NSW YC Weblin Shield
19 October 2025, Allan Border Oval
After a week of solid preparation, the boys were buzzing to take the field at the famous Allan Border Oval to face a strong North Shore side. North Shore won the toss and chose to bat on a wicket offering very little for the bowlers. With a lightning-fast outfield and short boundaries, it was the perfect day for batting.
Manly couldn’t have asked for a better start, with Owen Cotte striking on the third ball to remove their dangerous opener. North Shore, though, made the most of the conditions and got off to a flyer, reaching 41 after eight overs before Jacob Watts came in and knocked over the other opener with an absolute peach.
From there, North Shore built two big 90-run partnerships that really set up their innings. A great moment of sportsmanship came from Nate Cole, who chose not to run out an injured batter earning plenty of respect from both sides. Despite some strong bowling efforts, a few fielding errors and some big hitting helped North Shore reach an impressive total of 266.
After a great lunch put on by the hosts, Nate and Archie opened the chase with confidence. Unfortunately, Archie fell early, but Nate and Harry steadied the innings nicely, playing some classy shots and forcing the spinners on early. Harry was dismissed after a sharp catch, followed by Nate soon after. Toby and Beau then took control, putting on a brilliant 100-run stand that brought Manly right back into the game.
As the run rate climbed, they had to take a few risks Beau fell trying a ramp shot, and Toby was run out soon after. The rest of the team fought hard but ultimately fell short, finishing on 196 in reply to North Shore’s 266. A great effort all round and plenty of positives to take into the next match against C&WSCA at Frank Gray oval.
Archie Wragge