 2nd Grade miss out on Finals
The finals for second grade started a week early with the young reserve graders knowing they needed a win to secure a place in the top six. However, at 3-3 with Lindsay, Evans and Garratt back in the pavilion we knew we were in for a tough day. Dowsley and Richtor batted through the tough times with the ball moving around a lot more than expected. After a slow first hour of consolidation, runs began to flow more readily. Richtor took on the bowlers, played some impressive shots and quickly reached 47 off 65 balls before he was caught in the outfield. The score was 4-76. Dowsley was next to fall for 34 off 58 balls with the score at 5-93. He had looked solid and confident all morning, with some memorable shots including a great six, but was disappointed with his soft dismissal when a captain’s innings was required.
Richtor taking to the Manly bowlers
After the fall of Dowsley and Richtor we needed others to step up to reach a high total, but unfortunately no one was able to get going. We were all out for a disappointing 119.
A big effort early on with the new ball and early wickets was what was required. Everyone thought Garath Wright had given us the start we needed when he seemingly had their opening batsman out "caught behind" in the 4th over. However the umpire saw it differently and claimed he had not seen a deflection when everyone else at the ground thought otherwise. Who knows what would have happened if this had been given out as that batsman went on to score 57 not out and put the result beyond doubt. Manly passed our total with the loss of one wicket, with Ritchie the sole wicket taker.
There was an anxious wait as results came in from the other matches, but it was not to be and Sydney Uni and Campbeltown’s victories ensured we went from 5th to 7th on the table. It was very disappointing to end the season on such a note, especially given we won 3 and drew 1 of our 4 games against the top six. On a positive note, it was a very young squad who all showed a lot of potential and enthusiasm throughout the year and should be congratulated for the positive steps they’ve all taken. Hopefully the result in this last round will spur everyone on to push for a higher result next season. Good luck to 1st and 4th grade in the finals.
Dowse | 
