Sutherland 98 def by North Shore 8/154
After we qualified unexpectedly for the final with the exciting game against Penrith in round 5 we knew we would be facing a challenge. North Shore has not lost one game, convincingly winning their games. We were clearly the underdogs.
Although only 2nd in the competition we were hosting this final game. To avoid a similar scenario as in the last round the game was scheduled for Gwawley West. As in the previous week the weather was completely adverse in the lead up to Sunday, with torrential rains still belting down on the Shire in the early hours. However, an early inspection Sunday morning gave the all clear. The ground was wet and the long grass made boundaries a rarity, but the pitch was in good condition.
The luck was again on our side as Captain Lachlan O’Brien made the right call at the coin toss. Due to the still wet grounds he choose to bowl, hoping that a slippery ball would create some opportunities for the bowlers. Phil had reminded everybody that it was essential to keep North Shore’s runs at a minimum to avoid pressure against a strong bowling team.
First up, Joshua Towell and Corey French both produced a very tidy first spell with Joshua taking the first wicket in the 5th over. A sensational catch from Mathew Griffith saw our hopes high. What a great start! Both bowlers continued their solid attack in their second spell with Joshua finishing overall 1-22 after eight overs and Corey ending this bowling season on 1-30 also after overs.
Joel Drury and Curtis Smith were then asked to bowl. Both continued their strong bowling performance from the previous game and kept the run rate low. With Curtis to bowl the 12th over saw a fantastic run out from Matt Wright, which left North Shore 2-36. We were on track. Overall, Joel bowled for 0-25 in his eight overs.
The ground conditions not only made it challenging for the batsmen but also our fielding site had problems with the slippery ball. Eight missed catches (of which at least 3 admittedly were not easy) were a clear indicator and would have otherwise changed the outcome of the game. But all if, would and could cannot hide the fact that our fielding was certainly not our strength on this day.
It took then to 23rd over and the last over of Mathew Griffiths’ first spell when our wicketkeeper Henrik Goerges sent one of their strongest batsman off with a fine stumping, which took the score to 3-67. Mathew produced another strong performance and in the 30th over his bowling was caught by Henrik in a backward fall. Mathew finished 2-23 after his seven overs and we were 4-80.
A very expensive North Shore partnership took us to the 40th over when a bowl from Corey could only be hit uncontrolled and the catch was taken by Joshua. This saw us at 5.114. Not exactly what we had aimed for. With Liam taking the ball he kept the runs on the low side in his first spell (0-5). In his 6th over he was finally rewarded when Curtis took the catch. 6-121 after 41 overs and Liam finished 1-20.
Lachlan then took the responsibility and produced a very good bowl. After his five overs he finished 0-7. What a great result. In the last over of the game and his second spell Curtis almost produced a hat-trick when both his first two balls were caught by Liam and Joel. North Shore had set the goal of 154. Not impossible as we have proven against Penrith, but North Shore is a strong and consistent bowling team.
After the lunch break Phil was setting an aggressive batting order and as in our previous game, Lachlan and Callum opened the chase. Not unexpected North Shore started with a solid bowling attack, which saw us scoring runs slowly. An unlucky Lbw decision in the 4th over saw Callum walking off for a duck. Matt Wright came to the crease and, although fighting hard, his hit was caught by the bowler in the 8th over and we were 2-20. Not the start we had hoped for.
Within the next 6 overs we lost 4 batsmen of our middle order and Mitchell Hibbott had to get used to varying partners. Lachlan was dismissed for 13 runs after 9 overs when his hit was caught. Then Ryan Williams, who replaced Matt, was sent off for 2 runs after 12 overs as his shot was caught. In short distance thereafter Curtis and Henrik were both dismissed for 1 run each in the 13th and 14th over. We were 6-31 after 14 overs and parents, team and coach were shaking their heads in disbelief. How could that happen?
Mitchell and Mathew then created some stability and took the score to 51 runs when in the 23rd over an unlucky Mathew was run out. 7-51 after 23 overs and what weighed even more was the fact that North Shore did not drop one catch and admittedly played a great game.
Mitchell’s tough fight came to an end in the 28th over when he got stumped for 15 runs. Joshua then joined Liam Bell at the crease, who had replaced Mathew. In the 37th over an unlucky Liam had to walk back to the sheds with 11 runs to his score, when his shot was caught again by a fielder. This is when Joshua’s bowling virtually exploded. He took the lead and batted very solid, fighting an impossible fight. Together with Joel, who replaced Liam, he constantly increased his run score until in the 50th over a ball from the strongest North Shore bowler found a direct way to the wicket. Joel only survived a few more balls in this last over when he was run out and we finished with 98 runs.
But hey, we have finished 2nd in this competition! This is a great achievement and was praised by Phil in his address in the sheds immediately after the game. All players gave their final 3-2-1 assessment to vote for the player of the season.
All players, parents and families then went straight to the Taren Point Hotel to celebrate a great and memorable season. Interrupted only by another wave of torrential rain Phil then announced the player of match round by round and handed over a small recognition. It did not come as a surprise that, backed by his strong performance not only in the last game, Joshua Towell was named the player of the season.
This team has clearly grown together and these friendships and memories will last. The most important role in this definitely played our coach Phil, whose enthusiasm, coaching techniques and being a role model formed the team to reach this level.
Last but not least, I have to mention the good spirit amongst the parents. Their constant support during the long games, volunteering for scoring and umpiring and contributing to outstanding afternoon teas during our home games made my job as manager an easy breeze.
Thank you very much to Murray Griffiths and David Hibbott, who volunteered to take over the scoring. You both did a great job. Thanks also to Leonie Griffiths for your support in organising the afternoon teas as well as our accommodation in Newcastle.
I look forward to seeing you all again in the next season of representative cricket.
Sorry for this long report.
Thomas Goerges
Manager
This coming Sunday, at Glenn McGrath Oval, our local First Grade side will be playing in their Grand Final against Sydney University.
The Sutherland Shire Junior Cricket Association (SSJCA) is proud to announce that we have won the 2009/10 Shell Shield for the representative season just past.
