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 "VIEW FROM THE BOUNDARY"
Round 7 – “Up against the competition leaders”
Gordon White Tigers 9/134 defeated by Gordon Reds 8/213
On a beautiful Spring morning we journeyed once again to Darnley Oval for the second of our three straight games at this venue. Luckily, this time sufficient plastic bags were packed in the kit to clear the many “land mines” on the oval prior to the start of play. Captain Dylan tossed the coin; the Red’s captain called correctly and elected to bat. The Reds are a strong batting line-up and got away to a fast start courtesy of some powerful hitting and aggressive running between the wickets (take note everyone). We picked up a couple of great run outs shortly before drinks courtesy of Thomas L and Dylan, however the Reds had reached an imposing 3/123 at the break. The post drinks session saw the White Tigers come back really well to reduce the run rate and restrict the Reds to 8/213. Our successful bowlers were the ever improving Thomas L, Tom R, Luca, Charles, Luke and Hugo with a wicket apiece – well done all! Our ‘keepers Charles and Josh did a great job in only letting in three byes all innings and running out two wickets courtesy of great throws from Dylan and Thomas L.
Things we did well in the field:
- Excellent sportsmanship, clapping the incoming and outgoing batsmen
- Staying focused for the whole 30 - special mention to Hugo and Darcy
- Our catching – Luca’s “catch of the season” as well as Tom R’s great catch
- Excellent backing up and intelligent throwing meant no overthrows
- Improved field placings
Chasing 214 to win was always going to tough against the tight Reds attack but Ewan (5) got us off to a great start with a cracking four off the first ball of the innings. He and Oscar (2) looked in good touch until both were out bowled after the Reds attack tightened the screws. Both openers back in the sheds after four overs!
Luke (4) help consolidated the innings until he was out caught trying to push the rate along. Dylan (5) batted well until he fell to a fine outfield catch. Luca (1) got himself tangled up and was bowled. The ever reliable Xavier (16) played some beautiful pull shops and was eventually out trying to increase the run rate. Thomas L (0) showed very good technique until he was picked up on a good leg side catch by the Reds ‘keeper. Max (2) played a beautiful square drive and was unluckily run out attempting the second run and Darcy (0) was out caught looking for quick runs.
Gus (19 not out) played the innings of his career to date which included four fine boundaries. The other not out batsman was the super competitive Tom R (7 not out) who always seems to save his best for the Reds. A good effort from all but in the end we finished a good way short of the target at 9/134.
Things we did well while batting:
- We put together a reasonable score without relying too much on one batsman
- Most batsmen were backing up when not on strike
- Some good loud calling of “yes”, “no” ,“wait “
- Starting to see a few more off-side shots. Great stuff Max!
Areas to work on:
- We gave away 87 no-balls and wides! That’s 87 free runs to the opposition plus the extra balls they face. Darnley Oval is a narrow pitch but we need to work on our bowling accuracy at training
- We are giving the batsmen too many short easy to hit balls on their leg stump! This often gives away boundaries. At training work on trying to land the ball closer to the stump
Coaches “White Tiger” award
There were a lot of really good performances on Saturday. Thomas L continues to improve in his bowling , fielding and batting. Luca nearly did enough with his brilliant one-handed diving catch in close and Darcy and Hugo showed a lot of commitment in the field. It was good also to see Hugo back to bowling his best. The choice came down to two players; Tom R and Gus. Tom’s bowling gets better every game and I’m sure he’s due for a big score soon. However the White Tiger award for this week goes to Gus for his brilliant 19 not out, his much improved bowling and his all round enthusiasm in the field. Well done Gus!
Thanks to umpires Scott and Michael and scorers Justin and JM
NEXT GAME: Round 8 v St Ives Gilchrist venue Darnley Oval – please be at the ground by 7.55am
Training: Friday at 4.30pm at Artarmon – please remember to bring along a drink bottle and to use the toilet before training commences. You won’t be allowed to use the toilet block until after training finishes.
Player Availability: As far as I know all players are available for next week. Please let me know if you will be away at any stage
Go White Tigers!! | 
