PTH...
In answer to your question, yes...we were both making the required radio reporting points on CTAF. Unfortunately, the other guy wasn't where he said he was!
As to the mentioned airport entry, I was taught that method as well. But I thought with only one aircraft in the pattern, and where I thought he was (actually had visual on him for a moment after his take off, but then lost him in the haze - early afternoon, summer flight), I believed that I should have been all right going 'over the top' (center field) at 1,500 AGL. My first clue as to what had happened, was when I heard a different voice on the radio from the other plane afterwards.
This little NMAC of mine TRULY scared the cr@p out of me that day...and for many days afterwards! Like I, and MANY others have written here...keep your eyeballs outside near ANY airport.