It was great to see the Scorchers back in action for 2026 on Friday night. We faced off against the Eastlake Parrots in what ended up being a hard fought, very close game. Captain Jayden won the toss and elected to bowl in the steaming heat, a tactical masterstroke.

A few early overs kept the score nice and tight to start the match. All the boys blew off some holiday rust as they settled into a great performance. Each of Austin, Hayden, Jimmy, Pranav, Reuben and Thomas took a wicket on the day, while Johan, Otto and Jayden kept their bowling nice and tight for their overs.

Wicketkeeping has come a long way for the Scorchers this year with Jayden and Otto doing an amazing job behind the stumps. They did not leak many extra runs and were close to pulling off a couple of great catches.

Fielding has been much improved with the best fielding performance all year coming from the Scorchers on Friday night. This was highlighted by an amazing direct hit runout from Austin from backward point. Overall, the Parrots scored 72 runs and the Scorchers took an incredible 7 wickets.

Then came the batting performance. The Scorchers settled in nicely to their work Thomas and Reuben set a great platform for the team with a beautiful cover drive from Thomas for 4 runs. Pranav then accelerated the scoring with a quick fire 11 off his 13 deliveries. Jayden, Johan and Jimmy all contributed well to the score with some great running between the wickets and setting the game up for the last 2 batsmen to take over. Hayden was hitting the ball to all parts of the park with a scintillating 23 off 14 deliveries and Austin reliably held up his end and rotated the strike nicely.

The match went down to the last ball with the Parrots on 126 and the Scorchers on 129. A heart in mouth moment for all the parents as the final ball went to ground about 2 metres from the wicket keeper and the Scorchers thought it best to take the run on offer. A throw from the stumps being slightly wayward ensured a victory for the Scorchers on their return to cricket for the year.

A victory well deserved and celebrated by giving out 2 milestones to both Pranav (batting) and Hayden (bowling). Well done Scorchers!