A weekend headlined by some heavy rainfall didn’t stop the Tahs from putting in some strong performances, as the Women went 2 from 2 with a further two washouts, while the Men are in dominant positions across all grades after Day 1 against the Hawks.
Following a mountain of work to get Manly Oval into playable condition after the abundance of precipitation on Sat evening / Sun morning, W2s managed to come away with a hard fought victory in a rain-reduced match, 14 overs per side. Batting first, Elizabeth Cambridge (13) and Hannah Moss (10) made a steady start, with boundaries difficult to come by due to the wet outfield. However, a great partnership late between skipper Renee Hough (17*) and Mia Nel (20*) saw the Tahs post 3/73. St George-Sutherland looked to be in control for the majority of the run chase, until a run out and a clutch last over from Moss with only 5 left runs to defend, had the Tahs victorious by 3 runs in a thrilling finish.
A quick turnaround and it was time for W1s to take on a strong Penrith side. Winning the toss and electing to bat, skipper Saskia Horley controlled the tempo of the Tahs’ batting innings with a superb 70* off 59 balls in a crucial captain’s knock in difficult conditions. Well supported by Eliza Henry (12) and late boundaries to Katie Letcher (18) as the Tahs posted 4/137 off 20 overs. Penrith made a strong start to the run chase, before an excellent run out from Lauren Kua and a wicket to Chelsea McLerie in the same over turned the momentum. However, with Penrith’s opening batter still there, the game was in the balance, until Kristie Crawford picked up the big wicket, supported by important breakthroughs to Lara Graham and Henry, Manly victorious by 16 runs.
W3s match was abandoned after 20 overs with St George-Sutherland 1/74, while Brewers didn’t have a ball bowled in their match against Greater Hunter Coast.
M1s were back at Manly Oval, winning the toss and bowling first on a green-looking deck. Josh Seward (4/41) struck early, before a frustrating partnership ensued as Hawkesbury counter-attacked, until Jacob O’Sullivan made the breakthrough, 2/90. The visitors again rebuilt and were on top at 2/127, before Seward picked up two big wickets to shift the momentum. From there, run outs to Joel Foster and Bertie Foreman, combined with two wickets to Tom Kaye (2/34) and one to Foreman, saw the Tahs fight back superbly to bowl the Hawks out for 185. Foster and Ahillen Beadle then safely navigated the final 4 overs of the day, the Tahs finishing 0/9 in reply.
Bensons Lane hosted M2s as the Tahs won the toss and bowled, skipper Andrew Jamieson asserting his decision with an early breakthrough LBW. Isaiah Vumbaca soon entered the attack and began to spin a web on the Hawks top and middle order batters, bowling 16 overs straight from one end to finish with excellent figures of 5 for 39. Michael Counsell sent stumps cartwheeling when he dismissed the Hawks No.5, while Roop Dhillon took 3/8 off his 4 overs to close out the Hawks innings on 138. The run chase started positively with Lachlan Coyte (14*) and Brynn Mendel (16), before the loss of Mendel late in the day saw the Tahs 1/36 at stumps, Coyte to resume with Ben Bryant next week.
After a delayed start, M3s were in the field first as a result of skipper Sam Hole winning the toss, but were only able to manage the solitary over before rain hit again. Thankfully, the heavens cleared and 37 overs total were able to be bowled for the day. Hawkesbury made a positive start with the bat, before Josh Lawson completely changed the game taking two wickets with the first two balls of his spell, including a top-of-off jaffer to dismiss the No.3 (refer to Waratah TV for video evidence). This was just the start for Lawson as he bowled with serious pace and control across the day to pick up his maiden 5fa for the club, 5/21 off 13, brilliantly supported by Josh Coyte with 3/29 off 12, as the Hawks concluded the day 8/81, with 120 overs to be played next week.
M4s also made the trip to Bensons Lane, Jayden Kennedy taking the reins as skipper, winning the toss and bowling, as the two big quicks prepared to run riot. They did just that, James Waddington (5/30) ripping the heart out of Hawkesbury’s top order with four early wickets, before the Dubbo boy, Will Skinner (4/39), joined the party with 4 of his own to take down the middle order. Waddington returned to collect his 5th, as the Hawks were bundled out for 102. The age old adage of never judge a wicket until both teams have batted rang somewhat true as the Tahs run chase began shakily with the loss of three early wickets. Luke Watts (18) and Preston Lee (11*) steadied the ship slightly, with Lee to resume alongside Liam Dinan next week, Tahs 3/36.
Mike Pawley Oval was the venue as M5’s became the fifth Manly grade in a row to win the toss and bowl first. With the Hawks 0/24, the rain brought a short delay, and rejuvenated the Tahs as they went on a wicket-taking blitz once play resumed. The opening breakthrough to Kai Croft (2/18) was following by a phenomenal triple-wicket maiden to Julian Osbourne (3/15), before Croft struck again. Jordan Brewster (3/16) entered the attack soon after and collected three quick wickets of his own, before Will Matheson (1/23) took the final wicket as the Hawks were bowled out for 73. Cricket’s a funny game though, and the nerves were high as the Tahs slumped to 4/24 in the run chase, until Brodie McDowell (39) and Lukas Overhoff (71*) combined in a counter-attacking partnership to secure first innings points. Skipper Simon Waddington arrived at the crease late in the day and belted 26* off 15 balls as the Tahs closed the day 6/159.
The focus now shifts to next weekend, where the boys resume on Day 2 against the Hawks, with all grades in strong positions. W3s will return to Fortress Balgowlah to take on Sydney, while Brewers have their first one-day fixture of the season away against Northern District. W2s and W1s both have T20 matches, the former at home facing Penrith, and the latter away versing Sydney.
