Podcast: Episode 38: Holding the Ball!! AFL Week 2

Week 2 of of the AFL is done and dusted, so we look back on the results of the weekend and discuss the highs and lows of what occurred. On this week's Talking Point we get well ahead of ourselves, and discuss the possibility that we can already lock in the first two places and last two places on the ladder for the 2021 season.

Podcast: Episode 37: In League With the NRL Round 3

Time to take a look at round three of the NRL, where we examine the latest round of matches and discuss how some teams seem to have enough luck to continue on their winning way, and others are just plain terrible and have a long way to go. This week's Talking Point focuses on the injury toll that continues to increase across the competition, and whether it is time to discuss making adjustments to the interchange bench to cover for the increase in injuries and HIA.

APJCC Under 13’s: Final vs Oak Flats at Myimbar East Oval

After being notified of being slightly premature last week (not the first time I’ve been accused of that), the Under 13 final went ahead this morning at Myimbar East between Albion Park and Oak Flats to decide this season’s premiers.

 
Kasey Barton won the toss for probably only the third time this season and duly elected to bat.
The opening exchanges were as tense and hard as you would expect in any final. Tristan Denmeade and Kasey Barton made slow but steady progress, seeing off the opening bowlers before Tristan got a good delivery and was bowled for 4. Noah Black strode in but was kept well under wraps today, and he too was eventually bowled and the score was 2/14.

Today Albion Park had two young batsmen who played the best innings of their career so far, and to do it in a final was even more amazing. The first of those was Logan Goodway, who got his deserved promotion in the order for his continued improvement. Logan came out today and played his role, looking to hit the ball hard, and he was the only batsman for Albion Park who was able to consistently hit the gaps in the field. He was positive from the outset, and played some excellent cross bat shots, and one glorious pull for four. It came as a surprise when the next ball Logan took off for a single but pulled up before he reached the crease at the non-strikers end for fear of the ball hitting him, and instead it hit the stumps for Logan to have his excellent innings cut short at 11.

Through this Kasey had done what he has done all season. He consolidated the scoring, he played safe cricket, he pushed the ball around, and he made sure he reached his retirement quota of 35 deliveries. He has been terrific at this all season, and it will probably see its true benefit in the years to come, and once again today it gave his team a buffer at the end of the innings if it needed it.
Aiden Campion and Josh Schofield may not be quite the same bromance as Aiden and Josh’s brother Will are, but they came together here and joined in a partnership that was necessary to consolidate the innings. It was tight finals cricket, with the bowling giving little away and the batsmen looking for gaps and singles. Josh has been terrific in supporting the elder batsmen this season and he did so here again as well mixing in his singles and twos. He eventually reached his retirement quote of 35 balls, and remained 10 not out to confirm his excellent batting form since the Christmas break. As Aiden reached the end of his innings and having been joined by Josh Peters, he too started to up the ante with 12 runs coming from his final seven deliveries at the crease. Aiden completed his season with the bat on 21 not out having again set up his team for a charge at the end.

Aiden departed, and Ryan Cergovski arrived, with the score 3/76 and just seven overs remaining. Ryan became the second of our batsmen to play the innings of their life in this final, and it was fantastic to behold. Ryan had had throw down from brother Liam for ten minutes before he batted, and you could see him growing in confidence just in that. Once he joined Josh, he was terrific. He was happy to leave wides, but he knew his role was to be positive and to scamper to get his partner on strike. Ryan had only five dots balls in his stay at the crease, perfectly encapsulating the role he had to perform. He got bat on ball, he ran hard, and even got a three to a glide through slips. By the time he had played the perfect forward defence stroke and ran for a single from the final ball of the innings, he had reached his highest ever score and remained on 11 not out. His effort today cannot be overstated.

At the other end, Josh Peters changed the course of the match. It might sound a bit biased for his father to be saying that, but at 3/76 with seven overs to go Albion Park had a lot of work to get themselves into a winning position. And yes, he was dropped twice in the outfield. But with three retired players in the bank, Josh thought not of himself but of the team, and started to throw the bat hard. His running between the wickets made the scoring rate tick over, and his big shots into the leg side began to find the boundary. He was finally dismissed by an excellent catch in the outfield with two deliveries of the innings remaining. He scored 33 runs from 24 deliveries, and his strike rate on the day of 137 was by far the best of any batsman – the next best was Logan with 73. He has worked hard with his batting coaches Mark Brockman and Randall Starr in the off-season, and today in particular that has paid off. The Eagles scored 57 runs from the final seven overs, and finished on 4/133 from their 30 overs.

Runs on the board is a wonderful thing in cricket (not that Australia seems to have learned that lesson) and now it was time to prove that it is fielding and bowling that wins cricket matches. Lucas has been sensational again this season with the ball, and may not have secured a wicket in his spell today but he once again asked questions and gave nothing away. As a captain or coach he is an amazing asset. Josh Peters was asked to open with his almost-brother and also did what he always does, ties batsmen up and forces them to fend him off. Lucas finished with 0/3 and Josh 0/1 to have the pressure on the batsmen immediately. Kasey was on fire today, with the line and length that is almost impossible to combat. He was terribly unfortunate to have the number one bat from Oak Flats dropped behind but he stuck at his job and bowled terrifically to finish with 0/1. Tristan has had a dream season for a kid in his first year of cricket, scoring runs and bowling well without always getting his rewards. He did again today too, and was unlucky to miss a hard return chance from the same batsman dropped off Kasey. But sometimes persistence pays off, and in his second over a ball hit the batsman in the thigh, came down onto his bat and fell onto his stumps to be bowled. Oak Flats biggest threat with the bat had gone, and Tristan then won Celebration of the Season. Tristan finished with 1/8, and is one to keep an eye on in the Under 13 competition next season.

At 1/16 off 8 overs the Eagles had their noses in front, but some wayward bowling saw the extras mount up and the score also as a result. Noah’s first over was good but he was too short and wide in his next and went the journey as a result. He finished with 0/15. Ryan Cergovski was still pumped up from his batting, and his usual impeccable bowling was not quite on song today, also just giving the batters too much room, and he finished with 0/12. Ethan Thompson also suffered from a leg side line that was much too lax, but with his first ball it had paid off, as the half tracker was hit straight down Josh Schofield’s throat at backward square leg for the second wicket. Ethan has been very good in recent weeks , and though the wicket is always a good one, he’d have been a little disappointed with his finish today, with 1/15. It took he ever reliable Aiden to come in and rectify the situation, coming in and drying up the runs while also adding a wicket of his own with a perfect cutter that took the middle stump. His 1/2 finished off a great season with the ball for the Eagles.

At the halfway point Oak Flats was 3/55, but as the Eagles have done most of the season they dropped the boom after the drinks break. Ryan Monaghan and Logan combined for four overs that combined for 3/15 to pretty much seal the result. Ryan has worked immensely hard on his bowling this season and improves every week, and he again showed his ability to get the ball on a spot that is hard to score off. In fact, it was his worst ball since Xmas that brought him what was probably a fortunate wicket, with the ball bouncing twice (the second looking as though it was off the pitch) which was duly scooped straight to Josh Schofield at point for the catch. But take nothing away from his efforts, his pressure with the ball helped to bring about the wicket. He finished with 1/4 from his spell. Logan has been a wicket machine this summer, constantly being the guy who gets a wicket when the team needs it. And he snared another two today, his first coming after being called for two wides on his first two deliveries before then bowling the batsman middle stump behind his legs, and the second when he drew the aired pull shot that went straight to cover where Kasey pouched the catch. Logan finished with 2/11 today, 14 wickets for the season, and his best innings of the year. That is a pretty fair effort in your first club final.
Josh Schofield had had to wait until the very end again to get a bowl. In the semi he missed out completely, and today he only got one over and finished with 0/3. But he did snare the next wicket, when his underarm throw from point hit the stumps direct to take care of the seventh wicket of the innings. And with the crowd rising to its feet in anticipation, it was Logan and Josh who deservedly had the final say of the day, when Logan fielded the ball and threw to Josh at keeper who removed the bails with the batsman short, completing Oak Flats innings for 82, and Albion Park had won by 51 runs.

Unabounded scenes of joy? You’d better believe it. These kids have worked so hard all season, and they got their moment. It is nothing more than they deserve. This team has been brilliant. They have been in trouble in matches and found a way to get out of them. Every one of the 13 players, and that includes the unfortunate TJ Nasome who was the player to miss out playing today, and the also unfortunate Noah Regan who has been out injured since January, has contributed to the season in which they went through undefeated.

An amazing thank you to everyone who turned up today from the Albion Park Cricket Club to support these boys. I have spent a lifetime playing against this club, and having been able to be within the club and the families and support network in recent years, it is an amazing feeling. To all of the parents and families of these 13 boys I thank you for all of your support during the season. Giving me the chance to be a part of these kids cricket journey has been fantastic. I hope they have all had a great year together and will be back next season to do it all again.
And once again my thanks to Helen Peters and the kids for humouring me for another summer. Helen had to give up her birthday plans for this rescheduled game. I hope the result was worth it for her.

Now – is the season ACTUALLY OVER FFS?!?!

#GoEagles

Podcast: Episode 36: 35 Years of Van Halen's "5150"

So here we go, my third "podcast within a podcast", this one looking back on albums of the past and reminiscing about another age of music, and how relevant it is in today's age. Today we look back to 1986, and 35 years to the day of the release of Van Halen's first album of the Sammy Hagar era with "5150".

Podcast: Episode 35: Holding the Ball!! AFL Week 1

Another start for a podcast within a podcast, this one looking back at the week in the AFL, talking about the games, some of the weekend's talking points, and looking forward to next weekend. I know there are hundreds of programs with more enlightened people than me involved, but why not give it a go and see what it's like?

Podcast: Episode 34: In League With the NRL Round 1 and 2

We're back! And the seasons have changed! So it's time for a new podcast within a podcast, In League With the NRL (pretty catchy, eh?). We take a look at the first two rounds of the NRL and see how the teams have fared, and then check out this week's Talking Points, with goalkicking and points tallies in the focus. Come in and see if it is worth it!

APJCC Under 13’s: Final vs Oak Flats at Myimbar East Oval.

Sadly, the predicted rain through the week actually showed up, which meant that there was no chance of the final match of the season going ahead. It was a disappointing end to complete a season that had brought such terrific cricket from this wonderful bunch of kids.

However, it was the culmination of a season where this young Albion Park team had taken all before them, going through undefeated to finish as minor premiers, and now Under 13 premiership winners. And it is no more than they deserve. While the focus can sometimes be on individuals, cricket is a team game, and it is the best team that goes on to win matches. Albion Park Under 13's was the best team this season. There were 13 pieces to the puzzle, and they came together to make that puzzle whole. Each of them contributed, there were no passengers. They played for each other, supported each other, and backed each other. There will always be two or three main contributors, but without the other players performing their role in the team then you won't be the best you can be.

I have been extremely fortunate to be involved in not only such a wonderful group of kids, but an amazing group of parents, families and friends, who have all shown up each week to support them. Kids love to play in front of their families, to share their triumphs and great days, and I thank all of you for being their to support these kids. You have been an enormous part of the success of this season.
I would also like to acknowledge the efforts of both Anthony Pickering and Trent Glover in this success. Both of these terrific coaches have been heavily involved in the coaching of many of these kids in previous seasons, and their preparation and coaching is as much to do with their success as anyone else. They should rightly feel that a part of this season is due to their work.
I would also like to thank the members of the Albion Park board, including Dave Ross and Matt Burns who have been so supportive during the season. But especially the tireless efforts of Todd Mitchell over several years in pushing for the success of the junior club. He has been amazing in the time he is available for the junior club, and I hope he feels a due sense of pride in the success of not only the Under 13's but all of the junior teams, as he fully deserves to.
Finally to Helen Peters, as well as Jess, Maddi and even Josh himself, who have put up with an overly obsessive cricket loving husband/father who has spent far too much of the past few years working to this day. They have allowed me to spent countless hours doing something I love without complaining to me about it... much.

The future of the Albion Park Cricket Club is in very safe hands with the kids flowing through, from our semi-final Under 15 team, our A division Under 11 team, to the entire Under 17 squad that are already playing 1st and 2nd Grade cricket, and this Under 13 team. It is a wonderful thing to see the numbers in this club swelling once again, and success at the senior level is coming just as swiftly.

The Peters Curse has been broken. I am now going to drink a thousand beers.

APJCC Under 13’s: Semi-Final vs The Rail at Myimbar East Oval

Albion Park’s Under 13’s Eagles fought through some nerves, some forgetfulness and some drama in competing in the final stages of the season, and despite a scorecard that suggests otherwise they found a way to get past a gutsy and tough Rail outfit to book a place in next weekend’s Final with a victory by 105 runs.

 
The Rail won the toss and somewhat surprisingly elected to field, giving the Eagles bats the chance to go out and put runs on the board. Kasey Barton and Tristan Denmeade resumed their opening partnership and worked well together on an outfield that was not offering value for shots. The partnership had reached 30 before Tristan responded to a call of ‘wait’ that he took as ‘yes’, and the excellent fielding found him short of regaining his ground and he was run out for 7. That’s becoming an all too familiar story between these two. Noah Black joined Kasey, and while scoring was still difficult Kasey played a sensible innings before reaching his retirement quota and leaving the field on 20 not out. Lucas Brown came out at four and played a couple of nice straight pulls and looked to be getting into his innings, only to edge a ball behind to be caught for 4. Aiden Campion replaced him and struck a couple of well timed pull shots to the boundary and he and Noah looked as though they were going to consolidate the innings for their team, being 2/75 at drinks. This went out the window when both were dismissed in the two overs after the drinks break, with Aiden picking out the only player on the legside boundary to be caught for 11, and Noah missing a straight ball and being bowled for 7. Hopefully both are saving their runs for next week.
Logan Goodway was joined by Josh Peters, and Logan looked great again as he has in recent weeks, but made an error in judgement in coming through for a second run where it didn’t appear likely and was run out for 4. Josh Schofield replaced him and again showed himself to be busy, looking to score off every ball and scurry for quick runs. He was then undone by a reasonable delivery to be bowled for 4. TJ Nasome came out after last week’s unfortunate run out, but today also proved not to be his day, getting and excellent offcutter to be bowled. Suddenly the Eagles were 7/98 with almost ten overs remaining, and the game was well and truly open for The Rail.

 
Kasey returned to join Josh, and these two again proved how terrifically well they bat together. There was no panic, there was no hesitation, there was no bad shots. They were both prepared to see off the good deliveries and take maximum benefit from the wide or short deliveries. They missed a few runs in their running, but given the heat of the day and the importance of not adding to the two run outs they could be forgiven for this. They batted together until the end, putting on an unbroken partnership of 66 from just over nine overs, stretching the final score for the Eagles to 7/164 from their alloted 30 overs. Kasey played brilliantly, yet another captains knock under pressure at the top of the order and the end of the innings, finishing on 57 not out, while Josh played his role perfectly again, batting with the bottom of the order but also contributing when the retired batsmen come back in, and finished on 26 not out.
The running between the wickets today was particularly average, and while excuses could be made it was unfortunate to see that in such a big game the kids had seemingly forgotten some of those things we have been training for all season.

 
With a bigger total to defend than looked likely an hour before, the kids then found the pressure of the situation still on their shoulders, and the fielding and bowling was not at the standard they have set for most of the season. Too short and too wide with the ball, and out of position in the field, these things along with some sensible early batting from The Rail kids meant that it was the batting team that was putting the pressure on the fielding team. Lucas Brown was not bad but he was not his at his usual best either, just failing to find that line he usually bowls. His two overs finished with 0/7, and hopefully next week will be his time to truly shine. Ryan Cergovski played his role perfectly, keeping the ball where he does best and tying up the scoring, finishing with 0/5 from his two overs. Tristan and TJ replaced them with mixed results. TJ has spent most of the season getting the ball right up to the stumps, but today he could barely land in beyond his half of the pitch. In his favour was that at least the balls were straight meaning they had to be played at. He finished his spell with 0/11. Tristan too was just a metre short of the perfect length, but he is still very difficult to get away, and he eventually drew a pull shot in the air that was excellently taken by Kasey low down at mid-wicket to dismiss the first wicket of the innings. Tristan will be pleased with his figures of 1/5. Josh Peters and Noah came on for the third wave. Josh was too short today, not really dragging the batters forward and suffered somewhat as a result. He still beat the bat a couple of times but is another that is hopefully just saving up for next week, finishing with 0/8. Noah continued his role of being full and making the batters play and tying up the runs as a result. He did his job well today in finishing with 0/7. Kasey bowled well today, again perhaps just a tad wide of the off stump, but at the time dot balls were like gold, and he managed ten of them in his 12 deliveries to finish with 0/3.

 
At 2/48 in the 14th over, Albion Park had squeezed the runs but The Rail had kept their wickets in hand, and the game looked as though it would go to the end. The fact that the game lasted only 36 more deliveries is somewhat remarkable. The chief destroyer was a familiar name in Logan Goodway. Logan has form for this, destroying Kiama Gold earlier in the season. Today he had three deliveries for two runs, and then... carnage. A great straight ball beat the batter and took the middle stump for his first wicket and the team’s third. The very next ball he drew a legside flick from the young representative batter that caught the top edge and was excellently taken by Aiden at keeper. The hat-trick ball failed to find the desired result, but in his next over he drew the lofted drive to mid-on where Tristan came in and took a terrific catch. Logan had destroyed the middle order, putting his team back on top, and finished with 3/4 from his two overs. Brilliant stuff Logan.
From here the boom fell quickly. Ethan and Aiden came on for their regular bowling partnership and shared the final three wickets between them. Aiden first found the off stump with his first ball to dismiss the sixth batter, before Ethan coaxed a drive in the air that was taken well by Aiden at cover. Aiden then finished it off by wrecking the stumps again. Ethan again finished with excellent figures of 1/4 and continues to be a wicket taker when the team needs it, while Aiden just continues to prove the theory that line and length will get wickets, completing the day with 2/2. The Rail was dismissed for 59 runs, with Albion Park running out winner by 105 runs.

 
Today was not this team’s best performance of the season, but again they all dug deep when they needed to and they found a way to get over the line. The scoreline suggests this match was easier than it actually was. The Rail played some good cricket and tested the Eagles team.

 
And so it comes to the final match of the season. Finals matches are different beasts, and previous results mean nothing. The Eagles have been fortunate enough to have won in narrow results in both games against Oak Flats this season, and they know they will have to be at their best next week if they are going to be a chance of winning again. The two best teams in the competition will square off against each other one more time. Whatever happens, win or lose, it is likely to be a terrific game of cricket.
Thanks to Mark and Waz for scoring today, and for all of the support from the families of the kids, and from players and officials from the Albion Park Cricket Club. Your support today was part of the reason these kids got the win.

 
Lastly, all the very best to our Under 15B team in their finals clash with Port Kembla tomorrow. A great win today by them over Keira sees them play the preliminary final for a spot in next week’s final. To Anthony and his charges... go get ‘em!!

APJCC Under 13’s: Round 16 vs Kiama Blue at Gainsborough Chase Oval

The Albion Park Eagles Under 13’s team finished off the regular season in style on Saturday, completing a good victory over the Kiama Blue team at Gainsborough Chase in a solid if not perfect display.

Kiama Blue won the toss and elected to field first, which played somewhat into the Albion Park game plan. Skipper Kasey Barton opened the batting with Josh Peters, for the first time this season able to show their excellence in their batting partnership together. Both played with poise and showed in their strokeplay and understanding between the wickets just how well they complement each other, the reason why their partnerships are so good to watch. Kasey reached his retirement allocation on 46 not out, and would have more of this innings to play. Ethan Thompson replaced him at the crease, and showed terrific defensive skills to see of the young swing bowler who was proving to be a handful. He then had to face the young fast bowling tyro, and made one mistake in playing at a wide delivery, and playing it onto his stumps. Otherwise Ethan had shown good grit in the middle. TJ Nasome came out and watched the ball hard, getting good contact on most of the deliveries he faced. He had made one run before he was adjudged not to have gotten his bat behind his crease in time and was out stumped. Josh had continued to play some good strokes, and now soon retired not out for 36 which included six boundaries, putting behind him last week’s duck in style.

Another of the young Eagles middle order collapses began from here, leaving the match open for Kiama to fight back. Aiden Campion received an absolute jaffa, swinging from wide of off stump through his defences to clean up leg stump to be dismissed for 7. He won’t get many better balls than that in his whole career. Logan Goodway came out and immediately showed the benefit of one of Thursday’s training drills, looking to smash any loose ball to the boundary. Unfortunately one of these shots went straight back to the bowler who took a smart catch to dismiss Logan for 1. Ryan Monaghan once again showed a resolute defence, refusing to give away his wicket and looking to be the mainstay, until a fast straight ball from the young leg spinner found his leg stump and he was bowled for 2. Lucas Brown was looking to continue his late season charge with the bat, and despite looking good again he also sent a ball back to the bowler to be caught and bowled. Albion Park had lost four wickets for just six runs and with the score at 6/114 Kiama Blue was back in the contest.

Josh Schofield had come to the crease at the fall of Logan’s wicket, and he was now joined by Kasey, and what followed was a wonderful match sealing partnership. Joshua unselfishly played his role for the team and for his partner, looking for singles to get Kasey back on strike, and sacrificing runs at the end of the over to ensure Kasey was on strike for the next over. He defended terrifically, and he again played some terrific cuts and cover drives along the ground. He finished on 6 not out from 28 balls, but the fact he batted for his team and partner was the most impressive part of his day and shows how close this team has become. Well done Josh, very unselfish batting.

All of this allowed Kasey Barton to unload, and play arguably the innings of his young career. With eight overs to bat, and with Josh helping out with great backing up and running between the wickets, Kasey kept good balls out and punished anything not on the stumps, looking to maximise his score as much as possible. He passed his fifty not long on returning to the crease, and then just kept on going. With one over remaining he was on 86 not out (unknown to the coach and umpire, but perhaps known to the batsman himself). With one man riding the square leg boundary, and gaps twenty metres either side of him, Kasey unfortunately hit three of those six balls straight to the man, getting a two, a single and a dot ball from them. Josh faced one ball to scamper through for a bye, and Kasey hit the other two balls for boundaries, to finish on 97 not out at the completion of the 30 overs. Just one of those strikes straight the fielder, if he had just hit it either side, would have brought up a century. That does not in any way detract from the innings he played. He has sent all season playing the sensible innings in order to set his team up to win matches, and today he not only did that, but was able to unleash the shackles and really go at the ball. It was a terrific innings – and despite not reaching three figures in this match, there will be many times in the future when he will do so.

Albion Park totalled 6/176 from their 30 overs, and now Kiama Blue had their chance at the crease.
Lucas Brown wasn’t quite as accurate as he needed to be, but he took the first wicket when the opening bat thought a ball was going down leg side, only to find it swing back and strike him in front of middle stump without offering a shot, leaving the umpire no choice but to give him out LBW. In the following over Ryan Cergovski also showed the value of bowling straight and full, getting through the batsman’s defences to take his middle stump. Lucas finished with 1/0 from his two overs, and has bigger tasks in the coming two weeks, while Ryan was excellent for his 1/6 from two overs.

Tristan Denmeade hasn’t had much luck with his bowling this season, and again he bowled a spell that deserved much better than the figures of 0/7 suggest. He is going to be very important to the team in the coming two weeks. TJ Nasome bowled a terrific first over, only conceding one run, and though a little short in his second still provided plenty of problems for the batsmen, and 0/12 probably also doesn’t reflect on his effort. Josh Peters again had a couple of catches dropped off his bowling, and again finds a way to confound batters and stumps alike. He drew a cross batted swipe that saw the ball taken by Kasey at mid-wicket, and finished with 1/9 from his two overs. Logan Goodway continued his excellent season with the ball, making the batsmen play almost every delivery. He caught the finest of edges that was well taken by Aiden at keeper, and finished with 1/8 from his two overs. Ryan Monaghan lost his radar a bit this week and his figures suffered as a result, just a bit too wide of off stump. After his wonderful spell last week he has credits in the bank.

Kasey is still trying to adjust his line about 20 centimetres closer than he currently bowls, which would lead to much more wicket-taking. He beat the bat consistently again today, and one rocket took out middle stump at a rate of knots. Ethan Thompson however was once again excellent, and the natural inswing he is creating is causing batsmen all sorts of problems. His hard to hit line and length drew a lofted drive to Lucas at cover who took the catch comfortably. Ethan Finished with ½ from his two overs, with both runs actually being wides, so no runs off the bat. Ethan was also involved in the next wicket, when a botched call between the wickets saw Ethan grab the ball and fire it into Josh at wicket-keeper, who took the bails off for the seventh wicket. Great day Ethan.

Josh Schofield was a bit wide of the stumps himself today with the ball, and three wides were the result. Another shorter delivery was swatted towards wide mid-on, where Ryan Cergovski again showed his preference for going for catches with one hand. It gives the coach a heart attack, but when it comes off it looks spectacular, and on this occasion it was the latter that occurred, resulting in a wicket for Josh and concluding the Kiama Blue innings at 83.

Despite the victory, once again it wasn’t all peaches and cream. Another four catches were spilled in the field, none of them overly difficult, and the team switched off quickly after early wickets had fallen, just believing the rest would do so of their own accord. Cricket isn’t like that, and any momentary loss of concentration can be the difference between winning and losing. In finals cricket, they can be even more important. Hopefully they have gotten all of those out of their system now.

Congratulations to all of the kids and their parents for reaching the finals. It’s a fun time to be playing, and you should enjoy each and every one of them when they come along, because I can let you know from experience they don’t come along as often as you think. The team goes into the finals in good spirits, in good form, and hopefully prepared for tough and exciting cricket.
Thanks to Helen for tasking the scorebook this week and to everyone from both teams who turned up to support the kids.