Round 4 – U17/2 v Blacktown

Full scorecard Match Details | NSW Youth Championships (nswyc.com.au)

Match Report-Round 4 – v Blacktown 2
12 Dec 2021
by Arjun Chakravarty
On the back of last week’s agonising close defeat, the Manly boys were determined to thrash rivals
Blacktown and open their account for this season. For the first time this season, the Manly boys
were greeted with blue skies, bright sunshine and what seemed to be a lightning quick outfield.
The toss was won by Blacktown so they sent the Manly boys out into the field. This was Manly’s
third consecutive time being forced to chase. After a solid start from the Manly bowlers, it was
eventually Pat Day who trapped the opening batsman plumb in-front. Strong spells by Miles, Sean,
Pat and Hamish got Blacktown 2/44 at the first drinks break. After drinks, Spinners Luke and Jeremy
toiled hard with the support of pacer Ryan Osbourne to eventually bring about another 2 more
wickets going into the second drinks break. At the second drinks break, the boys were confident that
they can restrict Blacktown for under 200. Miles and Pat continued to work hard against the
Blacktown batsman, restricting runs and applying pressure. The Blacktown boys eventually crumbled
as a result of a superb spell of bowling by Patrick Day which saw him pick up 3 wickets in one over
and finishing with figures of 6/16. Blacktown were all out for 122 and Manly were confident that
they could chase 123 runs.
After the lunch break, the Manly opening batsman both fell cheaply putting Manly in a rough
position at 2/5. Jeremy and Nate consolidated for the next couple of overs and began forming a
partnership until they were both dismissed causing Manly staggering to 4/22. Although a gritty
partnership between Archie and Pat put Manly back on track. They both scrapped hard, ensuring the
run rate was ticking over with the occasional boundary here and there. The partnership consisted of
66 runs with Pat ending on 30 and Archie on 19. Finally, Ryan and Sean took down the remaining
runs in style and with relative ease, bringing Manly to their first victory of the season.
Ultimately, it was a stellar team performance with all individuals make a vital contribution. Patrick
Day in particular had an outstanding day of cricket. Bring on Sutherland!