Round 9 v North Sydney White
Golds 5/80 defeated Norths 10/79
Top of the table clash lives up to expectations
Saturday saw the Golds travel to the very pretty Pottery Green Oval for the clash with the undefeated North Sydney Whites. Following a narrow defeat in Round 2 to the Whites this would be a good chance to see how the team had progressed.
After winning the toss, Norths chose to bat. On a very hot morning which was only going to get hotter and an outfield that was quite long, it was obvious that run scoring would be difficult.
We got away to a great start when Mitch held a catch at point in Jack’s opening over. Gen struck immediately and the Bears were 2/3 after two overs. With runs hard to come by and some excellent ground fielding in particular by the “Welsh Wizard” Callum and James, Norths were under pressure. This was rewarded when Alex deceived the batsmen and wicketkeeper Charlie Cox running almost to square leg and diving held a blinder. Another great diving catch this time by Jack at mid off, from the bowling of Mitch, meant the Golds were on top at 4/27. Norths however began to mount a good fight back and it wasn’t until the introduction of Hamish that the next breakthrough was achieved. Fortunately this was followed up quickly by Charlie W and again by Henry to have Norths tettering at 7/51 – which way would it go?
Fortunately for the Golds the great fielding did not falter. Jae remained keen as did Jonas which was vital. Another catch to Charlie Cox this time off Henry and then a fabulous run out by the same man placed the Golds firmly in control. Jack stepped up to finish the innings in the 26th over with the score at 79.
This looked a small total however with the grass very long and Norths being a strong fielding team it was never going to be easy. Unfortunately we didn’t quite get the start we were hoping for when Mitch fell in the opening over. This brought Jonas (14) and Charlie Cox (16) together and they played superbly. While boundaries were very difficult to achieve both batsmen dispatched the short ball and ran strongly ensuring that no singles were missed. This kept the score ticking over which in a tight game was vital. At the loss of Charlie, after an opening of 30 off 7 overs Jae (2) continued the aggressive batting under what were very hot conditions.
With the quick loss of both Jae and Jonas the game swung back to Norths when Henry was snapped up on a great caught and bowled leaving the Golds 5/42 off 13 overs. Again the game hung in the balance.
Alex (9 not out) was joined by Charlie W (25 not out) in a vital partnership. Both batsmen weathered some excellent bowling and took advantage of anything loose in particular Charlie with his favoured pull shot proving decisive. Putting together an unbeaten partnership of 38 these two saw the Golds home for a hard fought win.
Well done to both teams for playing such a high standard game under very difficult conditions.
Highlights :
- 5 catches held - excellent work Mitch, Jack, Charlie C(2) and Charlie W
- 7 wicket takers – Henry/Jack – 2, Mitch, Alex, Charlie, Gen, Hamish- 1 each
- Only 12 wides in 26 overs – fantastic bowling
- Excellent running between the wickets for our singles – this was so important on a “slow” ground
- 3 super partnerships when batting
A great game to watch and a good sign that the Golds continue to improve particularly in the field.
Thank you to Paul/Lyndon our umpires and Steve/Rob for scoring
Thank you also for the birthday wishes and rosette, which I did wear all day!
Player of the Day – among a number of excellent performances this weeks PoD is Charlie Cox – for 16 runs, 2 catches as keeper and a clever run out – well done.
This Week v Lindfield Chappell at Naremburn Lower - be there by 7.55am
Player Availability – if anyone is unavailable please let Judy know. If we have all 12 one player is the designated non batter for the day, but will bowl and field.
Training :Willoughby Park 5.00pm Thursday
"BETWEEN THE WICKETS"
