Tahs continue to flourish in wet conditions – Monday News

This weekend saw the Manly-Warringah TravelSim Waratahs flourish in what were probably the wettest conditions of the season so far. Despite being in dominant positions at the commencement of play, both 1st and 2nd Grade had to settle for draws, each only managing to take 5 wickets in the limited amount of time the weather allowed. Michael Visser was the standout in 1st Grade taking four of their five wickets taken and in doing so passed 300 wickets for Manly – a fantastic milestone!

Backing up a fighting 6/260, 3rd Grade put together an exceptional team performance spearheaded by Andrew Jamieson (6-32 off 20) to knock over the formerly top 6 Eastern Suburbs side for a paltry 107. Fortunately 4th Grade were good enough to get six points last week as the weather ensured only a handful of overs were played this weekend, while a great team performance in 5th Grade with 3 each to Counsell and Falconer saw Easts rolled for only 92 in response to our 158.

All in all a very good weekend for the Tahs considering the rain around, especially for the lower grades who had got off to a somewhat sluggish start to the season. With two and three on the trot now it’s a great chance to build real momentum heading into Christmas, while undoubtedly the frustrating weather will see the top two grades keen to chalk up another win after being unrewarded for solid team performances last week.

Go Manly!

Grade cricket veteran Andrew Jamieson wound back the clock on Saturday with an exceptional opening spell that got 3rd Grade off to the perfect start in what was a heavily rain-affected day two against Easts. A seasoned 2nd Grader with a number of 1st Grade caps, Jamo’s wisdom and skill has been an excellent asset to the Tahs these last two seasons since moving over to the beaches.

After rain delayed the commencement of play, it was clear that a near-flawless display would be required to come away with six points against a strong Easts batting lineup bolstered by regular first-grader and former student of Jamo’s, Mark Morley. Bowling unchanged throughout the innings, Jamo’s old head and exceptional control proved too much for the eastern Suburbs top order, entering the tea break with all five wickets, including the crucial scalp of Morley. After rain further extended the tea break and Easts attempted to shut up shop, Jamieson snagged a sixth and continued to build valuable pressure to lead 3rd grade to a memorable victory. Jamo’s bowling proved the difference on a wet, rain-affected day that could so easily have drifted out to an unsatisfying draw.

One of the all-time great blokes and the definition of a team player, it’s great to see Jamo reap the benefits he deserved – well done mate!!!

Setting Easts 283 we knew we had to take our chances, build pressure and hope the rain would stay away long enough for us to take ten wickets. With rain about for the latter part of the week, the boys knew we had a great opportunity to take home the points against a very strong Eastern Suburbs.

With a slightly delayed start, the boys were well and truly ready to get stuck in and that we did. Michael Visser was outstanding for us yet again and got us off to the perfect start. Visser was a handful for their top order taking the top 3 including the danger man Ian Moran with a beautiful nick through to Lenton just before another rain break.

After the break we got back on the field at 3/90 and it didn’t take Visser long to get his 4^th and dismiss their captain Greg Clarence for 30. 

Visser’s 4^th Wicket was extra special as it was his 300^th wicket for Manly Cricket Club. In the club’s 140 years Michael Visser is only the 29th person to reach 300 wickets. This is an outstanding achievement for one of the club’s hardest working cricketers. Visser – the boys couldn’t be happier for you and you should be incredibly proud.

With wicket-keeper Baxter Holt and Will Somerville at the crease, we were only a few wickets from possibly going through them. The boys toiled incredibly hard and the pressure from Taylor Beatty was a joy to watch. Tay finished the day with 8 overs, 6 maidens 0/7.

The inability to score off Taylor Beatty meant they had no choice but to target Green. Tay and Greeny bowled beautifully in tandem and brought us an opening when Bolt skied one to Nicko’s at mid-off. Green finished with 10 overs 1/28 and bowled beautifully yet again.

The day ended with the score at 5/136 off 40.5 overs. It was a great hard fought effort by all the bowlers and we showed why we are on top of the table.

Visser 3, Merchant 2, J. Crosthwaite 1

J-Crossy

We turned up to a very rain affected Manly Oval with the Manly boys were very keen to get on as we needed 8 wickets to claim the win against Easts chasing 302.

We worked very hard on the ground in the limited times we could and managed to get on for a 5 o’clock start. We bowled for 24 overs until 6:30 where we called it.

Jake Carden got two early wickets while Joel Foster got another to go with his two from last week. Joey Graham also bowled well at the end but they batted out the day losing 5 wickets in the innings.

A big thanks to Matty Kaye for working on the ground for us to get on. Also big thanks to Winga, Dave Gardiner and Gordon Curry for all their work over the 2 weeks.

Logan 3, Ollie 2, Joel Foster 1

Go Manly

Sam Gainsford

The Mighty 3’s continued their recent run of success sealing another big win against a strong Easts side at the historic Trumper Park. Having won the toss and elected to bat last week, we’d got off to a flyer with our opening pair Billy D’arcy (50) and Sammy Hole (46) setting a strong platform for our innings. Both openers showed a great deal of patience and set the tone for the rest of our batting innings. Unfortunately, after tea we dipped into a bit of a whole losing a rapid 4-30. Thankfully, a very mature and classy ton from Jordy Daly, alongside a cheeky cameo from our Skipper (40n.o) combined for a 130-run stand that steered us to a well-fought 260 at days end. It was a real privilege to have batted with Jordy and to have shared such a thrilling moment with him out in the middle in what was a chance-less innings.

This week, we arrived to a wet & rainy scene which saw play delayed until 2pm, leaving us only 55 overs to bowl out Easts. Thankfully, with the momentum from the previous week, our opening bowlers Ryan Bishop-Perret and 4 Pines Player of the Week Jamo got us off the the ideal start with a clinic in accuracy and patience. 

As it turned out, our openers bowled the first 30 overs before making a change. By and large, the highlight of our day was to see Jammo’s class with the ball in hand shine through as he single handedly devastated the Easts top order! He ended up with a very tidy and well deserved 6-32 off 20 overs straight! But it should be mentioned that it was also the efforts of RBP who must be the most consistently accurate yet unlucky bowler that helped build the pressure at his end. With the day seeimingly drawing to a close and the heavy clouds looming darker it was a destructive short spell from our young gun spinner, Ben ‘Sparky’ Watts (2-10) that helped break the final partnerships.

A big mention should also be made to the collective dynamic of the fielding group who build pressure with body language and energy, ultimately responsible for inducing wickets. Though it was such a great feeling to have won and to be able to celebrate some memorable individual successes, one of the greatest happenings of the game was to be able to sit alongside our opposition in the shed with beer in hand after the match and have a laugh over the game. It’s not every day that you can do this with another side, so for me, that was extra special. It really hammers home a message that cricket is a gentleman’s game to be shared and enjoyed by all. I hope we can continue not only with our run of form, but also our great team spirit and sportsmanship.

Jamo 3, Jordy 3

Javee B

The lads rocked up to a wet Graham’s on a miserly Saturday morning with breaks in the rain coming sparingly. We waited around into the late afternoon and after one of the all time tea spreads and a great game of wet weather touch it finally stopped raining at 4pm and allowed us to get the covers off.

Skipper Gumms put plenty of faith in the lads to knock Easts off inside a couple of hours with some good bowling and a bit of luck.

Unfortunately from ball 1 the bowlers struggled with the soft landings and couldn’t quite hit their areas. We ended up bowling 12 overs and had them none for 30-odd. We take 6 points from week 1 and head into the clash with the Stags next week with a bit of momentum.

Brad 3, Bain 2, Sully 1 

Glynos

Week two of 5th grade’s match against Easts began cautiously in overcast conditions at Snape Park, as rain lingered but never really threatened the day. Opposing captains both felt their sides were in a position to take the match with the score at 4-40 with 118 runs further required. Skipper Isaacs clearly ready to do whatever it takes to win, risking a career ending shoulder injury with his try to claim the warm up touch game.

Wicket maidens to Falconer and Counsell got the Tah’s the start we were after as the score moved to 6-40 after a slightly delayed start. Bennett and Brewster continued our plans with stump to stump bowling as the ball began to pick up moisture, each claiming a wicket for their efforts. With runs hard to come by and pressure building in the field, Trewartha broke through with a run-out before Marshall wore down their captain’s patience and picked up the 6 points with a catch to the specialist substitute fielder in the deep. Easts all out for 92. Tea was taken and Manly were ready to set a short, sharp total before putting Easts in again – although heavy rain finally set in and the day was called before taking the field.

Special thanks to to both Matt Alexander and also Manager Doug McGrath for willingly offering their time and experience in the field! It was much appreciated, and great to have you both out there!

Brynn 3, Zach 2, Counsell 1

Michael 

The rain experienced on Saturday was matched again on Sunday with more sustained rain for the majority of the day. Of the ten matches scheduled to play across Sydney, only three went ahead, none of which managed to get the full allotment of overs in.