A Lot Of Bark But No Bite As Top Grades Dominate Bulldogs – Monday News RND 12 vs Bankstown + Brewers vs Gordon

Manly entered Round 12 sitting only 22 points behind Club Championship front-runners Parramatta, and were after another dominant outing similar to our clean sweep against Blacktown last week. Unfortunately that wasn’t quite to be with our 3rd and 4th Grade sides going down, however our top 2 grades both enjoyed comfortable victories, and our 5th Grade side came away with 6 points also.

Our First Grade side were 7th heading into the weekend’s fixture sitting only one point behind the 6th placed Bankstown side. Manly batted first and posted a strong first innings total of 8/334. A real team effort on Day 1 was highlighted by Jay Lenton’s first hundred for the season, and notable contributions from Green (60), A Crosthwaite (51) and Beadle (45). Manly got off to a great start on Day 2 with Edwards taking two early wickets to have Bankstown 2/17 early doors. From there the day and weekend belonged to our 18 year old quick Joel Foster, absolutely ripping through the rest of Bankstown’s batting lineup, taking 8/23 to help bowl Bankstown out well short of our total on 145. The victory sees First Grade re-enter the Top 6 for the first time in months, and with the quality of cricket being played by this group at the moment, we are all sure they’re destined for higher honours later in the year.

Second Grade put on one of the most clinical limited overs batting displays you will come across. With Gainsford winning the toss on what looked a beautiful wicket, the opening pair of Ritchie (57) and Weston (100) were on fire early, dispatching the Bankstown quicks all over the park, putting on a near run-a-ball opening stand of 157. Weston and Ritchie fell in reasonably quick succession which saw Farrell (82*) and Virdi (52*) come together to see out the innings. The pair put on a dominant 124 run stand, with 122 of those coming in the final 10 overs of the innings. Closing the innings at 2/307, it would have been easy for the bowling group to assume the job was already done, however the boys showed their class with experienced quicks Jamieson (2/37), McLachlan (3/32), White (3/41) ensuring a 106 run victory for the home side. A much needed win for 2nd’s as they continue to fight for a finals birth.

Third Grade unfortunately went down in a nail-biter, losing by just 6 runs. After restricting Bankstown to 185 in the first innings, a victory looked likely for the Tah’s, particularly with top order batsmen Darcy (45) and Pickering (34) looking the goods. However a middle order collapse saw Manly fall behind in the match and despite later order efforts from O’Sullivan (29), they ultimately came up short. A disappointing loss in the end which now sees our Third Grade side with plenty to do in the final 3 rounds to qualify for finals, sitting 6 points outside the top 6.

Fourth Grade had a cracking start to the day with in-form spinner Sam Alexander (5-33) wreaking havoc in the first few hours of play, helping dismiss Bankstown for a modest 163. Unfortunately our day went south quite quickly, with the batting group falling well short, being bundled out for 109 with no one passing 20. A disappointing result particularly after an outright win last week, sees Gummer’s men surrender their position on top of the ladder, to now be in 3rd place with just the 3 games remaining. Hopefully the boys will bounce back strong next week, and regain their first placed position.

Fifth Grade had a strong day out with Manly batting first and posting 197 in the first innings. In-form batsmen Joel Davies led the charge for the visitors posting a well-made 73. He was well supported by Cohen (30) and then Jordan Brewster (27*) in the later overs. From there Manly remained on top of the game with possibly the best Fifth Grade spinner of all time in Dylan Marshall taking 5/36, leading his men to very important victory which has them in 3rd spot on the ladder. Well Done Rammy!

Overall a strong weekend for the Tah’s with some incredible individual and team performances, however we will need to step it up a notch again for the coming two weeks as we take on Club Championship leaders Parramatta in a round which will likely decide our fate with the coveted title.

Go Manly!

After a strong Saturday filled with match defining performances from Alexander (5/33), Marshall (5/36), Weston (100) and Lenton (113) it was going to be tough to decide one performance over another, and then Joel Foster happened.

Entering Day 2 defending a solid total of 334, Manly still required a special performance with the ball to knock off a strong batting unit in Bankstown. Edwards grabbed two early wickets before Joel came into the attack and turned the game on its head. Fozz took an incredible 8/23 off just 9.3 overs, helping Manly dismiss Bankstown for 145. Fozz didn’t stop there, Bankstown were sent back in and Joel picked up a wicket in the first over of the second innings, eventually going on to have match figures of 9/44, an incredible feat particularly given his age and inexperience in the top grade. This performance was special for a number of reasons; it was the 8th best bowling effort in our club’s First Grade history, with the only performances topping Joel’s efforts, being 9 wicket hauls. If Joel had taken one more wicket he would have had the best 1st Grade figures in our 139 year history, a truly remarkable effort. Finally, to top it all off, it was made known today that no younger player in the history of First grade cricket has produced better figures.

Joel is having an incredible year so far and has fitted in superbly in his first of hopefully many years to come for Manly. The future of the club is looking bright.

Well Done Fozzie!

e rocked up to Bankstown oval with a bit of rain around but the lads were in good spirit, especially because Joey was skippering one of the touch sides, thankfully for every the touch game was abandoned due to rain and we got into proceedings winning the toss and batting first. Jimmy and AB started us off well against a good Bankstown attack with James getting a quick 25 before departing, this saw Adam and mamba take us through to lunch and have strong start to the day, after lunch we lost the wicket of AB for a well made 45. This brought in Jay Lentils to the crease to join cross and this is where the Tah’s started to take the game away, AJ made a well made 50 to set the side up with the skipper coming to the crease and continuing where he left off in the big bash scoring 60 runs late in the day. But day 1 belonged to Jay (number 1 pick in joeys touch side) showing his class getting 113 and setting the boys up for a crack, getting the boys to 8-334.

Day 2

Declaring overnight the boys where eager to get stuck into the Bankstown line up and what a way to do it with non other then Mickey ‘gumby’ Edwards picking up 2 wickets in his first spell with sharp bowling but from there the day belonged to non other then Joel ‘Fozzy’ foster who tore Bankstown apart claiming the big scalp of Daniel Solway aswell as 7 other batsman on his way to claiming 8-23 in what is one of the best performances as a manly player and remarkable to do it as an 18 year old! After bowling Bankstown out for 145 the boys decided it was worth a crack at 10 points and also a good chance to let Fozzy have a crack at the 10fa aswell. The boys tried hard with Foz getting the only wicket before we called time shook hands and took 6 points back to Manly.

The Manly boys now in the top 6 and coming home strong.

Special mention to Joey and Mickey for doing 80 overs of sidescreen work and not falling asleep.

Joey Graham

econd Grade have been on a roll in recent times, coming off the back of an outright win over Blacktown last week, the boys required another performance of similar standards to knock off a dangerous Bankstown line-up, who were also coming off the back of an outright victory. Sam “self proclaimed soft morton” Gainsford won the toss and elected to bat on a wicket that’s looks could only be topped by opener Jack Ritchie after his morning dip. The heart-throb himself combined with one of the great mortons in Logan Weston to put on a clinic in the first session of play, piling on a near run-a-ball 157 run opening stand. Logan brought up his ton and the team were notified quickly by long-time teammate McLachlan that Logan’s stay at the crease was likely to end soon, and likely to be caught trying to hit a ball back to where the bowlers reside. To his delight Nick was correct (great bloke) which brought Farrell to the crease. Fazz continued the teams momentum putting on another 20 before Ritchie departed for a well-made 57. Cubby would have likely gone on to ton-up but needed to preserve his energy for the bold and beautiful race Sunday morning. What an athlete. This brought the classiest man in Sydney to the crease in Virdi, who looked to continue to take apart the struggling Bankstown bowling attack. Farrell and Virdi combined for what was a match-defining partnership of 124 off just 64 deliveries. Both men showcased their vast array of shots, dispatching some loose and tired bowling from the Bulldogs to all parts of the Village Green. The two posted 122 of those runs in the final 10 overs of our innings without the loss of the wicket, a very rare and incredible effort from two of the great mortons.

With 307 on the board, we knew Bankstown were going to come out as hard as Aiden ‘Aqua Man’ Bariol’s morton during a late night swim, and that they did. Bankstown’s top order looked threatening and got off to a reasonable start however, the experienced attack weathered the storm and came back strong with White, McLachlan, Jamieson and Farrell, all taking crucial wickets throughout the innings to ensure a very dominant 106 run victory for the Second Grade side further leading to one of the great team tubs. The win was vital as we continue to chase a spot in the top 6.

A big few weeks ahead for Gainsford’s men, starting next week against Parramatta at Old Kings.

Special thanks to Gordon Currie for his continual efforts scoring for our side, and Sweet Chilli Willy for keeping us hydrated all day, your efforts are greatly appreciated boys.

Keep the fire burning

Tom Kaye

aved Badyari’s 3rd Grade Odyssey continued in this crucial round 12 clash against the ever-competitive Bankstown DCC. Arriving in the midst of some on and off showers and bolstered by a strong bowling attack, the skipper was inclined to have a bowl first up. Lucky enough for the Waratahs, the Bulldogs captain was interested in batting, so without a coin being tossed, the gentleman agreed to go there separate ways happy with the outcome of proceedings. Unprecedented scenes.

Josh Wigney opened up for Manly with an early wicket to get the Tahs off to the start they needed, while the nimble Andrew ‘Trampoline Man’ Hicks bowled without luck form the northern end. An absolute KFC Classic Catch from Sam ‘My Hands Hurt’ Hole grabbed Wigney his second to cap off a fantastic start with the score at 2/10.

Ryan ‘Bali’ Bishop-Perrett and the young spin-bowler Isaiah Vumbaca were then introduced to continue the pressure on the Bankstown middle-order. Economical off-breaks complimented RBP’s unplayable deliveries to the right-handers, allowing for a few wickets to go the beautiful mans way in the middle overs and continue to keep the scoring in check.

Hole was introduced at the conclusion of Vumbaca’s spell and through a combination of guile, full-tosses and no spin jagged 3 wickets to limit Bankstown’s scoring further. Fantastic death bowling from Jacob O’Sullivan and Hicks allowed us to keep the hosts to 185, a reasonable total but one certainly within reach for the Tahs.

The 2nd innings didn’t begin in ideal fashion with Jarrod Rawlings falling reasonably early. Fellow opener Billy ‘Funny Man’ D’Arcy and the in-form Jack Pickering then put together a solid partnership to get the Tahs to 1/75 from 25 overs. We then lost Billy D for a well-made 45 and Hole for a globe in quick succession before Pickering and Webber continued to chip away at the total. Back-to-back wickets once again stifled the Waratahs momentum, and despite some impressive lower-order hitting from O’Sullivan and Vumbaca, we were unable to rein in the 12 runs required from the final over.

So it was a disappointing 6 run loss for the Waratahs, on a day where we played reasonable but not fantastic cricket against an organised outfit. With results going somewhat our way, we still only sit 1 win outside the top 6 with 3 games to play. Next week promises to be a fixture of immense importance against the minor-premiers to be Parramatta back at Graham’s Reserve.

Onwards and upwards for the Mighty 3’s!

Russell Arnold (Sam Hole).

anly began the match sitting in the dominating position of first place within the ladder on top of tenth placed Bankstown. The match was not set in stone however the Manly boys held high esteems for a positive result.

After losing the toss and being sent in to bowl, our opening bowlers brought the team to a solid start however were unable to acquire any wickets. It wasn’t until Alex Bain came on to snick off the opening batsman which began the steady inclination of the rate of Bankstown’s wickets. Alongside Alex, Sam Alexander did what he does best by snaring his second 5fa in a row to expose his true talent. After a strong performance from all bowlers and fielders, great team work and precision accounted for Bankstown being rolled for 163.

What looked to be a reasonable total to chase down turned out to be more difficult than initially expected as our batsmen didn’t execute our plans as we should have. Manly’s true capabilities were not displayed on the field which was shown on the score card with none of our batsman achieving over 20 runs with a top score of 17 by Adam Gummer.

Despite the result, a large sum of positives were taken from the game which we can implement into our training and game strategy as we lead into finals.

Will Akhurst

e rocked up to Bankstown with our eyes on the 6 points on offer. We lost the toss and were sent in to bat. We had a late start however due to a bit of rain. Nick Cohen and Brynn Mendel opened up and started us off well. However Brynn snicked off for 8. This brought Joel Davies to the crease and him and Cohen put on a decent partnership before we lost Cohen for 30. This brought Aidan Bennett to the crease who was lost for a beautiful 13 ball duck. From there we had a steady fall of wickets, however Joel Davies remained at the crease to bring up a great half-century when the team needed him. Some late hitting from Brewster (27), including a massive 6 of the last ball, got us to the very defendable total of 197.

Our bowling innings started off pretty well with Ninnes grabbing an early wicket and Glyn Archer grabbing a wicket. Then a partnership started to form which was looking quite dangerous before Jordy Brewster broke it with the second ball after drinks. After that Bankstown crumbled with Dylan Marshall ripping through their middle order with 5/36 from his 10 overs and no batsman looked like getting him away. Eventually Nick Cohen managed to burgle a wicket with a rank full toss before a suicide run meant they were all out for 150 still with 10 overs to go.

Aidan Bennett

he girls were playing the local derby against Gordon at Grahams Reserve.  Gordon won the toss and sent Manly in to bat.

The girls had a hard day against a strong Gordon side. The Gordon bowlers used the overcast conditions well to have Chloe (opening the batting for the first time) Genevieve, Nat, Robyn and Sienna all out cheaply. Manly were 5/22 when Jess and Kate came together and they played some beautiful shots in only their second and first games respectively. Jess fell for 16, Kate for 6 and Amelia also put on 6 valuable runs. Mia and Jasmin also came and went and we were all out for a total of 41 with Gemma not out.

Some good bowling and catching from Gordon combined with a few poor shot executions meant we were unable to build and significant partnerships. We needed early wickets and although we bowled pretty straight, Gordon picked up a few clever singles and then were able to put away the few lose deliveries offered.

Gordon passed the Manly score in the 7th over without loss. They then batted on for bonus points.  Amelia bowled one of Gordons very talented openers, Robyn got their captain out caught nicely by Nat behind the stumps, and Robyn caught a hard hit ball at short cover off Genevieve’s bowling. Having secured their bonus point, Gordon declared at 3/143 after 24 overs.

Gordon had started their Brewers team 3 years ago, and did not win a game last year. They are now one of the stronger teams in the competition. Manly are now in that building phase, and although it was a tough day today there were still plenty of positive signs from such a young team.

Shane Guyot and Simon Waddington