NSW YC Weblin Shield
20 October 2024, Marsfield Park
Manly Warringah (6/164) defeated Northern Districts (9/163)
Rohit Jayaram 3/17, Josh Godwin 2/19, Lewis Cruickshank 2/24
Rohit 70, Rocco Rulli 38
The Round 2 game between Manly and Northern Districts got off to a delayed start due to overnight rain that left a wet patch on the pitch in the bowler’s follow-through. After an hour or so of blowing, the umpires were satisfied that the field was fit for play commencing just after 11am.
Manly’s captain, Harvey Matheson, lost the toss, and was asked to bowl first. Not a bad result on a damp wicket.
The pace attack took to the field with a focus on early breakthroughs, and Louis Corcoran delivered just that, claiming an early wicket with and edge to backward point that was well taken by Lewis to give Manly some early momentum.
However, the Northern Districts top-order batters began to settle in after the initial breakthrough forming a strong partnership. The Manly express pace bowlers struggled to take wickets for several overs, allowing the opposition to build a platform. Despite the lack of wickets, Manly’s bowlers worked hard to restrict the scoring rate, keeping Northern Districts from running away with the game.
Josh, the off-spin bowler, was then introduced into the attack, and he delivered an important breakthrough, knocking out the opposition’s off-stump. This proved to be a turning point, as it became evident that the slower bowlers were having more success on this particular pitch surface against this ND’s line up.
Recognizing this, Captain Harvey opted for a spin-heavy attack, deploying both their regular spin bowlers. The change worked, as the Northern Districts’ run rate slowed further, and crucial wickets began to tumble.
As the innings progressed, Josh and Mitch McCombe came to the end of their spells, conceding just 48 runs off 18 overs with 3 middle-order wickets. Mitch had claimed the big wicket of the opposition star when Rohit grasped a bruising catch.
With roughly ten overs remaining, Harvey was looking for more slow bowling options. Overlooking himself as a part-timer, Rohit was brought on to bowl his leg-spin for the first time in a representative match. Nervously starting with a short-ish length, he adjusted quickly found his rhythm, going on to claim three key wickets. His performance was backed by Lewis, who returned for his second spell with an adjusted field after being hit around earlier. This time, Lewis had a much greater impact, taking two wickets in his first over back.
After reaching 1/120 in the rain-reduced match, Northern Districts finished their innings at 9/163 after 43 overs, leaving Manly a chaseable total.
Rocco and Rohit opened the batting, with a steady, cautious start, focusing on rotating the strike and punishing loose deliveries. Rocco was eventually dismissed in the 30s, but by then, the foundation had been set, and the run rate was under control. Rohit went on to score a well-deserved half-century, building important partnerships along the way with Angus and Harvey. However, as the game neared its conclusion, a few quick wickets were lost, creating a tense situation.
With the match on a knife-edge, Mitch delivered 11 runs in a critical 39th over with the bat, applying pressure on Northern Districts and ensuring that the game was back in Manly’s hands. Josh and Lewis saw the team over the line with one over to spare, and a little short run mess up completing a thrilling chase and securing victory for Manly.