The season of 1980/81 was one which resulted in great change around the Club. Colin Lilley left to join his brother John at Bailey Park, while Maurice James and Tony Caddy hung up their boots once again. Work commitments now meant that promising youngster Phil Daly had played his last game with the Club, while Brett Arnfield left ANA to try his luck playing with South Melbourne, in the District Cricket Competition. Arnfield went on to work his way up through the grades at South Melbourne and became a successful batsman in the First Eleven for a couple of seasons. His performances, combined with the excellent performances this season from 15-year-old Stewart Kreltszheim, exemplified the strength of the juniors from the previous year.

Two of the First Eleven players, Cedric Jansz and Neil Vorbach, enjoyed many Thursday nights together at the King George pavilion and were often the last to leave, after having consumed more than their fair share of the amber fluid. Such was the case one night when the bar was eventually closed and the two were asked to lock the door on their way out. Suddenly, feeling the urge to satisfy their hunger that had developed, Jansz and Vorbach embarked on a hunt around the clubrooms to find something to eat. Within no time at all they had managed to secure a handful of hot dogs from a supposedly locked fridge, and after unsuccessfully searching for a saucepan to cook them in, decided to settle for the urn, which was usually set aside for the tea and coffee on Saturday afternoons. After satisfying their appetites, both left and headed home thinking nothing more of their late night escapade.

However, such was not the case on Saturday when, after a hectic afternoon in the field, they came off the ground for a well earned cup of tea. As the tea ladies attempted to pour the mid-afternoon beverages for the players, what came out of the urn resembled something left over from a dirty washing basin, as the rather red and fat-ridden liquid oozed out into the coffee cups. Their findings became even more gruesome when they removed the lid and discovered the leftovers of somebody's half eaten hot dog'. It was a rather more subdued pair who faced the wrath of the President and Committee after the event and, subsequently, the Thursday night escapades have never been the same.

Cedric Jansz was appointed Captain of the First Eleven, and at only 19 years of age, still remains the youngest player to have achieved this feat. The team had developed into a strong batting combination, with Neil Vorbach and Fitzroy Crozier both hitting up over 350 runs for the season, and Cedric Jansz, David Shipp, Stewart Kreltszheim and Russell Mactaggart all amassing over 250 runs each. Fitzroy Crozier remained as Coach of the Club and dominated with both the bat and ball. His innings against East Bentleigh Central (a result of a merger of the East Bentleigh and Bentleigh Central clubs) in Round 4 was pure magic, as he majestically guided the ball to all parts of the field. Commencing the last over, Crozier required seven for his century, and after hitting a single and a boundary, glanced towards the gathering crowd for an indication of just how close to three figures he actually was.

An over exuberant first-gamer, 15-year-old Darren Haw, accommodated the request with a scream of 'one more . . . four'.

As the crowd anxiously awaited another perfectly struck boundary from Crozier their anxiety turned to disbelief, as the confused Crozier delicately pushed a single for what he believed to be the 'one more' that he required for his century. He then had no choice but to watch Bob Wilson play out the last ball. Needless to say, young Haw never played with the Firsts again that season. Crozier's wizardry with the ball also saw him break the 50 wicket barrier for the second consecutive year. Having played with consistency throughout the season ANA lost only one game prior to the finals, finishing on top of the ladder. They then came up against Channon Park in the Semi-final and completely outclassed their opponents from the outset. When the rain came on the second day of the match, Channon Park had no qualms about calling off the game, as ANA had belted up 4 for 248. Fitzroy Crozier was in fine touch, remaining unbeaten on 75, while Skipper Jansz assisted strongly with 62, receiving fine support from Vorbach with 39 and Mactaggart on 34 not out.

This win took ANA into a Grand Final confrontation with Cluden. After inviting Cluden to bat, ANA always appeared to be on top. Fitzroy Crozier spun the ball like a top to capture 5/32 off 19 overs while Mick Biddle took 3/49 with his left-arm slinging action, as Cluden crashed to be all out for 145. ANA then powered home by making 239 in reply, with David Shipp top scoring with 58, Cedric Jansz getting 53, Fitzroy Crozier 40 and wicketkeeper John Chessum making 37. ANA had successfully fought its way back into 'A' Grade with a resounding Premiership victory.

Toss won by Cluden

Cluden - 1st Innings

Richardson C . . . c Bodley b Sanders 2

Laughlan S . . . . . .b Wilson 4

Avery S . . . . . . . . .b Biddle 25

Muir R . . . . . . . . . c Bodley b Biddle 34

Barry I . . . . . . . . . .b Crozier 3

Walstab D . . . . . . st Chessum b Crozier 16

Stokes J . . . . . . . . c Bodley b Crozier 24

Mills C . . . . . . . . . not out 17

Holloway S . . . . . . b Crozier 0

Farrally M . . . . . . . c Crozier b Biddle 0

Murphy A . . . . . . . c Shipp b Crozier 6

Sundries 14

TOTAL 145

Bowling - Wilson B. 1/26, Sanders J. 1/21, Biddle M. 3/49,

Crozier F. 5/32, Bodley G. 0/3, Mactaggart R. 0/0.

Bentleigh ANA - 1st Innings

Shipp D . . . . . . . . . . st Muir 58

Kreltszheim S . . . . . .c Holloway 6

Jansz C . . . . . . . . . ..c Holloway 53

Vorbach N . . . . . . . . b Holloway 0

Crozier F . . . . . . . . c Holloway 40

Mactaggart R . . . . . . run out 3

Chessum J . . . . . . . c Muir 37

Sanders J . . . . . . . . . c & b Muir 4

Wilson B . . . . . . . . . b Farrally 0

Biddle M . . . . . . . . . . not out 7

Bodley G . . . . . . . . . b Farrally 10

Sundries 21

TOTAL 239

Bowling - Farrally M. 2/46, Holloway S. 4/57, Richardson C. 0/23,

Muir R. 3/50, Walstab D. 0/42.

Bentleigh ANA won on 1st Innings by 94 runs.

The Second Eleven, in 'D' Grade, was led by the experienced Harry Vantwest. This team comprised of a mixture of youngsters and experienced campaigners, and after indifferent form throughout the season, managed to sneak into the finals, finishing in fourth position. ANA faced the top team, East Bentleigh Central, in the Semi-final and stuck to their task determinedly to dismiss them for 235. When the combine were in full throttle late in the day, youngster Darren Haw chipped in with 3/10 while Andrew Higgins took 3/48. As ANA prepared itself for the run chase, the heavens opened up and 'Hughie' sent down an hour of his best. While the East Bentleigh Central team sat around with glee, watching the ground slowly disappear under water, 'Snowy' Arnfield had already donned his boots and armed with a shovel and what seemed to be miles of hoses, led the recovery plan as the waterlogged ground suddenly took on the appearance of a major plumbing exercise. Within an hour and a half the game was ready to continue, and ANA valiantly set off after the large target. ANA was always behind the eight ball and, after three disastrous run outs in the middle order, were in all sorts of trouble until Bob Arnfield joined Mick Egan for the last wicket. Arnfield cracked up 39 and Egan an unbeaten 34, as the two almost pulled off a remarkable victory, falling short by only 26 runs, as they put on 49 runs for the last wicket.

The 'Under 16A' Grade team, led by Darren Haw, failed to show the form of the previous season and was very lucky to scrape into the finals this year. Having done so, however, they once again came up against the might of St.Kilda City, who boasted the impressive record This confrontation with the old rivals seemed to bring out the best of ANA, and the St.Kilda City team had not counted on the improvement of tattooed bowler Peter Crawford. Crawford mesmerised the St.Kilda batsmen with his impeccable line and length, ending up with 7/48 off 27 overs, as City crashed to be all out for 147. At 1 for 40, ANA appeared to be cruising towards a memorable victory, but then crashed to be all out for a meagre 97 with Stewart Kreltszheim's 33 being the only resistance. It was certainly an injustice that Crawford's bowling efforts had gone unrewarded.

The 'Under 14B' team was led by the younger of the Haw brothers, Craig, and had gone through the season losing only one game prior to the finals and finishing on top of the ladder. ANA began well in the Semi-final, dismissing Moorabbin Park for only 113, with Craig Haw and Ross Scacco taking 3 wickets each. Disaster struck, however, as ANA then crashed to be all out for a lowly 84, allowing Moorabbin Park to move into the final and eventually win the flag.

Even after the success of the previous year, the Club replaced Cedric Jansz with Fitzroy Crozier as Captain of the First Eleven for the return trip into 'A' Grade. The move drew mixed success as ANA had an inconsistent season, finishing in the middle of the field. Crozier was once again in sensational form with the ball, taking 43 wickets and winning the CMCA 'A' Grade bowling averages, while Jansz played a lone hand with the bat, making over 400 runs for the season. However, Jansz received little support with the bat and this problem worsened when Premiership player Russell Mactaggart moved to Drouin, highlighting a problem which faced ANA in the years to come.

Throughout the season the 'D' Grade team was led by 20-year-old John Bacon and dominated the competition, finishing on top of the ladder prior to the finals. They came up against Hampton United in the Semi-final and were in a spot of trouble at the end of the first day, being 8 for 148. Trevlyn Crozier had been the best of the batsmen with 35, but this relatively modest total appeared to be smaller than that which would be required for victory. This would never be tested, however, as the second day's play was completely washed out, clearing the way for ANA to enter the Final. Moorabbin West were their opponents in the Grand Final and ANA struggled hard to dismiss them for 200, with Mick Biddle being the best of the bowlers, returning figures of 4/39. ANA's batting line-up looked strong indeed, with no less than 8 of the batsman having played in the First Eleven at some stage throughout the season. However, it was only the youthful duo of John Smith, who built a score of 38, and Trevlyn Crozier with 34, that were able to give the team a slight hope of victory. ANA finished with only 149 and had to be content with a Runners-Up pennant.

The Third Eleven, in 'F' Grade, had performed extraordinarily, considering they'd had five different Captains throughout the season. ANA finally settled with all-rounder Mick Egan, and with a last game outright victory, managed to finish in third position prior to the finals. The selection of this team attracted extreme controversy when Rod Blumfield's two consecutive 'ducks' saw him get overlooked for both the Second Eleven and Third Eleven teams, even after having made 43 in Round 8 while playing in the First Eleven in 'A' Grade. ANA came up against Highett West in the Semi-final and appeared to be in all sorts of trouble at 8 for 77, with opening batsman Graham Wilson having made 36 of these. The ANA team fought back admirably however, as number ten batsman Debinder Singh with 47 and 14-year-old Craig Haw, with 24 not out, added 78 for the ninth wicket, and when Kevin Thomas chipped in for a dozen at the end, ANA had managed to claw its way to a respectable total of 171. Sadly, rain then robbed the team of any real chance and at the end of the game Highett West had crawled along to 3 for 107, thus thwarting any Premiership aspirations that ANA may have had.

The 'Under 14A' Grade team, led by the younger of the Arnfield brothers, Dean, had a good year also and finished third prior to the finals, but the Semi-final's rain also cost them a chance at the flag, as St.Kilda City were 4 for 91 at the end of the game.

The season of 1982/83 saw all of the ANA teams show rather indifferent form, eventually resulting in the Club failing to field a finals team for the first time in ten years. Neil Vorbach was appointed as Captain of the First Eleven, in 'A' Grade, and midway through the season former Premiership player, Neil Bach, returned to the Club. However, the Reverend had lost that express pace that his beautiful left arm bowling action had possessed throughout his halcyon days of the early seventies and the team had to be content with finishing in the middle of the field once again.

The only real highlights of the season were in the last two games. The innings' against East Caulfield of Cedric Jansz and former Dandenong Sub-District batsman Michael Rabot were a delight to watch. Also the performances of Fitzroy Crozier and Debinder Singh in the last game against Mackie, showed potential which unfortunately had not been fulfilled throughout the season. On an extremely hot day, the pair came together with the score at 6 for 44, and the experienced Crozier and first gamer Singh somehow managed to take the score past Mackie's total of 198. Crozier ended with 78 not out and Singh 62 not out, as the pair rewrote the ANA record books and cost Mackie a place in the finals.

The Junior teams fared little better than the Seniors, with the only highlight being Craig Haw's aggregate of 350 runs in the 'Under 16A' Grade in an otherwise disappointing year.

After a five year reign Don Haw had stood down as President and the Club welcomed First Eleven wicketkeeper, John Chessum, into the job. Neil Vorbach once again led the 'A' Grade team but this side was further depleted due to the loss of promising youngsters Darren Haw, to District club South Melbourne, Michael Rabot and Debinder Singh, who both went to Sub-District club Ormond. These three losses were partly compensated for by the return of former 'A' Grade Premiership player, Russell Mactaggart, but the team still struggled and only managed to win three games for the season. The only success story for the Firsts was the 400 run aggregate of opening batsman David Shipp.

The 'D' Grade team, however, was led by former 'A' Grade Captain and games record holder, John Sanders, who had dropped down to the Seconds to finish off a distinguished career. The team dominated the competition throughout the season and finished on top of the ladder prior to the finals. Facing Hampton United in the Semi-final, ANA never appeared troubled in making 260 with the ever reliable finals' performer, Trevlyn Crozier, hitting up his maiden century, making 110. ANA then dismissed Hampton for 130 and headed into the Grand Final. ANA faced the newly introduced Crystal Palace team in the Final and controversially dropped Vice Captain John Smith for this match, in favour of his close friend Graham Johnson. Russell Mactaggart led the batting line-up with a disciplined hand of 64 and this was followed up by a whirlwind knock of 62 from allrounder Graham Wilson, an innings which included 4 enormous sixes. Craig Haw held the lower order together with a fighting innings of 53, as ANA amassed an enormous total of 279. Not to be denied, however, Crystal Palace set about the task at hand aggressively, and fell short by only 32 runs in overhauling the awesome total. Craig Haw was the chief destroyer for ANA, taking 3/36 with his medium paced assortment of swing and cut, and he was supported by Graham Wilson who took 3/52, as Palace were finally dismissed for 247, giving John Sanders and his ANA team a well deserved Premiership.

The Flag was an appropriate end to the career of Skipper John Sanders. Beginning with the Club back in 1959, the extremely loyal Sanders had played for 25 years and amassed 289 club games, including a massive 203 at the First Eleven level. He was considered by some as a player not blessed with enormous amounts of natural ability, but who overcame this with an abundance of aggression and will to succeed. His attitude towards batting was a simple one indeed, this being that while he was out in the middle, his only objective was that the opposition was not going to get him out. John's determination and competitive nature saw him amass almost 4000 runs and capture nearly 200 wickets while playing with the Firsts, as well as Captaining the Club to its last 'A' Grade flag and playing in three other Premierships.

At the junior level the 'Under 16C' Grade team, under the Captaincy of Dean Arnfield, performed with mixed success throughout the season but still managed to scrape into the finals. They came up against top side Hampton United in the Semi-final and speedster Arnfield bowled magnificently to capture 6/65 off 23 overs, as Hampton crashed to be all out for 161, giving ANA an excellent chance of entering the Final. However, the top order of the ANA batting line-up failed, and it was left to the tail to try to save the game. Lower order batsman Justin Handley made 37 and fighting knocks from Ian Ward, with 27, and Gareth Kay, with 26, saw ANA fight its way back into the match. Alas, their efforts were in vain, as the Green and Gold were dismissed for 144 in a nail biting affair.

The ANA 'Under 14C' Grade team had an excellent year and played North Caulfield/Glenhuntly in the Semi-final. Skipper Scott Gilder led the charge by making a hard hit 46, which took his season's aggregate over the 400 run mark. He was well supported by all-rounder Greg Gelfond, who chipped in for 32 not out, as ANA amassed a respectable total of 8 declared for 147. ANA appeared set for an easy passage through to the Grand Final when they had the combine reeling at 6 for 46, but, as can so often happen in finals' games, the opposition fought back and a 50 run ninth wicket partnership saw ANA's Premiership hopes foiled. Gelfond captured 4/40 and Gilder took 4/46 as North Caulfield/Glenhuntly staggered home with a score of 9 for 154.

The season of 1984/85 saw former Virginia Park batsman Everard Schoorman recruited from Clayton, in the VJCA, and appointed as Captain/Coach. He set about enforcing discipline around the Club and the on field performances improved dramatically. The previously known 'A' Grade competition was renamed to the 'Longmuir Shield' this season in recognition of the services of long time CMCA President, Ray Longmuir. Opening batsman Stewart Kreltszheim, along with promising youngster Craig Haw, both headed off to District Cricket Club South Melbourne, but ANA's Longmuir Shield team still performed admirably throughout the season and if not for an administrative bungle, which resulted in the loss of points for the first round, would have in fact made the finals. They finished equal fourth on points but missed out due to a lower percentage. Hard hitting middle order batsman, John Bacon, proved to be the main reason for the improved form by knocking up almost 300 runs in a fine year. Bacon often amazed fellow team mates, who would cringe, as he continuously offered no shot to accurately aimed short pitched balls, preferring to allow them to hit him on all parts of the body.

The Fourth Eleven, in 'G' Grade, was led by Paul Biddle throughout the season and performed admirably to finish in third position prior to the finals. They came up against the Cavaliers in their Semi-final and got off to a fine start by dismissing the Cavaliers for a modest total of 162. The 16-year-old opening bowler, Shane Warren, proved to be the best of the ANA attack, taking 4/33 off 14 overs in a fine spell which ripped the Cavalier's batting line-up apart. The experienced ANA batting line-up should have had no trouble in scoring the required runs but struggled from the outset, and could only manage a meagre total of 114, with the hard hitting Shane Edwards scoring a brisk 35, as ANA slumped to defeat.

The 'Under 12C' Grade team, led by Russell English, were the best of the ANA Junior teams and they finished fourth at the end of the home and away matches. They came up against the strong South Melbourne District team in the Semi-final but were completely outclassed. In their first innings ANA could only manage a total of 37 and never troubled the District's attack. South were then restricted to 164, due mainly to the efforts of Russell English who snared 6/41 off 24 impressive overs. Batting once more, ANA again struggled, only making 34 runs as they were soundly beaten outright in the one-sided final's encounter.

 

Following the departure of Everard Schoorman, Cedric Jansz assumed the Captaincy role once again, prior to the 1985/86 season. The First Eleven was strengthened by the return of allrounders Craig Haw and Debinder Singh, who had both had brief stints at South Melbourne. However, these two were replacing the loss of regular First Eleven players, Mick Biddle and Graham Bodley, who had both left the Club to play with the Baden Powell Cricket Club in their local Mornington Peninsula Competition. Also, promising opening bowler and hard hitting lower order batsman Graham Wilson left the Club to play with Omega. The 'Longmuir Shield' team continued to perform well but once again finished in fifth position, missing out on the finals by only half a game. Neil Vorbach had a fine season with the bat, averaging almost 40, but a lack of consistency from the rest of the team was the major reason for missing the finals. The year was significant in finally marking the end of an era with the retirement of the ANA 'evergreen', Don Haw, who many doubted would ever retire. In a career which spanned over four decades, Donny had played at the Club consecutively for 34 seasons, amassing a Club record of 346 games which included 120 at the First Eleven level. Although he had played in three Premierships along the way, that keenly sought after maiden century had always managed to elude him.

The 'Under 16C' Grade team, led by all-rounder Louis Parthenios, had a season of mixed success, but managed to sneak into the finals, finishing in fourth position. They came up against top team East Sandringham Boys Club in the Semi-final and Skipper Parthenios bowled splendidly, taking 4/46, as ESBC were routed out for a meagre 129. ANA had little difficulty in reaching the target, due mainly to the efforts of wicketkeeper and opening batsman Steve Kleytman, who hit up an aggressive 43, and allrounder Scott Gilder, who added support with 30. ANA cruised to 5 for 137 and an unexpected place in the Grand Final. The young ANA team then came up against the strong Ormond side in the Grand Final and elected to bat first. Kleytman again got the team off to a fine start with a brisk 48, and his opening partner Louis Parthenios stroked an elegant 35, which took his season's aggregate to a monstrous 533 runs, which is rivalled only by the former junior champion, David Crozier (631), back in the season of 1972/73. Left hander Greg Gelfond batted excellently also for a fine 41 and number eleven batsman Rob Feldman even chipped in for a brisk 29, as ANA soared towards a match winning total of 236. Still needing to dismiss Ormond for victory, ANA set about their task aggressively. They were led by the pumped up Gelfond, who bowled one of the quickest spells ever seen by an ANA junior to send the Ormond bats reeling. Gelfond took his season's aggregate to 36 wickets and ended with 4/70 in the Final, but these figures failed to indicate the devastation his pace bestowed upon the hapless Ormond batsmen as they crashed to be dismissed for a season's low of only 117. The Premiership was fine reward for team manager Richard Smith and Captain Louis Parthenios, and capped off an incredible year for Parthenios.

Season 1986/87 saw hard working committeeman, and former First Eleven Captain, Neil Vorbach, take over the Presidency from John Chessum, and with Cedric Jansz's working commitments now taking up more of his time, he relinquished the Captaincy. Last minute negotiations saw Darren Haw return from District Cricket Club Fitzroy, to lead the Longmuir Shield team. Fitzroy Crozier still remained in the role as playing Coach and once again carried the ANA bowling attack, taking 30 wickets. The team struggled throughout the season and at the Christmas break had won only one game. However, the committee stuck loyally with their Captaincy choice and the move paid off, as ANA eventually ended up with 24 points and finished out of the relegation zone. The last round of the year was a sad one indeed, as it saw the end of the career of 'The Man' as he was distinguishably referred to, in Fitzroy Crozier. At the grand old age of 50, Crozier led the team from the familiar playing grounds of the King George VI reserve for the last time. To the tune of three cheers, and a standing ovation from players and spectators alike, Crozier had aptly bowled another marathon stint of 23 overs, and for the 31st time had taken 5 wickets in an innings for ANA. In rather lean times for the Club, Crozier had played in 95 First Eleven games, including two Premierships, had made 2221 runs at an average of just over 32 and had taken 329 wickets at about 11 runs apiece. Not bad for a bloke who didn't play his first game with the Club until he was 38 years of age. Mick Egan led a very strong Second Eleven team in 'B' Grade, and they finished in second position prior to the finals. They came up against the newly introduced East St.Kilda team in the Semi-final, a team which had no answer to the accurate outswing bowling of Bob Dolman. Dolman mesmerised the Saint's batsmen, capturing 5/41, as East St.Kilda plummeted to be all out for a paltry 136. With such a small target ahead of them the ANA team should have had no problem winning their way into the Grand Final. But the strong batting line-up capitulated, with only the stocky frame of wicketkeeper John Chessum defiantly knocking up 33 runs. It was a sad sight when Graham Johnson ran out of partners and the hapless ANA team had been dismissed for a miserable 104 runs, throwing away any chance of a Premiership.

Bentleigh ANA introduced a Fifth Eleven and also a Women's team in 1987/88, making it one of the largest clubs in the CMCA. After the previous disappointing year, Cedric Jansz regained the First Eleven Captaincy from Darren Haw. Although the team had lost Fitzroy Crozier, the side, overall, appeared stronger, due to the recruiting of Sri Lankan District player Peter Wijeyaratne from Columbo, who was on a twelve month scholarship in Australia. Indoor Cricket Champion, Paul Morgan, was recruited and his strong frame led the bowling attack, receiving added support with the return of Mick Biddle from Baden Powell. However, the team started disastrously, taking until Round 9 to defeat the reigning Premiers Elwood and win their first game. Fortunately they still managed to avoid relegation by the end of the season. Even with the elegance of Wijeyaratne with the bat, the team still sadly lacked consistent batsmen and would need either new blood or dramatic improvement to be a force in the coming years.

The Second Eleven in 'B' Grade was led this season by the popular clubman John Smith, in his first year as Captain, and once again possessed a very talented team. They finished in second position prior to the finals and once again confronted the rival East St.Kilda team in the Semi-final. With the previous year's disaster still clear in the memories of many of the players, ANA approached the game determined to avenge last season's debacle and batted first in the game at LePage Park. Opening batsmen Craig Haw and Dean DeGiorgio batted defiantly to add 99 for the first wicket, with DeGiorgio making a fine 50 and Haw batting for over five hours to amass an excellent 76. Skipper John Smith gave fine support with a nuggety 46, while the big hitting Peter Crawford cracked up 43. And when Des Falconer chipped in with a solid 28, ANA had all but batted their way into the Grand Final with a monstrous score of 338. To their credit, however, the aggressive East St.Kilda team set about the task at hand positively, and in only an hour and a half, managed to knock up a belated 148, with Mick Biddle being the best of the bowlers taking 4/44. Surprisingly, ANA then came up against the fourth placed Brighton Union team who were strengthened by the return of injured speedster, and former Longmuir Shield Premiership player, Dave Blair. Having defeated Union by 130 runs in the last game of the year, ANA possibly went into the match being understandably over confident, and when openers Craig Haw and Dean DeGiorgio added 50 for the first wicket, the Green and Gold appeared to be cruising. Disaster struck, however, as the team then plummeted to be 8 for 91 before wicketkeeper Darren Haw defiantly added 33 late in the innings. His dismissal brought tail-enders David Millar and Bob Dolman together with the score at 9 for 117. The 17-year-old Millar, with a season's best score of only four, then despatched the ball to all parts of the field as he hit up an impressive 45, while the pair took the score along to a respectable 169 before the last wicket fell. Encouraged by the performances of the tail-enders, the ANA bowlers then toiled hard but without much success, as Union amassed a potentially match winning total of 268, giving them a lead of 99 runs on the first innings. Again it was Mick Biddle who was the best of the bowlers in taking 4/52 with his unusual left arm slinging action. Not having the luxury of playing themselves slowly into a winning position, the ANA batsmen recognised the necessity of quick runs if they were to have any chance of victory. Openers DeGiorgio and Craig Haw again started the innings off well with DeGiorgio making a smart 38. The wickets then fell gradually and with only forty minutes of play remaining on the third day, the big hitting Peter Crawford strode to the wicket with ANA in diabolical trouble at 8 for 136, a lead of only 37 runs. Crawford showed little respect for the reputation of Blair and his fellow Brighton Union bowlers, as he awesomely belted up 64 in those forty minutes, in an innings which included 3 sixes and 10 fours. Tail-enders Dolman and Millar defiantly hung around once again as ANA amazingly clawed their way back into the match by hitting up a total of 218 runs, thus taking an overall lead of 119 going into the last day's play. After having frustrated Brighton Union with the bat, Bob Dolman led the now confident ANA attack and soon Union were reeling at 4 for 10. The determined competitor, who had once again fully exploited his talents, bowled superbly to eventually snare 3/32, with an immaculately controlled spell of swing bowling. As if he hadn't already done enough this match, Peter Crawford then unleashed a fearsome spell of pace bowling to break the backbone of the Union innings, by taking 5/33, and when Des Falconer became airborne to hold onto a blinder in the slips, Union were down for the count and were routed out for a meagre 98 runs, giving John Smith and his ANA 'B' Grade team one of the most amazing Premiership victories ever seen in the CMCA.

The ANA Fourth Eleven, in 'G' Grade, was led by Paul Biddle and performed consistently throughout the year to finish in third position prior to the finals. ANA clashed with the newly introduced Scotts Elwood team in the Semi-final and appeared to be in with a good chance after Scotts had slumped to 8 for 142. As so often happens though, the Elwood combine recovered to eventually end up with a total of 272, with Greg Gelfond being the best of the ANA bowlers, taking 4/36. ANA attacked the large total positively and got off to a good start after Mark Crawford with 37 and Stuart Saunders with 31, saw ANA reach 4 for 143. But the tail offered no resistance and they collapsed to be all out for 181, finishing well short of their required target.

In 'I' Grade, the ANA Fifth Eleven was led by Ian Ward and performed excellently in their first year in the competition, sneaking into the four after the last game of the season. They came up against top team Bentleigh in their Semi-final and gave themselves a real chance of victory by dismissing Bentleigh for a modest total of 170, with Tim Foreman taking 5/64 and 15-yearold Paul Tyers ending up with 4/46. The young Tyers then batted superbly to make 61, but the only support came from tailender Carl Stibilj, whose 26 guided the frivolous ANA team to a total of 154, 17 runs short of victory. As mentioned, this year was also significant in seeing ANA field a Women's Team for the first time in its history. Club legend, Paddy Crozier, needed little persuasion to take on the role of team manager, and a team led by Sandra Kreymborg was entered into the 'C South' Grade of the VWCA. It wasn't all smooth sailing for Paddy and the team, but their performances on the field were impressive throughout the year and they finished in third position prior to the finals. ANA came up against Elwood in the Semi-final and dismissed them for a total of 176. Tammy Neale was the chief destroyer taking 7/33 in a spell of tenacious pace bowling. ANA then set about smashing the ball to all parts of their familiar Eastmoor Primary School ground, and led by Captain Sandra Kreymborg, knocked up an enormous score of 390. Kreymborg hit up an incredible 151 which included 5 sixes and 19 fours. She was well supported by Nikki Worth who made a fine 69, as well as Sue Holdsworth who made 35, Sue Bartlett with 33 and Tammy Neale who contributed 31, as ANA confidently won its way into the Grand Final. The Green and Gold Ladies then came up against top side East Brighton in the final but collapsed to be all out for a meagre 77. Tammy Neale was again outstanding with the ball, taking 4/33 off 27 overs, but Brighton's score of 219 put the game beyond reasonable doubt, and when Sandra Kreymborg was dismissed for 39 in ANA's second innings, bringing her season's aggregate to 730 runs, the game was called off with ANA struggling at 6 for 93 and still 40 runs in arrears.

The 'Under 16B' Grade team, led by Leigh Williams, also had a good year and found themselves in fourth position prior to the finals. They struggled with the bat in their Semi-final clash against Moorabbin West and if not for the efforts of Paul Tyers with 36 and Leigh Williams making 29, would not have even ended up with their eventual total of 126. ANA then began defending the relatively meagre total, but Moorabbin West had no answer to the ANA pace barrage. Malcolm Wineberg captured 4/18 and Paul Tyers polished off a fine game by taking 3/26, as ANA amazingly bundled out the top team for a paltry 57 runs. The confident ANA 'Under 16s' then came up against Hampton Central in the Grand Final and toiled hard with the ball. Continuing on their excellent final's series, Paul Tyers bowled accurately to finish with 5/55 and Malcolm Wineberg took 3/35, as Centrals were dismissed for 174 runs. At 5 for 131, ANA appeared to be in the box seat, but once the burly Cameron Mahoney was dismissed for a hard hit 47, ANA crumbled to be all out for 133 and had thrown away any chance of winning the flag. In an outstanding year for the Bentleigh ANA Cricket Club, five of its eight teams had made the finals and full credit must go to President Neil Vorbach and his Committee for securing one of the Clubs most successful years to date.

Bentleigh ANA - 1st Innings

DeGiorgio D . . . . . lbw Blair 26

Haw C . . . . . . . . . c Sorbello 22

Crozier T . . . . . . . c Blair 0

Smith J . . . . . . . . . c Sorbello 0

Bacon J . . . . . . . . c Lake 19

Falconer D . . . . . . b Blair 0

Haw D . . . . . . . . . .c O'Connor 33

Biddle M . . . . . . . . c Sorbello 7

Crawford P . . . . . . b Sorbello 0

Millar D . . . .. .. . . . run out 45

Dolman R . . . . . . . not out 8

TOTAL 169

Bowling - Blair D. 3/17, Morros O. 0/50, Sorbello K. 4/46,

Lake A. 1/17, O'Connor M. 1/29.

Brighton Union - 1st Innings

Bozinovic M . . . . . . run out 7

Sadler N . . . . . . .. . c DeGiorgio b Crawford 27

Turnball B . . . . . . . c DeGiorgio b Biddle 72

Lake A . . . . .. . . c D.Haw b Biddle 15

Egan S . . . . . . . . . not out 60

Sorbello K . . . . . .b Dolman 9

Adams B . . . . . . b Biddle 12

O'Connor M . . . . b Biddle 0

Morros O . . . . . . . b Millar 39

Wingfield D . . . . . c Smith b Crawford 0

Blair D . . . . . . . . . c C.Haw b Millar 4

Sundries 23

TOTAL 268

Bowling - Biddle M. 4/52, Dolman R. 1/71, Crawford P. 2/67,

Millar D. 2/32, Falconer D. 0/7, DeGiorgio D. 0/16.

Bentleigh ANA - 2nd Innings

Haw C . . . . . . . . c Blair 20

DeGiorgio D . . . . . c Morros 38

Crozier T . . . . . . . b Blair 24

Bacon J . . . . . . . c Sorbello 14

Smith J . . . . . . . . c Blair 1

Falconer D . . . . . . . b Sorbello 6

Haw D . . . . . . . . . c Sorbello 20

Biddle M . . . . . . . b Blair 5

Crawford P . . . . . . b Morros 64

Millar D . . . . . . . . . . . not out 10

Dolman R . . . . . . . . . b Blair 9

Sundries 9

TOTAL 218

Bowling - Blair D. 5/98, Morros O. 2/48, Sorbello K. 3/36,

O'Connor M. 0/27.

Brighton Union - 2nd Innings

Sadler N . . . . . . . . . c D.Haw b Dolman 0

Bozinovic M . . . . . c Smith b Dolman 2

Turnball B . . . . . . . c & b Crawford 6

Lake A . . . . . . . . . . . lbw Dolman 2

Egan S . . . . . . . . . c Falconer b Crawford 6

Sorbello K . . . . . . . c Smith b Millar 42

Adams B . . . . . . . . not out 26

Morros O . . . . . . c D.Haw b Crawford 7

O'Connor M . . . . . b Crawford 0

Wingfield D . . . . . . c Falconer b Biddle 3

Blair D . . . . . . . . . . c D. Haw b Crawford 0

Sundries 4

TOTAL 98

Bowling - Biddle M. 1/4, Dolman R. 3/32, Crawford P. 5/33, Millar D.

1/25.

Bentleigh ANA won outright by 21 runs.

Toss won by Bentleigh ANA

Hampton Central - 1st Innings

A'Moore C . . . . . . b English 33

Stefanec J . . . . . c Ward b Wineberg 40

Nelson B . . . . . . . c Tyers b English 2

Henderson D . . . . . . . c wkt b Tyers 0

Worland C . . . . . . . . . . . . . b Wineberg 28

Reed C . . . . . . . . . . . . not out 24

Deveraux G . . . . . c wkt b Wineberg 17

Deveraux R . . . . . . c Mahoney b Tyers 0

Dakis W . . . . . . . c Mahoney b Tyers 2

Newman J . . . . . . c Mahoney b Tyers 1

McGrath D . . . . . . . b Tyers 6

Sundries 21

TOTAL 174

Bowling - Tyers P. 5/55, Fowler J. 0/25, Wineberg M. 3/35,

English R. 2/32, Mahoney C. 0/6.

Bentleigh ANA - 1st Innings

Westoby P . . . . . . b Stefanic 12

English R . . . . . . . . b Devereaux 6

Williams L . . . . . . . c Devereaux 24

Tyers P . . . . . . . . . c Nelson 3

Mahoney C . . . . . c Stefanic 47

Wineberg M . . . . run out 8

Mockett A . . . . . . c Stefanic 13

Ward A . . . . . . . c Devereaux 0

Russell D . . . . . . c Stefanic 0

Stanes A . . . . . . . b Devereaux 0

Fowler J . . . . . . . not out 0

Sundries 20

TOTAL 133

Bowling - Devereaux 4/54, Nelson B. 1/22, Stefanic J. 4/23, Reed C. 0/14, A'Moore 0/0.

Hampton Central won on 1st Innings by 41 runs.

Opening bowler Paul Morgan was appointed as Captain/Coach for season 1988/89 and wasted no time in commencing an extensive pre-season program which saw the teams probably the best prepared they had ever been at the start of a season. Morgan recruited several players from his Moorabbin Indoor Cricket Centre, the most significant being former Carlton First 37 Eleven opening bowler Grant Treeby. Peter Wijeyaratne returned to Sri Lanka and former Captain Darren Haw headed to Brighton Union, but these two losses were well and truly compensated for by the recruiting of 17-year-old speedster James McKinley from Omega, former Chelsea Heights Captain/Coach Chris Beattie, Mornington Diggers batsman Andrew Collison, and all-rounder Graham Bodley who had returned to the Club after several years with Baden Powell. Sadly, injury robbed ANA of the best of Paul Morgan and this, along with his business commitments, forced him to resign mid-season. His deputy, Cedric Jansz, once again assumed the Captaincy role. The arrival of Collison at the Club proved to be the big bonus of the year. After the tall policeman wandered into training one night asking for a game of cricket he began a blistering run with the bat, scoring 48, 50, 71, 83 and 62 in his first five hits at the 'Longmuir Shield' level. Cedric Jansz had his best season for almost a decade and compiled 378 runs for the year, while Craig Haw with 343 runs, Collison with 322 and Vorbach with 267, saw ANA finally produce the much needed form with the bat that they required to be a top team. However, even with Grant Treeby's 32 wickets, the ANA First Eleven still narrowly missed out on a final's berth once again.

The Second Eleven had been promoted to 'A' Grade (which was the old 'B' Grade prior to the introduction of the Longmuir Shield title for the old 'A' Grade) this season, and still under the guidance of Premiership Captain John Smith, performed excellently to finish in third position prior to the finals. ANA came up against Mackie in the Semi-final and struggled from the outset as Mackie hit up an impressive total of 239. Consistent final's performer Bob Dolman was once again the best of the bowlers, taking 3/52. Opener Graham Bodley batted defiantly for 47 and skipper John Smith battled hard for his 28, but the rest of the batsmen put in a shocker as ANA plummeted to be all out for a disappointing score of 136.

The Third Eleven, in 'D' Grade, was led by the very experienced Dennis Williams. The team comprised a mixture of youth and experience and had an excellent season finishing in first position prior to the finals. ANA came up against Cluden in the Semi-final and opening batsman Richard Smith led the charge by making an excellent 72, as ANA headed towards a strong total of 224. Tim Foreman with 36 was also in fine touch, as ANA had hit itself into a winning position. Brett Walton, Shane Warren and Richard Smith all took two wickets apiece as Cluden were bowled out for a meagre 117 runs, allowing ANA to grab a much deserved Grand Final berth. Coming up against Carnegie South in the Final, the long haired Richard Smith was again in superb touch getting the innings off to a fine start by making 73. He received good support from Mark Horsfield with 41 and veteran wicketkeeper Ron Russell who made a fighting 27, as ANA hit up an impressive 205. But, in losing their last 5 wickets for only 11 runs, ANA had given Carnegie a chance to get back into the match. Again, however, the ANA bowlers stuck to their task and bundled Carnegie South out for only 126. Richard Smith, who was having an incredible final's series, took 3/11 and Barry Masefield captured 3/21, as ANA appeared to have sewn up the Premiership by taking a 79 run first innings lead. But, as if the 'hoodoo' ground at Elwood was yet again going to be the scene of another ANA disaster, the Third Eleven plummeted to be all out for a meagre 88 in the second innings, leaving Carnegie 166 runs to make in ten overs for victory. Rising to the occasion, Shane Warren then captured 3/23 leaving Carnegie with 4 for 44 at stumps and putting a dampener on any Premiership hopes Carnegie may have had. Thus, after 17 years with the Club, Dennis Williams finally got his much deserved Premiership win.

The Fourth Eleven was once again led by Paul Biddle in 'G' Grade and performed excellently throughout the season to finish in second position prior to the finals. They came up against the newly introduced Menzies team in the Semi-final and led by Paul Russell with 4/40 and a fine spell of 4/19 from Peter 'Frosty' Miller, ANA bundled Menzies out for only 127. John 'Jacko' Smith then hit up an impressive 58 not out, as ANA overcame several hiccups early in their innings, to eventually get home with a score of 7 for 147 and enter into the Grand Final. ANA faced McKinnon in the Final but struggled from the outset as McKinnon hit up an impressive 279, putting enormous pressure on the ANA batsmen. Veteran leg spinner Ken Wilson bowled a marathon 40 overs to take 3/68 while 'Frosty' Miller took 3/84 off 35 overs and 15-year-old Richard Vargas bowled well to take 3/32. Try as they might, the ANA batsmen never really threatened the large total and only through the efforts of 'Frosty' Miller once again with 56 and Paul Russell with 38, were the Green and Gold able to reach a respectable score of 153, having to be content with a Runners-Up pennant. It was a disappointing finish to the season for Paul Biddle and his Fourth Eleven team as they had performed excellently throughout the season. One of the most amazing performances in the 'G' Grade was seen from one of the players who did not play in their final's team, Frank Loiacono. Frank, a regular First Eleven player, was selected to play in the Fourths one game early in the season as he was only able to play for one week. Seeing the ideal opportunity for some extra batting practice, Frank gave the team more than a bit of a boost, as he hit up a colossal 206 not out, becoming the first and only player at ANA to have made a double century, eclipsing Max Papley's thirty-year-old Club record of 196. His whirlwind innings consisted of an unbelievable 14 sixes and 18 fours, as he surpassed his previous best score of only 54.

Season 1989/90 saw the Bentleigh ANA Cricket Club reach the milestone of 60 years. This event was celebrated with a magnificent reunion which saw old team mates and opponents, from all over the country, come together for an evening which brought back many memories and stories alike. The success of the night was a credit to Neil Vorbach and his Committee, but the number of ex-players who once again returned to the Club was surely a glowing tribute to all the people associated with ANA over the years. It must have been astounding for many of the old ANA 'greats' to return to the environment which they had helped to establish back in the early days and many were amazed to hear of the amount of money that was now in the CMCA. It was widely accepted that the introduction of Bingo had now made it possible for several clubs to finance players, some receiving five figure sums, and many clubs were having trouble competing in a rapidly increasing financial competition. In front of the large crowd forming for the reunion at King George, ANA recorded a memorable victory over last year's finalists Brighton Union. Former Carlton opening bowler Grant Treeby was Captain/Coach for the season and embarked on a pre-season training program that saw the ANA players resembling Kennedy's Commandoes back in the early sixties. Treeby and 19-year-old David Millar led the First Eleven attack and both had reasonably good seasons while, for the first time in over ten years, no less than six players ended up with over 200 runs for the season. Former Chelsea Heights Captain/Coach Chris Beattie led the aggregates with 289, while 'evergreen' Neil Vorbach won the batting averages. Excellent support was also provided by wicketkeeper Stewart Kreltszheim, Trevlyn Crozier, Debinder Singh and Cedric Jansz - all of them collected over 200 runs each for the year. Even as late as the Saturday evening, after the last game, the First Eleven appeared to have made the finals in the Longmuir Shield for the first time in 16 years. Alas, Bentleigh Uniting had got up to snatch an unexpected victory in their last game and, yet again, the hapless ANA team was just pipped out of the four by less than a game. This was a great disappointment, and for the first time in five seasons, ANA failed to have a senior side represented in the finals.

The 'Under 14 C' Grade team saved some face for the Club when it won its way into the finals, being the first Under 14 team to do so for many years. Led by Garry Litinsky, they came up against Hampton United, who won the toss and elected to bat, in their Semi-final encounter. After starting soundly, Hampton slowly began to falter to the ANA pace attack and eventually were bundled out for a meagre total of 118 with skipper Litinsky being the chief destroyer, taking 3/10 off ten overs, and leading a fine team performance. The ANA bats had been inconsistent throughout the season to say the least, but this final's match brought out the best in them as they cruised to a score of 3 for 133. The run onslaught was due mainly to the efforts of opening batsman Ian Chick who stubbornly defied the Hampton United attack to remain unconquered on 51, his finest performance for the year. ANA then came up against top team Washington Park in the Grand Final and all of the bowlers performed well as the Park were dismissed for a modest total of 169. Garry Litinsky was again outstanding with the ball as he captured 4/33 off 24 overs in an excellent performance. At 1/43 the ANA team appeared to be headed for an unexpected Premiership, but wickets slowly began to tumble, and they were eventually bundled out for only 103. Adam Kain batted determinedly for 31 but the lack of support that he received proved to be the crucial factor, and Team Manager Mark Horsfield had to be content with a Runners-up pennant for this year.