Bowlers: Harry Whalen 3/16, Lachlan Miller 2/9

Batting: Preston Singer (28)

Notable player: Nick Brennan for 3 catches and batting while injured

Marist Royal played for a place in the semi-finals on Saturday but went down to a disciplined side from Radford. Our bowling and fielding kept Radford to a manageable total, denying the opposition their full 30 overs. But our batting fell short on the day, despite the boys’ strong performance with the bat across the season as a whole.

Radford won the toss and elected to bat first. They set up a solid opening partnership, broken in the 7th over by Kalindu’s bowling. Then our spinners got to work. A run of quick wickets after tea break left Radford near collapse, but their stubborn tailenders held on till the 29th over.

Bowler Harry topped the wicket tally with an impressive 3 for 16 off 5 overs. Lachie wasn’t far behind, with 2 wickets for 9 off 3 overs. Kayeen and Archie also claimed a wicket a piece. The bowlers were helped by fast, accurate fielding, with some superb catches in the mix. Nick and Kayeen each took 3 catches, with wickie Preston and Noah adding their own to the growing total. Harry, Patrick and Lachie contributed to runouts, keeping the pressure on and the ball away from the boundaries.

When it came our turn to bat, we got off to a shaky start. The boys struggled to build the partnerships needed to break through Radford’s tight defences in the field. They matched Radford’s run rate and were closing on the opposition total a few overs out from the finish. But the steady fall of wickets eventually caught up with them.

Preston (28) and Kalindu (18 off 17 balls) offered the most resistance, with Archie, Keyaan and Logan also reaching double figures. Nick played on injured, despite hits to the leg while fielding and batting. Kayeen literally broke his bat trying to turn the game Marist’s way. And Dominic and Griffin once again fronted up to watch their team mates play when they couldn’t due to injury. Moments like these better reflected the boys’ team spirit and grit over the season than the final score on Saturday.

The boys have one more game to play this coming weekend against Marist Sky on their home ground. It’ll be a good way to celebrate the season with some fun and friendly rivalry with their Marist mates. Thanks again to coach Cade, manager Maylin, umpire Paul and scorer CK for all their work on the day and the season.