
Colts - Division 2
Second XI
Second XI, 1/97 defeated St Edmunds 94
Batting: Jared Wilson 52*, Viira Pieris 18*, Hamish Foley 18.
Bowling: Adam Clarke 3/21, Viira Pieris 3/22, Will Hyson 2/15.
Notable Performance: Preston Singer (wk) 4 catches
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Summary: Cricketers of a certain age and experience will be familiar with the following scenario. I'm talking about the process of eliminating the inner voice that suggests THIS time putting the opposition in might be best. The heat will only get worse later, so bow ... BAT ... plenty of grass on the pitch, could jag a bit early, so bow ... BAT ... etc. Just come to your senses and BAT. Set a target and pile on the pressure. We'd barely won a toss all season, so probably a moot point anyway. Naturally Plugger won the toss and bowled. With a little trepidation we watched the early overs pass wicketless. Would the Eddies boys survive the early movement and prosper later as the pitch baked in the hot sun? In a word, no. Slow and perhaps over-cautious batting gave way to inevitable wickets, followed by more over-cautious batting. Moments of frustration from the batsmen generally precipitated their demise; VP and spinner Adam in particular profited and their patience and skill was rewarded with three wickets apiece. The bowling group as a whole excelled. It felt relentless as the dot balls and maiden overs mounted - three in a row from Finn the highlight. In the end, Eddies dug themselves into a hole and were dismissed for 94 from 30-odd overs, the final wicket a superbly judged catch by keeper Hey Presto! ... one of four he took for the innings in an expert display behind the stumps. The psychology of chasing low totals is well known. Get on with it, don't dither. Passing on such wisdom to Ham and Jared bordered on the absurd. They know no other way. After six or so overs we were already halfway there. We lost a wicket at about fifty but nothing changed with VP (the VeeP) at the crease. A run a ball partnership sealed the result with Jared bringing up yet another half-ton. His season to date has been outstanding. And speaking of seasons, a Merry Christmas to everyone at Marist Cricket Club from Andy, Justin, Richard and the 2nd XI boys.
P.Scholtens