President’s Update
The 2025/26 season has well and truly begun and there’s a real buzz around the club. Both our Senior and Junior programs are building momentum as we find our rhythm in new competitions and welcome plenty of new faces to the Saints family.
Our vision remains clear - to be one united club, with Juniors and Seniors working together to build a sustainable and successful cricket program that develops players, coaches and community spirit.
Key priorities this season continue to include:
· A clear player pathway from Juniors through to Seniors
· Growth of the Ivanhoe Saints Academy, developing our next generation of cricketers
· Investment in facilities, including new turf pitch covers and upgraded training equipment
· Outstanding coaching and support staff, ensuring every player has access to quality development
· Ongoing focus on community and family connection - both on and off the field
The season has started strongly across all grades and it’s been great to see new faces in Saints colours, families cheering from the sidelines and our clubrooms buzzing again on Thursday and Saturday nights, as well as Friday night’s at Chelsworth.
Here’s to a big year ahead - on and off the field.
Go Saints!
- Tim Cheesewright, President, Ivanhoe Saints Cricket Club
Seniors Update
It’s been an exciting start to the season for our Seniors, opening Round 1 with all four teams securing wins - 1s and 2s defeating Plenty Valley and 3s and 4s getting the job done against Yarraville. A huge highlight early in the season was the return of the Paul Kennedy Cup to Ivanhoe, with our First XI taking the honours over Plenty Valley - a special moment celebrating a true club legend.
We’ve also seen some standout individual performances, including Tasmanian signing Alistair Denby lighting up his debut with an impressive 111 (91), and Erik Brazel dominating for the 3s, taking 5/24 against Altona. And Sean Winstone – 5/36 vs Strathmore (4th XI) who gave a brilliant spell with the ball, leading the attack and ripping through the Strathmore line-up - outstanding work to all!
Juniors Update
It’s also been an exciting start for our Juniors, our u9, u11 and u13’s now playing in the Diamond Valley Cricket Association (DVCA) competition for the first time. The move has brought fresh challenges and new opponents and our players have responded with enthusiasm, teamwork and great energy.
This season also marks our second year with an U13 team in the ISEC competition and the first time we’ve entered an U15 team - a big milestone for the club and a testament to the growing depth in our junior ranks.
Across all age groups, from Blasters through to U16s, the skill level, sportsmanship and team spirit have been outstanding. A huge thank-you to all our coaches, team managers, scorers and families - the season’s smooth start is thanks to your efforts.
A huge shout-out to the juniors who are stepping up and representing the Ivanhoe Saints across our Senior program.
It’s fantastic to see our U16 Friday night players - Ollie Samuel, Clarrie Spurr, Suvin Siriwardana, Arush Chopra, Flynne Poulios, Tanish Billa, Eddie Brennan and Josh Roy, and Dash Ranasinghe from our Sunday u15's - regularly taking the field in senior cricket.
Seeing our juniors embrace these opportunities is exactly what our pathway is all about: building confidence, developing skills, and creating a strong connection between our junior and senior sides.
We’re incredibly proud of the way these boys are competing, contributing and growing within the broader club.
Blasters is officially underway! 🎉
Our Blasters program kicked off last Friday and it was awesome to see so many smiling faces out there giving cricket a crack! A reminder to families that it’s not too late to sign up - new players are always welcome and we’d love to see more kids join the fun.
Bonus opportunity! We’ve been invited to take part in a special innings break activation at a Melbourne Renegades game at Marvel Stadium - meaning our Blasters kids could get the chance to run out onto the stadium field! 🙌 There are 11 spots available, and we’ll be offering them to the first 11 to put their hand up (noting it falls during the school holidays, so we know some may be away). Keep an eye out for details and get in quick - an unforgettable experience for our littlest cricketers awaits!
VETS update
The mighty Vets secured their second win of the season on the weekend, taking down Panton Hill in style by 153 runs.
It was a dominant team performance from the outset, with the top order all firing to post our highest ever score - 279 off 35 overs. With the bat setting the tone, the bowlers took over, led by a superb spell from debutant Sam Mendelson, supported brilliantly by Steve Pouniotis, as we rolled Panton Hill for 126.
A complete performance and one to remember!
Looking ahead - our next match is a big one…
🎉 Saturday 23 November - Fattypalooza at Chelsworth Park
This is the Vets’ marquee day and the entire club is invited to come down and join in the fun. Lock it in, get around it and help us celebrate in true Saints style!
Saints in the Community
On 24 October, our very own Brad Loveluck proudly represented the Ivanhoe Saints at Ivanhoe East Primary School’s Grandparents Day Assembly - their biggest assembly ever, with literally hundreds of students, parents, teachers and grandparents packed into the hall.
Brad did an outstanding job speaking about the joy of cricket, the importance of giving the sport a try, and the many ways kids can get involved at the Saints. He helped launch our new Blasters program, generating plenty of excitement among the younger students.
A highlight of the visit was when Brad invited one of our youngest Saints, Ollie Clarke, to share why he loves cricket. Ollie didn’t miss a beat:
“Because it doesn’t matter if you win or lose - you still have fun!”
A perfect message and a great reminder of why we all love this game.
Huge thanks to Brad for representing the club so brilliantly and strengthening our connection with the local community.
Dowling Shield Update
We’re incredibly proud to celebrate a strong representation of Ivanhoe Saints players selected across Dowling Shield squads this season. Based on announcements to date (with more still to come), congratulations to:
Arush Chopra – Camberwell
Clarence Spurr – Camberwell
Sarang Chavali – Camberwell
Liam Adair – Carlton
Dhanush Dahiya – Carlton
Flynne Poulios – Carlton
Suvin Siriwardana – Carlton
These players have proudly worn the Saints colours across our junior and senior programs and have all represented our club at Craig Shield over recent years.
Dowling Shield is the Victorian Premier Cricket Under 16 competition - a key pathway into the elite Premier Cricket environment and beyond, providing young cricketers the opportunity to showcase their talent to selectors for the Victorian U17 team.
We wish all our Saints the very best for the campaign ahead - we’ll be cheering you on every step of the way!
Saints Spotlight - Jack McLagan
Huge congratulations to Jack McLagan, who has been selected in the Combined 1st XI to represent the Australian Defence Force - a squad chosen from the very best cricketers across the Army, Air Force and Navy representative teams.
This is an outstanding achievement and a true reflection of Jack’s talent, discipline and dedication on and off the field. To be recognised at this level among the nation’s elite defence force cricketers is an honour few achieve, and we’re incredibly proud to see a Saint wearing those colours.
Jack continues to be a strong contributor to our club, and we’ll be following his ADF campaign with great excitement.
Congratulations, Jack - an exceptional achievement. The Saints are cheering loudly for you! 🏏💙
Uniform Update
Our Juniors are now looking fantastic in their new gear - with names and numbers on their shirts for the first time! It’s been great to see everyone proudly wearing the Saints colours each weekend.
A reminder that additional items can still be ordered online through our club store:
👉 ivanhoesaintscc.tmasupply.com.au
Events
Keep an eye on your team chats and socials for upcoming club events.
Junior and Senior functions will also be announced shortly - stay tuned for details!
Saints Monthly Cricketing Tip
Running between the wickets - who better to provide our monthly tip than Ricky Ponting. Watch here https://youtu.be/FGwujokzVSs?si=Rb-OqgBeHHfIVGB4
Get Active Kids Voucher
Did you know you may be eligible for $200 towards your child’s cricket fees or equipment?
Apply for the Victorian Government’s Get Active Kids Voucher at:
👉 www.getactive.vic.gov.au/vouchers/