The weather gods served up another dreary morning for our return to Darrel Jackson Gardens. But it didn’t dampen the spirit of U9 Blue for their first derby of the season - against the U9 Gold.
Match report by Sean Richardson
SHCC U9 Blue 153 def SHCC U9 Gold 101
With Stef stepping up as captain this week, he won the flip and elected to bat - and a wise decision it turned out to be, avoiding bowling with a wet ball!
The team worked hard, given the very different batting conditions to Round 1. Boundaries were few and far between, but the team played the balls in front of them and only lost their wicket twice - a very fine effort. We talked pregame about who should be calling (striker if the ball is in front of the wicket, non-striker if the ball is behind the wicket)… and it was great to see the team start to put this into action. I was also impressed that no one was impatient or frustrated with the slower scoring rate… something our Australian Men's T20 team should take note of!
Similarly, the team were diligent with their bowling this week. While the wickets didn’t flow early, the team persevered - and were duly rewarded as the innings went on. Great to see Stef, Darcy, Lachie, Hamish, Sebastian and Coby sharing the wickets. Jacob bowled well and was unlucky not to get a couple; Billy actually had a ball clip the stumps without dislodging a bail; and Marlowe did really well in his first game. Don’t forget to appeal though, as a wicket can only be given out if the team ask the umpire! Oh, and great keeping from Coby and Jacob too - you both did an excellent job.
I legitimately had no idea about the score at the end of the game - and while the players were quick to point out that we had won, I was more impressed at how quickly everyone is improving.
Thanks to Michelle for bringing oranges despite being unwell, and Sarah for scoring… I hear you had a great time and didn’t complain once about having to do it. 😉 And cheers to all the parent helpers on the sideline too, for keeping the team on track throughout the game.