5th Grade Report vs Manly - Round 10 - Version 2 |
This report will be short but sweet. Moth Packman is an absolute legend in my opinion. He runs a tight ship in 5s. We probably don't do things in the conventional way but we get results, and ultimately that's all that matters. This photo of Deva has made the Facebook photo of the year candidates Moth lost the toss against Manly & we were sent in on a green wet wicket. Shaft Cockburn fell early but as per team policy did not sulk & returned from the sheds to support the lads. Speedblitz Goldsmith was dusty after a heavy night on the grog, but hung in there for a 20. I don't remember much else about the batting but Jack & Tim also got a few. The star however was Elton Coleman. He blasted the attack to all parts of the Beauchamp stadium. He got dropped 8 times but they were all hot chances & he rode his luck well for 70. At the end of our innings we had 222 on the board. More than enough. Enter Skilly Skilbeck & Deva for a final 7 over assault on the Tahs. The result was 2 for 12 at stumps. Skilly is definitely a future shield cricketer. At 16 he already has unsettling pace, & he impressed this old bastard immensely with his attitude both on & off the field. Deva had been suffering from dizzy spells of late but a pep talk from Moth had him firing. Yes my friend the Dizzy rascal is BACK. Day 2 started slowly on a green deck which played easy. Moth rotated all the bowlers but it was run outs that won the day. Three in fact, to take the Tahs to 5 down. For a team that does not practice its fielding this blows me away. All the run outs were tight & achieved through precision execution. Unbeleivable!
Jack 'Skilly' Skillbeck impresses this author no end Shaft gets the danger man second ball after tea. High 5s allround. A big unit comes in and hits a few sixes & Shaft continues to throw them up. Shaft then unleashed a delivery that will long be remembered by anyone who saw it when he threw down a 'Doosra', no lie this ball turned from leg to off, it was amazing. The ball caught the big rigs edge and I took a sharp chance. Now 7 down. I came on and got the next two and Manly were 9 down with 78 to get. In the huddle Dietzy could already taste that first beer, I however have played for the Stags long enough to know the its not over till the fat lady sings & we still had to get the last pole. This little guy came out with a harrow bat & no thigh guard & I thought it would be a matter of balls before we'd be singing in the sheds. How wrong was I as this little fella batted with great maturity & along with the experienced captain at the other end guided Manly within 30 of victory. Enter Skilly and the relieving sight of rattled stumps and a win for the stags. Next a beer with the opposition, umpires & support staff. It was a good win & keeps us in contention for the semis but I can't help but emphasise something that everyone can learn from this win. We had an opening batman in Shaft who got a second ball duck but stayed positive & ended up winning us the game with 2 massive wickets. We had other batsman who failed but who executed perfect throws to secure 3 important run outs. What am I trying to say? Well cricket is a game of three distinct attributes being bowling, batting & fielding & just because you fail in one does not mean you can't make an impact in the other two. That's what happens in 5s & it happens cause we are led by a positive encouraging leader who is our inspiration. All the best Fester |
5th Grade vs Manly - Version 2
So 5 down at lunch.
