Big wins and fightbacks in wonderful weekend – Weekend Wrap 4th/5th February 2023

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anly oval looked spectacular for our first red ball game of 2023. The square was lush and the wicket had a lovely green tinge and great coverage of grass. Jay won the toss and decided to have a bat.

Joel Foster and AB exploded out of the gates with some vintage stroke play from both. They saw us safely to lunch at 0-60. Unfortunately this trend was not to continue after lunch. Somehow, with a lush outfield, green wicket and non abrasive surface, the Sydney boys got the ball to reverse in the 40th over and this brought about a mini collapse for Manly, losing 7-50 in the middle session of the day.

Notable contributions came from foster (35), AB (43). From here there was some rearguard action from the tail, with a much needed 50 partnership between Edwards and Brewster. A small wag from the tail that would see us to 195.

Manly then stormed out to bowl in the best part of the day for a fielding team. A short 11 over burst at the anxious Sydney men. Hadley and Edwards started proceedings well, with Hadley showing why he is now know Sydney wide as being a class above, removing the opener LBW and number 3 caught at first slip. The boys bowled with pace and gusto before the end of the days play, leaving Sydney at 2-16.

A great start heading into what will no doubt be an atritional day next Saturday.

Mickey Edwards

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he lads rolled into a pristine Drummoyne Oval. Jamo won the toss and chose to bat on a deck which would have some life early but flatten out after lunch.

The 2s batting line-up was strong and we were sure we would post a mammoth total… Fast forward one hour and we were 5/32.

This brought together Ben Bryant and Lachlan Coyte who looked to get to lunch and rebuild following. We lost Coytey for a well-made 27, unluckily strangled down leg trying to sweep the spinner making it 6-93. A crucial partnership to set up the day.

Tom ‘Miles’ Kaye strolled out to bat with swagger, meeting Ben at the crease who looked to be locked in. Ben and Tom proceeded to have possibly the greatest backs to the wall partnership the 2nd grade side has ever witnessed. Scoring was not easy and Sydney bowled well, but Ben and Tom’s patience was rewarded and they continually put the bad ball away in between spells of disciplined bowling.

Ben has been a great addition all year in 2nd grade, and the roar from the stands when he brought up his century resembled this. It was a classy and well-deserved innings from one of the hardest workers in the club ending with 125*.

At the other end, Tommy Kaye finished with 70*. A vital knock for the team and helped us finish the day at 6/260, well-deserving of 3 figures at the end of the day.

A great day for the Tahs in the end, with two leaders in the group showing their class.

Ned Hole

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he mighty main grade arrive to a typically hard Grahams wicket and a beautifully smooth outfield. With not a cloud in the sky and only Michael Counsell vaguely interested at the prospect of bowling first on this rather warm summer’s day, the outcome of the toss was eagerly anticipated as Sam Hole strode confidently towards the umpires and his counterpart from Sydney. Within a few steps back towards the team it became immediately apparent that we were bowling.

Wigs and Counsell took the new ball and found some good areas early but unfortunately the consistency of the wicket meant that anything slightly over pitched or short was easy pickings. One opener made light work of anything short in particular while the other one was looking particularly good on the front foot.

Despite numerous plays and misses against both batters, the score continue to build as the one loose ball per over went for 4. As Josh Cooper triumphantly chirped, “they’re only scoring through boundaries here lads, no singles!”. It remains unclear who he was sledging. Despite limited success in the first and second sessions we managed to stay in touch by taking regular wickets each time a partnership seemed to be building. At 1-60 and then 3–112 we were conscious that each was wicket vital to stay in the contest, especially as the day continued to heat up and bowlers began to be needed for their 2nd spells. We were generating chances, but it must be said that some favourable umpiring decisions saved us from suffering the effects of some poor catching. Although at least one was a half-chance, and all struck firmly, such chances should be taken by a team with finals aspirations.

Andrew Boulton bowled a great first spell, troubling the batters and taking two valuable wickets just as the momentum seemed to be moving away from us. The boy from the coast, Matthew Sunshine, bowled with his trademark pace and accuracy. In addition to some crucial maidens, Matty was unlucky not to break through the defenses of batters on a number of occasions, with a few lucky inside and toe edges the only standing between him and 3fa.

Counsell in particular was a handful, especially during his opening spell. He deserved each of the three wickets he took and was unlucky not to get a fourth, However it was Lachlan Trewartha who really turned the game in our favor before and after tea. He built immense pressure (0-1 off his first 5) to take the valuable middle order wickets posing a boring but highly effective resistance. Some dropped catches cost him a 3fa as well.

Hopefully both Ellis Raymond (hammy) and Counsell (stiff back) overcome minor injury concerns that caused them to leave the field. Big shoutout to Noah Vumbaca and Lachy Charles for stepping up and joining us in the middle for some the grittiest overs Grahams has seen. Very much appreciated 🙏🏻 

Special shout out to Sam Webber who kept with his usual skill and finesse, taking 5 catches. As always, his consistent energy and support from behind the stumps was invaluable, especially on a hot day like Saturday. He then backed it up, combining with Sam Hole to get through 10 tricky overs at the close of play. They’re bowlers were fired up and bowled really well, without the reward they would almost certainly have got from other lesser sides. We finished 0-34 ready for a fight next week to win big.

Many a day like this has drifted to end at 7-300+ with some boring mediocre stick getting 120* so this was a HUGE effort by the entire unit but especially the bowlers to generate what ended up being 14-15 chances on a very flat deck and a quick outfield. Equally impressive were the two Sams closing out the day – more often than not 10 overs will see 1 if not 2 wickets fall. So that is a huge testament to their determination and mental fortitude, especially after a long day in the dirt.

6 points ours for the taking next week if we want it enough.

Go Manly!

Jordan Daly

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fter a Great win last week, the boys travelled to the beautiful Birchgrove oval, overlooking the harbour. With sights set on batting first, captain Andrew Rochford won the toss and sent Sydney into field.

After losing an early wicket, Keelan (27) and Jake (45) steadied the ship creating a 75-run partnership battling it out in the heat as well as copping chirp from the opposition. But as spin came on, the middle order collapsed with Evan (19) and other batsmen showing glimpses of fight. As the lower order continued to toil it out in the middle, all was looking grim, until numbers 10 and 11 stepped out to the crease, the two country boys Fraser Noack (58) and George Cumming (57) respectively.

As the boys on the sidelines changed back into their whites ready to go and field, Fraser and George put on a clinic, proving to everyone why they are the best 10 and 11 in the competition. As George raised his bat for the 50-run partnership, both boys looked as determined as ever to prove the skipper wrong and move up the batting order. As Fraser Brought up a classy 50, George followed suit, both boys worthy of a standing ovation. As George got bowled in the last over, the innings had come to an end with history being made. The boys from the bush had put themselves in the history books putting on a 10th wicket 120 run partnership, breaking the previous record of 85 to finish off a good day of cricket. At the end of the day, we finished on a respectable total of 256. On to next weekend where we head out into the field, fired up to win. 

Jake Hutchings

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he sun was out shining, perfect for a good 80 overs of cricket at home.

We won the toss and bowled on a hard yet grassy deck. The opening bowlers put on a show, taking quick wickets 1 for James Waddington and another to josh Lawson with an absolute seed rearing off a good length to Reiley behind the stumps.

Bowlers continued to toil in as more quick wickets fell. Liam Dinan moving the ball meters dismissing 2 after a few edges didn’t go to hand, well deserved wickets.

Will skinner continue the pressure first ball after drinks well supported by Josh Lawson with safest hands. Followed by a not so well left ball that Cannoned into the off stump.

Finishing with some repetitive accurate bowling from Ollie Melville ending with 2 and James Waddington cleaning up the tail to dismiss Sydney for 94 An amazing effort from the boys. Special shout-out to James for taking 3 and Reiley for 3 catches behind the stumps.

We started off with a bang as Matt Evans and Jack Donnan put on 61 in a fabulous opening Partnership ended by Jack being dismissed on 33 shortly after Matt fell for 32 as the Tahs lost a few quick wickets.

After losing five for not many Chris Halloran and Liam Dinan put on 40 as a partnership with Liam being not out on 32 and Chris being 24 not out. Some great positive batting to end an amazing day of cricket for the Tahs.

Preston Lee

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fter making the trek to Glenn McGrath oval, Manly W1s were ready to take on St-George Sutherland in another 50 over match. St-George Sutherland won the toss and we were sent in for a bowl.

A great start from Manly with 2 quick wickets in the first 2 overs by Kelly with a caught and bowled and a LBW from Annabel.  A positive start with St-George Sutherland at 2/1.  More tight bowling followed with Chelsea and Emma building the pressure for debutant Eliza to get her first wicket with Shivani taking a spectacular catch diving on the boundary that words can’t describe. Straight after drinks, Kristies’ first ball got us another wicket caught by Emma getting their top scoring batter out. Kristie and Lauren continued to restrict their run rate as overs passed. Kelly then came back on and got another 2 wickets as well as Mik getting a quick wicket caught by Eliza. Unfortunately, we gave away too many extras and missed a few chances and St-George Sutherland ended their 50 overs with a very competitive 7 for 206.

Our batting innings started with two quick wickets early and we found ourselves in trouble at 2/14. Shivani built partnerships with Mik (8) and Katie (10) and we were 4/76.  But another three quick wickets including Shiv on 51 and we were 6/82. Before long, we ended up at 9/107 in the 42nd over with the crowd starting to pack their chairs for an early get away. However, Laura (29*) and Emma fought to the end to prevent St-George Sutherland from getting a bonus point win or the satisfaction of bowling us out completely.

Overall, it was far from the result we wanted, and we definitely have a lot to work on as a team and look forward to our next match against Penrith at Manly Oval next week.

3 points – Shivani Mehta
2 points – Kelly Castle
1 point – Laura Judson

Laura Judson

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 sunny and steamy morning down at Manly Oval hosted a one-day match between Manly and St George-Sutherland. In an attempt to climb up the ladder to secure a spot in the semi finals the girls needed a strong win in order to steal one of the top 4 positions on the leader board. We really needed to bounce back from a few very close and unfortunate losses.

Skipper Mia Nel lost the toss and the girls were sent into bowl. We opened with Sophie Lowry and Jasmin Wilson, the contrasting use of pace and spin overwhelmed the batters, who had trouble trying to place their shots within the gaps. It wasn’t until the end of the 4th over when Jazzy Wilson took the first wicket for Manly through a stunning catch by Brooke Frew, sending the opening batter back into the changerooms. The next over brought Brooke to utilise her pace, and successfully bowled a perfect yorker towards the other opening batter, sending the bails flying.

W2s displayed some high quality fielding as St George were unable to manipulate the field. After a few more overs of strong bowling and tight fielding, Sophie was able to secure the third wicket for Manly through a plum lbw, allowing Manly to grow dominant over the struggling St George. Through her consistent bowling, Jazzy was able to claim another wicket through a diving catch by skipper Mia. Jazzy bowled her full 10 overs, ending on figures of 2/29 while also bowing 2 maidens, a great effort from our opening off spinner.

Bringing Brooke back into the attack, she was able to snatch another wicket through a catch by Bella Zovi, who easily took the ball after it was hit sky-high. As Brooke continued to bowl her next over, she was able to take 2 wickets, one caught by keeper Steph Hughes, and the other through a clean hit of the stumps.Coming into her 5th over, Brooke bowled another seed and sent the batsman walking through a strong appeal, allowing Brooke to take a well deserved 5fa having only giving away 18 runs with her 5 overs. With only one wicket left and Jasmin having been bowled out, skipper Mia Nel was brought into bowl. After a few sneaky runs from the batters and a couple quick tricks off the wrist, Nel was able to bowl the final wicket of St George on the last ball of the 21stover.

Throughout our fielding the girls displayed strong efforts of teamwork and pressure, proving just how strong our W2s team is as St George could only manage 66 runs

Manly were sent in to chase a small total of 66 runs, with opening batters Zara Shipp and Natalie Guyot to enter the crease. Both batters fought off some tight opening bowling, but unfortunately Zara fell bringing in skipper Mia Nel. Mia and Nat both displayed great rotation of the strike whilst also manipulating the strong bowling of St George. It wasn’t until the 10th over where St George had claimed both Mia and Brooke Frew, leading them to a hat-trick wicket. Keeper Steph Hughes entered and both her and Natalie managed to secure a double bonus point win through an exquisite pull shot from Natalie that made its way to the boundary for 4, collecting the runs within the 20th over. A game to remember for the W2s and a job well done to the team.

3 Points – Brooke Frew
2 Points – Natalie Guyot
1 Point – Jasmin Wilson

Stephanie Hughes

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3s were happy to be back at our home ground on a cracking day with a cool breeze.

Sent into bat Steph H (54 no) and Chloe B (41) had an outstanding partnership and got us off to a winning start. Steph retiring by hitting a six out of the ground! In came Renee with a solid 33. Sophie B, Annabelle G, Emma L and Sallie M continued on to contribute runs to our teams total score.

Sallie M opened the bowling and demolished Sydney’s top order with 4 wickets in her first 3 overs. An outstanding day out for Sallie with her best figures 6/9.

Chloe, Cam P and Annabelle kept us on track with their tight bowling. Then came two great runouts from Annabelle and Sophia C who both got the ball in quickly to Steph at the stumps. Renee finished us off with two wickets to give us a convincing win. A successful day out for the girls!

Sally Molyneux – 3 Points
Steph Hughes – 2 Points
Chloe Amanda-Bailey – 1 Point

Sophia Chick

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anly keen for a win to keep their final chances alive, Caitlin won the toss and elected to bowl on the green deck for the day’s play down at Grahams. Congratulations to Eve B, Saoirse F and Kaya P on their MWDCC debuts.

Darcey Whiteley and Lara Hughes took the new ball and started strong with a maiden and wicket respectively. Sophia came in to bowl and struck in her second over smashing into the top of off stump to remove Bankstown’s highest run scorer of the day. Eve bowling her second over took her first senior wicket with a beautiful catch from Lara at cover. Much like Sophia and Eve, Hannah hit the pads for a wicket in her second over leaving Bankstown 4/94 at the 27th over. Lara continued her great form taking two consecutive wicket maidens with a catch from Kaya at point and a clean bowled. Darcey backed her up with her second wicket of the day with a great catch from Ari at cover reaching high to her left. Then came Saoirse’s double wicket maiden, her first with a catch from Hannah at square leg and the other crashing into the stumps of the last batter. This called the end to Bankstown’s innings with the bowlers keeping them to 98 runs.

Caitlin and Hannah opened with the intent of smart batting without any scoreboard pressure as they needed just under 2 runs an over to secure the win. Caitlin and Hannah ran some quick singles and twos to keep the scoreboard ticking over and some timely 4s from Hannah had the score 0/31 at the 12th over, well above the required run rate. Unfortunately Caitlin was bowled out in the 13th over bringing Charlotte in to keep the runs coming. Hannah shortly fell in the 22nd over scoring 23 runs. This allowed Ari to come in and lift the run rate scoring 30 off 32 and hitting 5 fours before being bowled. Lara and Darcey quickly got the last two runs required for the win in the 34th over.

Great game girls, keep this momentum going forward for the game against Greater Hunter Coast next week.

3 Points – Lara Hughes
2 Points – Arabella Handley
1 Point –  Saoirse Ford

Jaime Loh