3rd Grade vs Blacktown - Round 10 - 2011/12 |
We bowled first on a slow but decent Killara Wicket. Get a good look at this young man - Tom Stobo - we'll be seeing a lot of him in the future. Either at GDCC or in some police line-ups (see property damage story below)Early wickets were the key and Jules Stephenson assisted by bowling the opener on the third ball and also took a wicket in each of his subsequent overs. It was good to have Jules back, his pace was decent and hitting the right areas brought instant rewards. We bowled well and wickets fell at regular intervals. The fielding was exceptional as always, led by Missy Higgins and young Brett Rosen. These two always lead from the front with banter and very witty remarks. It makes the time spent in the field rather enjoyable. But I'm happy to be parked at 1st slip most of the game just so i can have a decent, mature conversation with Tom Beverley. Hi Tom, done any food shopping lately? The spinners bowled really well as a group. Just as Ed Howitt ties up an end, someone like Taity or Cubbage can take over at any stage and do just as good a job. Having 3 spinners in your team, in a limited overs game is always a very handy option. A few catches just didn't go to hand in the latter overs but this didn't really matter, the Stags were on top with the ball, eventually ending the Warriors innings on 141 in the 42nd over. (Tjaard Tait 3 for 17, Julian Stephenson 3 for 23, Adam Cubbage 1, Ed Howitt 1, James Kidd 1, Tom Stobo 1) Special mention must be made of Tom Stobo. Yeah, he may have taken a wicket with his 1st ball in Grade cricket but watching him collect a ball that went for 6 down the road, then trying to throw the ball back to the field whilst standing on the road and the ball hitting a parked van was exceptional. I think the driver of the van, who was sitting in the van at the time, was rather pleased. Also, Missys mate who was seen walking round the oval with a flag on his back and wearing a funny hat was also a highlight. Missy, where do you get these friends?? Back to the cricket
With a bonus point a possibility if the runs could be scored under 30 overs, Ed and Brett Rosen set about to collect quick runs with 50 coming off the first 6 overs. Some lovely cut shots over 3rd slip really boosted Howitt's Scoring rate. Bretty also played some glorious shots with Tom Beverley's bat. It's all a blur - Jules Stephenson continues to perform in his comeback yearA couple of wickets meant a consolidation was needed and Clem Bromwich provided this with a well-made 34 off 38 balls, while Ian Higgins and Tjaard Tait also kept the runs coming. Missy was out once again LBW. He has missed a couple on his pads this year. The bin and the chair in the change room must have been on his offside as they were dipatched quite easily on his return to his seat. Just saying..... With the cut off for the bonus point closing in, Taity continued to block the hell out of it. Luckily, for the team of course, Taity was dismissed and Tom Beverley pretty much ran a suicide single to win the game for the Stags with a Bonus point. Great win and an early finish to boot. It's great to have that winning feelings back again. Hopefully everyone is fit and injury free this coming week to take on the 3rd placed Ghosts. Yours in Cricket Damon Livermore |
In 3rd grade, we don't even ask who won the toss, we just ask "what are we doing?" 
The rain held off and the wicket improved for the 2nd half of the game.
