Green Shield Round 3 – Manly-Warringah 45 def by Blacktown 5-46 (L Franks 3/11, A Bennett 2/7)
Manly arrived at Joe McAlerr oval on the back of a crucial first round victory. Conditions were overcast and the wicket appeared to be flat, though there was some grass coverage. Skipper Ollie Davies started the day off with a rare toss win and decided to bat first. Manly got off to a very shaky start (the shakiness continued through the entirety of the innings) with the Blacktown seamers combining swing and accuracy to tear through Manly’s top order. Greenland (0) was the first to fall in the second over followed by Davies (5) Kantor-Smith (4), Barnet (1), Osborne (1), Franks (3), Martin (2) and Bates (1). Manly were in shambles at 8-27, though finished with a total of 45 with Bennett (9) hitting a couple of boundaries. Manly’s total did in fact reflect Blacktown’s bowling performance, though this could be taken as a positive for Manly as the ball was doing a lot and conditions remained overcast.
Manly got off to a terrific start with the ball with Franks and Bennett bowling with pace and accuracy. Both bowlers picked up early wickets with Bennett completing his spell with 2-7 off of his 5 overs and Franks 3-11 off his 6 overs. Blacktown were struggling at 5-19 and the weight of the game had started to shift in Manly’s favour. Unfortunately, Blacktown managed to pass Manly’s total 5 down in the 19th over, though Manly’s fight shown in the field and with the ball was to be commended.
Ben Watts
