Can you summarize two weeks of Junior cricket in one hit?
Read on to find out!
Under 16As
| 30 Nov 18 7 Dec 18 |
Mont Albert 153 T Welling 2/16 H Woodhouse 2/35 |
def by | Kew Junior 4/184(cc) J Stewart 87 I Merchant 61 CD Laird 2/53 |
Under 12As
| 1 Dec 18 8 Dec 18 |
Mont Albert 140 D Teele 36 J Kelly 2/2 W Darcy 2/14 S Garlick 2/17 M McCann 2/19 |
def by | Boroondara 8/243(cc) J Kelly 50* B Wickham 50* W Darcy 27 |
Saturday the 1st of December saw MACC U12A win the toss and decide to Bat. In the dazzling sunshine, much better than the disappointing washout the week before, Harry Simpson and Daniel Teele went out to open the match.
Harry made 11 runs off 17 balls and was unfortunately caught. Daniel remained determined and settled in the middle. Jack Massey made an impressive 20 runs off 25 balls until he was bowled and Nathan Woods came in to Join Daniel before morning tea.
On returning to the crease Daniel was soon bowled but achieved our biggest run total for the day of 36 runs off 71 balls. A hearty congratulations to Daniel for his performance and contribution.
Nathan went on to make 8 runs before being caught for 8 runs, Jack Davies Sankey held strong for 10 runs before being bowled and Hamish Baddon made 2 runs before being bowled.
The pressure was on for runs and a high score and Lucas Saunders and Mitchell Hedley created a final partnership of 13 and 10 runs before Mitchell was caught. Lucas retired not out and the innings was competed with 140 runs off 41 overs.
Upon our return this Saturday the 8th, we knew we needed to be tight with our bowling and switched on given Boroondara’s performances this season. Despite the highlights being a catch from Sam Hawkins, Harry Simpson and Jack Davies Sankey, a runout from Nathan Woods and 3 runouts and a catch from Mitchell Hedley; we were unable to take the match and unfortunately were not up for the task this round.
Boroondara made 243 runs off 41 overs with a loss of 8 wickets and 2 retired players on 50 runs. Congratulations to Boroondara and their 2 players for achieving 50 runs.
MACC U12A will re-group and assess their loss and performance and move on to their one day away match against Heatherdale next week before the Christmas break.
Under 12Bs
| 1 Dec 18 8 Dec 18 |
Boroondara Browning | v | Mont Albert |
Boorondara Browning (9/198) def Mont Albert (9/96)
After a wash out in the previous round resulted in a draw it was good to complete a full match against Boorondara Browning. Boorondara won the toss on Day 1 and elected to bat which was a wise choice as their batting form was excellent leaving them at 3/97 after their first 22 overs.
The MACC boys went in for the remainder of Day 1 compiling a total of 74 runs which left us in a reasonable position to come back on day 2 and compile enough runs to defend.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be as when the boys resumed their innings on Day two the wickets fell thick and fast leaving us with a total of only 96 runs and handing the reins to Boorondara who capitalized and added another 101 runs in their second 22 overs for a resounding first innings victory.
Some positives for the boys included some great efforts in the field with a fantastic caught and bowled by Alex Boyd and a thumping catch by Jacob Allen down at backward square leg.
Onward to the final round for 2018 next Saturday against an in form Clifton Hill side (weather permitting!).
Under 12Cs
| 1 Dec 18 | Balwyn 4/176 E Carlin 53* A Siemers 26* L Flight 23* B Sheehan 18* M D’souza 17 |
def | Mont Albert 3/55(cc) C Smith 15 |
The 12 C’s did lose but at this level the score does not reflect the effort put in by this team.
Balwyn won the toss and bowled first. We saw an amazing opening partnership where the boys faced some fearsome swing, pace and bounce. We only gave up 3 wickets where we were bowled out the first time we played. Cam Smith top scored.
These boys bowled brilliantly and had enough chances to bowl out this attacking batting display. We halved the extras this week.
Zac, Harvey and Lucas all took great wickets and Harvey and Zac set the standard in the Field too.
Our third week with the leather ball and we are getting braver.
Really proud of the team this week. All of them improved. Most importantly they showed fierce determination.
| 8 Dec 18 | Mont Albert 7/43(cc) T Charman 2/2 J Sammartino 2/5 |
def by | Kew Junior Orange 2/146(cc) C Harris 28* |
Still so much to learn for this team, but what is encouraging is they are starting to show resilience and determination.
Each week a new player carries the team. The Fielding energy was better, and some really gritty batting without reward was a great sign.
Focus for the next match is to increase our score without compromising defence, and try to take some catches.
Some match highlights this week was the Great keeping effort by Cam Smith who is leading our batting this year, he missed out with the bat this week but contributed admirably with the ball and keeping.
This week’s captain, Harvey, was a great leader in the field, chimed in with a wicket with the ball and was a brave opening batsman again this week.
Isaac Edey worked hard with the bat and came in at number 3 when we were in some strife and Zac Burley top scored with 9 runs, some great cricket shots all around the ground.
Lastly my match highlight (yes both my sons get a mention this week), Lucas C got the other wicket with the ball and faced 50 balls at the end to ensure the opposition bowled their allotted overs. It’s a real surprise each week to see who improves.
Under 10 Blues
| Mont Albert 1 1/176(cc) O Groves 46* J Borrello 26* A Bertus 24* |
def | Richmond Union White 5/50(cc) J Moore 18* J Borrello 2/5 |
The U10 Blues were once again up against Richmond Union White.
Captain Patrick Gleeson won the toss & elected to bowl on a crisp Saturday morning, crisp enough for a little dew to still be present on the ground well into our bowling innings.
Once again our bowlers put the opposition under pressure with fast, one-side of the wicket bowling. The inexperienced Richmond Union team had definitely improved from our last meeting, keeping good balls out & maintaining their wickets.
A few wickets did fall & our boys got a bit of a roll. In the end, Richmond Union were restricted to a very moderate total, thanks to equally good performances from all boys who bowled & Patrick Gleeson behind the stumps.
Special mentions to James Graham, Aidan Tribe & Loki Fahl who are displaying excellent rhythm & good accuracy with the ball.
The fielding is a real treat for me to watch & observe what the boys have learnt & are now executing on game days – brilliant stuff boys!
The batting was extraordinary. Runs galore, with all players contributing. Couple good stroke play with aggressive running between the wickets & you amass a total far greater than the opposition on most occasions.
Game plan followed perfectly – I think we lost only 1 wicket! Well done to Ollie Groves (almost 50!), Alex Bertus, Jonathan Borrello, Loki Fahl, Patrick Gleeson, Aidan Tribe & James Graham who all batted to our plan, contributing to a big win for the team.
We then had a very good win over Edinburgh Green at WT Peterson Oval.
| 8 Dec 18 | Edinburgh Green 7/107(cc) H Harris 15* |
def by | Mont Albert 1 5/144(cc) H Harris 2/11 W Long 2/16 |
Captain James Graham lost the toss & our boys were in the field first.
The boys played on a make-shift grass pitch. Conditions were tough with high temp & humidity about. I thought our bowling was right on the money – fast & outside off stump (generally).
With the ball zipping around off the ‘pitch’, wickets fell at a steady rate. All of the bowlers were well supported in the field & behind the stumps – our fielding continues to be a strong component of our game – love that about our boys!
Jonathan Borrello was simply outstanding in the field, probably saved 15-20 runs himself at backward square leg! Wickets were shared around amongst the bowlers but I have to mention a fine leg cutter bowled by the skipper James: pitched leg-middle stump & took the top of off-stump … & did the boys get around him? You bet!
Edinburgh managed a more than competitive total, so good batting was the aim of the second half.
On this occasion our batting clicked with solid performances from all boys. Boundaries, good aggressive running kept the momentum in our favour but we did lose a few too many (for my liking) wickets which could’ve determined the outcome of the game.
In the end MACC U10s Blue came out victorious by a margin of 30+ runs. A good contest in very trying conditions. I said to the group that I was super proud how they stuck at it & never dropped their bundle… & having the win just made it all the more worth the effort.
Under 10 Golds
| 1 Dec 18 | Balwyn Blasters 6/97(cc) O Trone 2/20 |
def by | Mont Albert 2 3/115(cc) W Borrello 19* F Allen 17* |
Following the deluge that washed out last week’s fixture, the day dawned perfectly for the Mont Albert U10 Gold team’s trip to beautiful Myrtle Park to take on the Balwyn Blasters.
Taking the helm as Captain, Tyler Reddoch won the toss for Mont Albert for the first time this season and promptly asked Balwyn to bat.
Felix Allen took up the attack from the Northern end and immediately had the opening pair on the back foot with searching line and pace. Tyler followed up with an over that wasn’t his best, perhaps the weight of captaincy tightening up his usual bustling action.
Harry Nicholson was immediately into his groove however, his whippy left arm mechanics causing problems for the opposing batsmen. Ben Boyd and Josh Martin then put in a serviceable spell, though Balwyn were able to work them for 1s and 2s.
The first breakthrough came when the Balwyn pair sought to pinch a cheeky run from a wide ball in Josh Martin’s over, only to see Oliver Trone cleanly pick up the ball at fine leg and throw in quickly to Will Borello behind the stumps, who whipped the bails off with the batsman short of his ground.
Not learning from this misadventure, a similar scene unfolded in the very next over delivered by Angus Dunstan. On this occasion the batsman didn’t recognise the danger as Felix swooped in from Square Leg and returned the ball to Will who again broke the stumps and saw the Square Leg umpire’s finger raised.
Oliver then took his turn in the bowling rotation, and promptly put a quick, straight one past the grasping bat of the Balwyn batsmen to clip the top of middle stump.
The Balwyn innings then really tightened up as the batsmen dug in to stem the bleeding of wickets, and the next spell of 3 overs from Mont Albert was of a similar high quality, yielding just 5 runs and culminating in Harry completing a wicket maiden. He forced the batsmen back with a hostile spell, causing him to Hit Wicket, an unusual dismissal at this level.
Ironically, just 3 overs later, Oliver also pressured the batsmen into a hit wicket dismissal, to claim his second wicket of the day.
Balwyn then rallied strongly with a flurry of late innings boundaries to achieve a respectable total, only interrupted by Harry completing a great all round effort in the field when he pouched a catch from a difficult high ball at Square Leg.
Knowing that the Blasters had posted a respectable total, Mont Albert knew that they would need to start strongly. Will and Angus took up the challenge and dug in for the first few overs, before launching a spectacular acceleration of the run rate.
Will repeatedly pulled strongly through backward square leg, eventually amassing 4 boundaries in his top score of 19. Angus also hit powerfully late in his innings, with 2 boundaries in his total of 9.
Ben and Harry then combined to consolidate the innings, and while there were less fireworks, both batsmen batted sensibly and protected their wicket with the only blemish being a run out as mid-on fielded nimbly and caught Harry short at the non-strikers end attempting a quick single.
Tyler and Josh then joined forces and applied themselves to the task of building their innings and rotating the strike.
A feature was Josh’s first boundary, as we reached the rope having connected with a uninhibited free swing of the bat through midwicket.
Oliver and Felix rounded out the Mont Albert response with a strong finish through the latter overs, although unfortunately having concentrated for so long, Oliver missed a straight one and was bowled on his very last ball.
Felix closed the innings with a flurry of measured cross bat shots, peppering the midwicket boundary, and the fielder that was despatched to protect that area, ultimately collecting 2 boundaries in his score of 17.
In the wash-up Mont Albert had a hard earned 18 run victory 115 runs to 97. The difference was the wickets that they took during a disciplined and much improved bowling and fielding performance, protecting their own wickets while batting through sensible running and shot selection, and some great boundary hitting at the top and bottom of the order.
Thanks again to all the parents and supporters who attended and took match day roles. Talent scouts will soon be sniffing so get down to Elgar Park next week before the Stars and Renegades snap up the potential on offer!
| 8 Dec 18 | Mont Albert 2 11/108(cc) A Dunstan 26 M Allen 3/19 C Laurie 2/13 H Pecher 2/13 B Wolst 2/17 |
def by | Donvale 4/148(cc) |