NSW YC Weblin Shield
13 October 2024, Frank Grey Oval
Manly 151 (41.3overs) def Hawkesbury 102 (42.4overs) by 51 runs
It was a damp, gloomy morning on the 13th of October 2024 when Manly was set to play against Hawkesbury in Rd 1 of the U15 Division 1 Weblin Sheild, held at Frank Gray Oval. The team removed the covers to reveal a hard, grassy wicket, inspiring captain Harvey Matheson to win the toss and elect to bat first.
Out walked the openers, Rohit Jayaram and Rocco Rulli to the crease, ready to face Hawkesbury’s opening onslaught of bowling. Manly’s batting innings started at a consistent rate with both batsmen displaying a positive intent to score, highlighted by various cut shots and drives. One of Hawkesbury’s opening bowlers soon dismissed Rocco after a solid innings of 17 off 25. A combination of Harvey (23 off 72), Angus Pike (17 off 20), and Lewis Cruickshank (12 off 39) made a valiant effort to stabilize the innings. Yet, Hawkesbury’s accurate and consistent bowling combined with their intelligent field placements troubled Manly’s batsmen’s scoring abilities and generated numerous wickets. At 6-128, Manly knew they needed some runs on the board to reach a defendable total. This allowed Murray Moran (11 off 27), Will Graham, and Louis Corcoran to reach a sub-par total of 151 from 41 overs.
Manly Began their bowling innings with consistent and accurate bowling from Louis and Will who both took early wickets with Darcy Horstead taking two excellent catches to remove a couple of Hawkesbury’s top-order batsmen. The first change bowlers of Murray and Lewis made an immediate impact and troubled Hawkesbury’s middle-order batsman along with the precise off-spin bowling of Josh Godwin who was rewarded with 2 wickets off 9 overs of bowling. This gave Manly a comfortable advantage over Hawkesbury leading into the final stage of the innings. Will and Lewis began their second bowling spells to finish the innings, eventuating in Manly bowling Hawkesbury out for 102 off 42 overs in a comfortable win to begin the season.
Reported by Louis Corcoran