Batting: Evan Lawrence 14 (15), Lewis Fillbrook 13 (15)

Bowling: Xander Hardy 1/6, Lewis Fillbrook 1/7

Returning to Curtin Oval, scene of two previous washouts, third time proved a charm as the Marist Strikers were greeted with fine conditions for their twilight match against the Eastlake Magpies. Invited to bat, the Marist opening pair of Lachlan and Shay began positively against some lively bowling, using the pace of the ball to work the gaps, and capitalizing with proactive running between the wickets. When both openers had departed, the score had progressed to 32 without loss and, upon this solid foundation, Matthew and Evan pressed the team's advantage, trading boundaries against a beleaguered Eastlake attack. The introduction of spin stemmed the flow of runs somewhat, although Marist Strikers reached the half-way point of the innings with 60 runs on the board. Following Drinks, Evan struck a third boundary from his final delivery, and Lewis immediately continued the onslaught, dispatching his first ball beyond the boundary. Lewis and Xander combined well, Lewis's attacking approach yielding another boundary, and Xander taking singles to rotate the strike, and finding a boundary of his own. Xander's retirement brought Austin to the crease and the captain was off the mark immediately, combining with last man Ahn to consolidate his team's position. The pair were forced to defend resolutely against some accurate fast bowling, but, given some width, Ahn twice capitalized with a front-foot cover drive and authoritative call for a well-judged single. With contributions all the way down the team sheet, Marist Strikers had amassed 123 runs from their 20 overs, for the loss of three wickets.

Ahn and Austin kept things tight for the first two overs, and when Lewis followed up with a wicket maiden, the target seemed even further away for Eastlake. To their credit however, the visitors regrouped and applied some pressure of their own via some aggressive running between the wickets that saw them to 1-60 at Drinks. The tide turned once more with consecutive overs from Evan and Matthew conceding only one run between them. The mounting scoreboard pressure forced a change of approach from Eastlake and runs once again started to flow more freely. "Catches win matches" is an oft-quoted cricket maxim, and the 15th over provided a perfect illustration. A good length delivery from Ahn was timed beautifully and looked four from the moment it left the bat ... until it reached Matthew at mid-off who, moving low and to his left, took a stunning catch. From this pivotal moment, the Strikers were never headed, as Austin, Xander and Matthew each disturbed the timber to keep the target out of Eastlake's reach. Thus concluded a match played in competitive but friendly spirit, with entertainment aplenty for supporters of both sides. With their displays of cricketing prowess and sportsmanship, the Marist Strikers did their coach Dale and student coach Nate proud. Well done everyone!

Willow Talk #12 - Week Ending 9 February

Stage 1 Friday - Ungraded

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Marist Strikers

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Marist Strikers, 120, defeated Eastlake Cockatoos, 105.