the Australian first-class competition and boast a well-balanced squad that has proved tough to beat.

Alex Carey has been the form player of the competition when available, with an average in the 90s and three centuries in just four matches to his name.

Alex Carey has been in red-hot form in Sheffield Shield.  Getty

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March 9, 2025 · 7:55 pm

South Australia beat Victoria to Sustain Top-Spot in Sheffield Shield

Alex Malcolm in ESPNcricinfo, 9 March 2025

South Australia 283 (McSweeney 60, O’Neill 5-51, Boland 4-53) and 300 for 6 (Lehmann 105*, Scott 83, Hunt 66, Boland 3-69) beat Victoria 285 (Kellaway 79, Thornton 4-42, Buckingham 4-70) and 297 (Kellaway 77, Dixon 76, Scott 4-49) by six wickets

An inspirational unbeaten century from Jake Lehmann in combination with a career-best 83 from Liam Scott secured South Australia their first home Sheffield Shield final since 2016 after they chased down 300 with four wickets to spare to defeat Victoria at the Junction Oval.

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March 7, 2025 · 7:35 pm

Neyara Weerawansa as Prospective Tennis Star

 

Item in Daily Mirror in Sri Lanka, 6 March 2025, entitled “Neyara Weerawansa triumphs in Australia”

Rising Sri Lankan tennis star Neyara Weerawansa has made an impressive mark in Australia by clinching the RSY Club Championship title in the Women’s Category.

ave won my first tournament here in Australia. It was a great experience competing at the RSY Club Championship, and I look forward to more opportunities to challenge myself and grow as a player,” said Neyara after her victory.

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March 6, 2025 · 12:57 am

Rare & Magical Animal Scenarios

Ross Bilton in The Australian Weekend Magazine, 22-23 February 2025, “showcasing two decades of amazing photography”

A tiger shark circling the carcass of a young humpback whale. A red-eyed tree frog plagued by mosquitoes. A Maori octopus selecting its prey from a huge ­aggregation of spider crabs. A grey-headed flying fox making a low pass over water in order to take a drink on a hot ­summer’s day. These are some of the winning images featured in the 20 Years of Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year exhibition, at the National ­Archives of Australia in Canberra until April 27.

Fighting Egrets….by Allen Peate

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March 2, 2025 · 10:03 am

ODI Trophy Commandeered by South Australia

 Report in ESPNcricinfo, 1 March 2025, ….

South Australia 268 for 7 (Nielsen 68, Lehmann 67, Scott 54*, Siddle 3-40, Sutherland 3-67) beat Victoria 204 (Sutherland 50, Thornton 4-27, McAndrew 3-47) by 64 runs
Nathan McSweeney‘s game-changing cameo with the ball helped South Australia defeat Victoria by 64 runs to collect the state’s first one-day cricket title in 13 years.
SA, with Harry Nielsen, Jake Lehmann and Liam Scott making half-centuries, posted 268 for 7 in Saturday’s battle for the inaugural Dean Jones Trophy.

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February 15, 2025 · 12:22 am

Australia Squashed in Second ODI ….. Grounded to Dust

Michael Roberts in An Interpretation of the Scorelines and the ESPN Report from Tristan Lavayette, ………………………… https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/australia-in-sri-lanka-2024-25-1459900/sri-lanka-vs-australia-2nd-odi-1469168/match-report

A shorthanded Australia will enter the Champions Trophy bereft of confidence and desperate for answers after a hefty 2-0 ODI series defeat to Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka’s massive 174-run victory in the second ODI in Colombo was set up by Kusal Mendis and captain Charith Asalanka powering them to 281. Kusal made 101 off 115 balls, and had strong partnerships with Asalanka and Nishan Madushka, before Australia were routed for just 107 in the 25th over.
Kusal Mendis celebrates

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February 5, 2025 · 12:36 pm

Offensive Racist Place-Names face Offensive

A News Item in Australia, Today, February 2025

Black Gin Creek and Little Uncle Tom mountain are among the 43 place names in Queensland containing racial slurs with a traumatic history.

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February 4, 2025 · 11:46 pm

Responsibility … “Duty of Care” on the Cricket Field: Senake’s Thoughtful Essay

Michael Roberts 

In THIS MEMO inspired by Senaka Weeraratne’s article below, I present two striking photographs to illustrate the amateurish and rudimentary nature of treatment for those subject to serious injury on the cricket field in the 20th century in contrast with the jeep-ambulances and medical staff attending matches in recent decades. Howeer, these facilities did not prevent PHIL HUGHES from succumbing to “death-by-bouncer”  during a Sheffield Shield match.

Duleep Mendis bing carried off the field by Mevan Pieris & Dennis chanmugam (two teammates) after he was felled by paceman Jeff Thomson at the ODI match at Kennington Oval in London during the World Cup Prelims in summer 1975

When Phil Hughes wes felled in Sydney in 2014, there was a jeep with a stretcher available to carry him off …. Alas, he died in hospital; whereas Duleep suvived, played on and is still in the cricket circuit as a coach. C’est la vie.

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