NSWYC Watson Shield
After an exhilarating game against Parramatta, where the Manly boys kept a calm and steady attitude while playing, which resulted in a magnificent two run win, fate tried to put a halt in our momentum by giving us a dreaded bye. But the Manly boys were unfazed, going into their match against NDs with a wining mentality. The boys were raring to go, arriving nice and early to take off the covers and start their warm ups. Harvey lost the toss and we were sent in to bat.
The key theme throughout our batting innings were partnerships. It started off when openers Rohit and Josh W got Manly off to a strong start, dispatching the bad ball and running hard between the wickets. They had a solid 49 run opening stand, and Harvey and Darcy kept the momentum by scoring at a quick rate. Wickets kept falling at uncomfortable times however, and soon Manly were 5-120. Josh G partnered with Rocco, and together they hit a match winning partnership. Those boys played fearless cricket and diminished any worries in our team, having a 107 run stand. Josh G made a valuable 43, while Rocco scored an awe inspiring 75. After their dismissals, Murray and TJ had their own partnership at the back end of 41. It was a clinical display of running between the wickets, with both boys turning 1s into 2s then 2s into 3s. Murray gave Manly some late joy with hitting a couple of well placed boundaries and a massive straight six. In the end, Manly finished with a formidable 279 runs.
Will and Lewis opened the bowling and together, along with some incredible fielding, put pressure on the batsmen. Eventually, due to some tight bowling, Will got the batsmen to play early and chip it to Rocco, courtesy of his hidden slower ball. Lewis then took a pair of wickets, first getting the batsmen to sky a high ball to TJ, then he managed to get the ball to stay a little low, causing the batsmen to miss it and was plumb in front. Josh G then showed some spectacular athleticism by getting a perfect throw straight into Darcy’s gloves, getting their main batsman run out. The boys were pumped and wrist spinner TJ was brought into the attack, and what an impact he had. In his first over, the batsmen tried to smash him down the ground but he took a jaw dropping catch. He then got the batsmen to try and play across the line and it was smashed straight to Josh W who caught it comfortably. Another mix up between the wickets saw Rohit throw it into Darcy’s gloves, resulting in another wicket. Will was bright back on and took a couple of wickets, getting the batsmen LBW and the other batsmen out caught. His pace was clearly too quick for the batsmen, as they kept jumping around and looking awkward at the crease. Murray then got a nice edge behind and Manly then obtained a comfortable win, bowling out NDs for 139.
It was a wonderful 140 run win from the Men In Blue, and they are looking to replicate their form throughout the whole U17s comp.
Report by Rohit Jayaram