The Manly Warringah Waratahs head into rounds 4 and 5 after a limited amount of cricket with rain winning the majority of the weekend. On Saturday, 1st grade and 3rd grade made the most of their opportunity to get on the park, putting North Sydney to the sword in both grades. Jay Lenton the star smashing 120 of the best off just 86 deliveries, Zach Trewartha guided the Tahs to a very defendable 172 with a classy 59 before the bowlers did their jon and rolled the bears for 50. Both Women’s 1st grade and 2nd grade got some play in on Sunday with 1st grade making it 2/2 with a strong win against Gordon, Laura Judson with an exceptional 3/14 to claim the points for Manly. Men’s 1st grade capped of a brilliant weekend with a handsome T20 victory against Easts on Sunday afternoon, Ben Bryant saved the Manly innings with 62 off 43 before Englishmen Tom Lammonby tore the Easts batting line-up to shreds with 4/9.
All Men’s grades take on Sydney whereas Women’s 1st and 2nd Grade take on Penrith and 3rd will face St. George-Sutherland. Both our men’s and women’s 1st grade sides are on a real role at the moment. It’s another big weekend for both sides as we begin the run into the Christmas break.
Women’s 1st grade head to Howell Oval on Sunday in a top of the table clash with Penrith, skipper Mikaela Turik had this to say about how the side is coming along, “Through the work in pre-season, the side has become a strong unit working for each other out on the field, which had led to positive results. We are excited to start playing 50 over fixtures this weekend to display the depth in our team’. Women’s 2nd grade will be looking to leapfrog their opponents when they welcome Penrith to Manly Oval on Sunday. Women’s 3rd grade will be eager to get on the field after their round three clash with Sydney was abandoned.
Men’s first grade have really found their feet after a strong win on Saturday against the Bears, this week they head to Drummoyne Oval to battle it out with Sydney in a grand final rematch. 1st grade captain Jay Lenton has been in red hot form and was kind enough to speak with Manly Media about the upcoming weeks, “it’s a big weekend for the group with our BBL stars heading into camp and competition, It will be a wonderful opportunity for those knocking on the door to excel in the top grade. The BBL period is an area we have worked extremely hard on nailing over the years with even more importance this year due to the restricted season”. Tom Lammonby has hit the ground running since arriving from the UK and Jay Lenton has nothing but praise for the Englishmen, “Tom Lammonby has showed his true class since arriving in Australia, he has fit into the group as if he is a seasoned campaigner at Manly, he has shown plenty with both bat and ball and will be a key player for the remainder of the season. The Opposition Sydney sit one win ahead of the Tahs in 4th position with what is set up to be a brilliant game of cricket.
2nd, 4th and 5th grade will be excited to play some cricket after missing out last Saturday due to the weather, 2nd grade will be looking to break into the top 6 against a Sydney side currently without a win, 4th grade can jump to the top of the table of all the results go their way in round 4 and 5th grade will be hoping to extend their lead at the top with a win against the 9th paced Sydney.
3rd grade claimed a much-needed victory last weekend and if they get the chocolates against the 6th placed opposition this coming weekend, they could find themselves in the top 6 at the conclusion of matchday 4. The fast-bowling crew of Josh Wigney, Neal Prowse, Michael Counsell and Alex Bain did the damage in round three and will be something to watch in the coming weeks.
To round off the weekend, PG’s and Men’s 1st grade head to North Sydney Oval on Sunday to battle it out with the North Sydney Bears in a pair of T20s. 1st Grade have the chance to jump into the top 4 with a win, with PGs looking to make a considerable move up the table as well.
Enjoy your weekend of cricket and Go Manly.
