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

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.

APJCC Under 13’s: Round 15 vs Oak Flats at Des King Oval

The Albion Park Eagles Under 13’s team confirmed their place in this season’s finals, and also wrapped up the minor premiership, after a pulsating and exciting match against Oak Flats yesterday, a game that came down to the final over for the result to be decided.

Oak Flats won the toss and batted first, and a combination of solid batting and some poor execution in the field, with the Eagles dropping four catches that should all have been taken, saw Oak Flats reach the 17th over before losing their first wicket, with both openers retiring. Despite this, there was some excellent tight bowling from the Eagles boys which kept the scoring in check. Ryan Monaghan was given the role of opening bowler, and bowled just as well as last week, staying tall and giving nothing loose. His two overs for 0/7 were excellent. Noah Black also thrived on the pressure of being thrown the ball early, bowling a maiden first up and only two coming from his next. He bowled an over late as well, and finished with 0/7 from three overs, a terrific effort. Logan Goodway has been wonderful all season, and he too soaked in the pressure to deliver two solid overs, finishing with 0/8. Josh Peters and Ryan Cergovski then bowled in tandem, also showing great poise in keeping the pressure on the batters. Josh finished with 0/4 and Ryan 0/11. With the openers retiring they were replaced by another pair of representative players meaning the pressure was still on the Eagles bowlers. Kasey Barton bowled a fierce spell of fast bowling, and was only let down by some slipshod fielding. His third over late in the innings wasn’t quite so special, but his figures of 0/14 from three overs don’t equate to how well he bowled. Josh Schofield once again proved to be one of the few who found a way to swing the wet ball, but it was his length that cost him today, as well as some great strokeplay. 0/16 from two overs is no indication as to his effort.

Aiden Campion came out from behind the stumps, replaced by Josh Peters, and the move paid dividends both ways. Aiden found the first breakthrough where the bowlers before him could not, delivering a full straight ball that found middle stump. In the next over Tristan Denmeade came on with his impressive seamers, and he found the edge that was brilliantly taken by Josh standing up to the stumps for the second wicket. Tristan finished with 1/9 from his two overs and was unlucky not to get any more. Ethan Thompson would have been disappointed with his first over considering how well he has been recently, and having 17 taken off it was not ideal. But he didn’t drop his head, and his second over beat the bat four times and only conceded two runs, a much better indication of his form.
Aiden continued on to complete five overs today, and once again proved that bowling stump to stump is a proven method of picking up wickets.He found the stumps once again to pick up his second wicket, and drew the false shot late from the returning opening batsman to have him caught by Noah Black. Aiden finished with 3/19 to again show how important his bowling is to this team in the important part of matches.

Top of the pile again though goes to Lucas Brown. Lucas opened the bowling with two overs for just one run. He then returned to the teeth of the batting at the end and bowled immaculately. His ability to tie up scoring shots drew a drive in the air for Kasey to take a good catch at mid wicket, and then the perfect away swinger caught the edge to be wonderfully taken again by Josh at keeper. Lucas bowled his five overs to finish with 2/6 to again prove – in my humble opinion – that he is the premier bowler in this competition.

Oak Flats reached 6/135 from their allotted 30 overs, a chaseable target, but everything would have to go well to chase it down.

The best way to start would be to not get run out in the first over, however the Eagles did exactly this, with a mix up between Kasey and Tristan ending with Tristan short of his ground. Oh well, back to the drawing board. Noah Black came out after his golden duck last week, and showed his form hadn’t suffered from that, punching the ball hard and forcefully through the field. Kasey composed himself and also continued, playing strokes either side of the wicket. Both players reached their retirement quota and returned to the sideline to cool their heels.
Lucas and Josh Peters replaced them, before Josh played a loose lazy pull that got a top edge to be caught. It was only the second time this season he has been dismissed, so it probably had to come eventually. Lucas and Josh Schofield battled on, with Lucas playing especially well, before he smashed a full toss straight back to the bowler to be caught and bowled for 11. Now joined by Aiden, Josh Schofield played his best innings of the season, with some excellent drives and cuts along the ground into gaps mixed with some lofted straight drives that weren’t as warmly received by the coach. Still, he fully deserved to reach his retirement mark, and finished not out on 13, and a great innings looking towards the next few weeks. Aiden now worked well with Logan and Ryan Cergovski. The run rate steadied but the boys did their job. Though both Logan and Ryan were dismissed, they played the team game, looking to get off strike, and then to up the ante for the good of the team, which is something that is most pleasing about these kids.

Noah returned to the crease, and “The X Factor” pulled his party trick again, striking hard and moving the scoring along. His partner Aiden fought hard, often through his strokes too early, and eventually holed out for 20, an innings that he will learn from for the coming matches. This brought Kasey back out, and he and Noah kept ticking off the marks required. It came down to requiring six runs off the final over for victory, and as ever it was Kasey who calmly took the helm using all his experience gleaned from representative cricket to strike the first two deliveries of the over into the gap at cover for two before stealing a single next ball to level the scores. Noah sealed the victory with a boundary, and in a close, tight, tense match, Albion Park had triumphed by two wickets with two balls remaining. Noah’s scene stealing innings finished on 37 not out, and Kasey on 31 not out.

For Oak Flats, Kody Lawler and Cadence Waters batted sensibly and excellently at the top of the order, while Archie O’Hara again played some scintillating strokes in his innings. With the ball, Mason Grant was terrific, conceding only 8 runs in his five overs, and young Lucas Dell'Orefice again bowled a great spell of spin bowling. These teams are both evenly matched, and while cricket is indeed a funny game it would be surprising if these two teams were not playing against each other again in three weeks time.

No matter what happens in the next three weeks, these 13 kids fully deserve the mantle of minor premiers. They have not always been at their best, and they have not always had everything their way. Each of them at some stage during the season has stood up and offered a match-changing situation, through either an innings, a spell or a piece of fielding. They showed today they have the same frailties as all other teams. They dropped four simple catches, they made fielding errors that cost runs, they showed ill-discipline in running between the wickets. But what they didn’t do at any stage was drop their heads or ever give up. They play for each other like a true team does, and that is the most satisfying part of this season. I believe they deserve to be premiers, but it won’t be handed to them, they will have to fight just as hard as they have all season to get it. No matter what though, they have excelled themselves this season, and I am so very proud of each and every one of them.

Thanks to Peter and Dave for scoring this weekend, and for the great support from both teams. One round to go, and then these kids will get to experience playing a cricket semi-final. They don’t come around as often as you think, and it will be a great experience for them.

APJCC Under 13’s: Round 14 vs Lake Illawarra at Morley Park

The forecast held off this weekend and bright sunny weather met the Albion Park Under 13’s as they took on celebrated rivals Lake Illawarra at Morley Park yesterday morning, in a match that produced some excellent performances and some questions that still remain unanswered.

Skipper Kasey Barton won the toss and elected to bat on the dew saturated outfield. With Noah Regan’s season ending injury, Kasey had a new partner in Tristan Denmeade, and both settled in against some accurate bowling from the Lakers. The initial confusion in calling and running between the wickets improved as the pair settled in, and by the time their partnership ended they had a much better understanding of what they were trying to achieve. Both batsmen retired when they had faced their allotted deliveries, and gave themselves a chance to return at the end of the innings.
Logan Goodway and Aiden Campion replaced them at the crease. Logan continues to show good poise at the crease and had made a good looking 4 runs before he was bowled by a terrific full delivery. Noah Black came out, not doubt full of confidence with his recent run scoring, but soon discovered how fickle the game of cricket can be, getting a great ball first up to be bowled for a golden duck. Well, you can’t make runs every week. Ryan Cergovski came out, and managed to keep out the hat-trick delivery by jamming down on the perfect yorker and squeezing out a single. He hung in there for awhile before he too found himself bowled for 3 runs. Ethan Thompson came out, facing one of the premier bowlers of the competition, and played two perfect forward defensive shots to see him off, which was pleasing for the coach because it shows that he listens and is learning. He also stuck in with Aiden for awhile before trying to glide a ball through third man and was bowled for 1. Ryan Monaghan came to the crease with intent, and hit three balls terrifically out of the middle of the bat. He has shown a great defensive ability this season, but today he showed that he also wants to move the scoring along. He was a little unfortunate to be playing a pull shot from outside off that caught the top edge and was well caught coming forward at mid wicket. Despite this there were some good positive aspects to his innings. TJ Nasome came out with a clear mind, but on his second delivery hit it straight to cover where he was caught.
Albion Park had lost 6 wickets for just 29 runs in the middle overs, and Lake Illawarra’s enthusiasm had brought them back into the contest.
Aiden had batted through all of this at the other end, but kept his composure and continued to play in a sensible fashion, curbing his natural aggression to ensure he batted through the carnage. He eventually reached his 35 delivery retirement quota, finishing on 22 not out with one boundary. It was a mature innings from a young man who is willing to bat for the team situation as required.
Both Tristan and Kasey returned to resume their partnership, and did so excellently against the best of the Lakers bowling. Both worked hard to increase their output in running and stroke play, and the intent of both was pleasing to watch. Tristan batted for 68 deliveries in total and did a terrific job in finishing on 21 not out. Kasey has been on an upward trend all season, and just hasn’t had the chance to cash in with a big innings. Today he took his chance, passing fifty for the first time this season, and eventually getting to 69 not out when the innings came to a close. He had his slice of luck, but it wasn’t undeserved in a season where he hasn’t had much luck with the bat. He led the team today and gave his side a total to defend, which concluded at 6/158 from their 30 overs.

Lake Illawarra came out with intent, and the pressure was on the early bowlers. Lucas Brown was on the money from the start as always, giving up nothing and making the batsmen play at every ball. He cam close to getting both openers and was as dangerous as always. Noah Black was giving the second over, and bowled some good deliveries, but as with his batting discovered that cricket is not always an easy game. Anything slightly off line was dealt with. He wasn’t the only one, as Ryan Cergovski bowled a terrific first over, but one off line delivery went for 6. His second over was too much down leg side and he was harshly dealt with again. Both Noah and Ryan have been great with the ball this season, and bowling against Lake’s best batsmen will give them a better appreciation of the importance of good line and length.
Aiden Campion came on to tie up the runs, and did so, while also picking up a wicket when the batsman struck him firmly to square leg where Ryan Cergovski took a good catch. At the other end Park’s greatest nemesis retired, but not after he should have been run out twice by metres. For the coach, given the team has spent the last three training sessions training for this exact scenario, it was what you might call… frustrating.
With the openers out of the picture, the Albion Park bowlers took the opportunity to rein in the runs and place pressure on the remainder of the order. Ethan Thompson seemed to have grown in confidence from his batting, and not only bowled a maiden to start his spell, but then picked up two wickets in his second over, one bowled middle stump with what could be termed a slower ball, and the second drawing the lofted shot that was taken well by Tristan. Ethan finished with 2/2 and a good day overall. TJ Nasome came off his varying length run off, and again bowled some excellent deliveries with a nice inswing. He also drew a drive in the air to mid-wicket where Kasey took the catch. TJ finished with 1/7. Logan Goodway continued his great line and length bowling that he has shown all season, and a couple of edges and glides were all that could be taken off him. He finished with 0/6. Ryan Monaghan produced a seasons best with figures of 0/2, but it was the deliveries he bowled that were most impressive, twelve almost like-for-like in line and length, exactly what we have been working on.
Josh Peters doesn’t always get the rewards he deserves for his bowing, and today again he probably deserved better, but his 2/2 showed how well he bowled. Both wickets were from lofted shots to cover for catches, and he had a close stumping chance turned down as well.
The opening batsman’s return to the crease brought some more excitement with it, with some lovely strokes coming cleanly off the bat. Kasey Barton had been held back to the end, and mixed some good deliveries with some wider deliveries, all at good pace. He bowled the penultimate batsman middle stump with a pearler, and finished with 1/11. His batting partner Tristan also bowled a superb spell today, and apart from Lucas was the only bowler to keep Lake’s best in check. He has a lovely outswinger going, and he was supremely accurate today. He finished off the innings with a ball hitting middle stump, and his figures of 1/6 topped off a great day for him overall. Lake Illawarra was bowled out for 89.

Lake Illawarra stuck to their task today and never gave it away. The 6/29 they took in the middle overs showed great heart in getting back into the match, and all of the batsmen fought hard and didn’t give their wickets away. Young Darcy Edis made his highest ever score with a hard fought innings, and Dean Welland bowed well at the end of the innings. Bohdi Robinson will never come closer to taking a hat-trick without taking one, bowling the perfect three deliveries and missing out on the third wicket by a gnats wing. He was excellent today as well in the field. And there is no cricketer I enjoy watching more than Jaycob Constantinou, even when he is on the other side. His bowling was terrific again today, his batting superb and his fielding sublime. And a terrific kid to boot.

For Albion Park’s kids, it was another win, and one not without its lessons. There were lots of good things to come out of today’s game – Tristan’s fantastic all round performance, from a kid in his first year of cricket, in particular was eye catching. Kasey and Aiden with the bat, and Ethan and Josh with the ball, all had good days. On the other hand, some dropped catches and missed run outs show there are still things to be improved on. Next week’s match against Oak Flats will give a good indication of just where this team stands in the Under 13 competition.
Thanks to Kim and Ty for scoring, and for the great support for both teams that showed up on the day.

APJCC Under 13’s: Round 13 vs Kiama Gold at Albion Oval Middle

With the rain chasing them all the way to the finish line, the Albion Park Eagles Under 13’s managed to do enough to gain a good victory over a tenacious Kiama Gold team at Albion Oval this morning.

Kiama won the toss and elected to bat, and found themselves under immediate pressure from the Park bowling. Noah Black was thrown the new ball, and despite two false start no balls then found his length, and enticed the lofted drive to cover where Josh Peters took the catch for the first wicket. He was again economical and finished with ¼ from his two overs. Lucas Brown moved the ball both ways off the seam, and bowled the ball of the day, a perfect yorker on off stump that dismissed the dangerous opening batsman by removing his off stump. Lucas finished up bowling four overs and took 1/1. TJ Nasome bowled with plenty of purpose but just drifted to the leg side a little which cost him a few runs. His two overs finished at 0/12. Ethan Thompson also found the ball on the pads too often, but when he found the right line, he also created a chance, and the catch was taken by Josh again at cover. Ethan would be pleased with his 1/11 from two overs. Ryan Cergovski, apart from a couple of wide deliveries, bowled his best spell of the season, a great length and swinging the ball away from the bat. He was very unfortunate not to pick up a wicket and deserved better than his 0/9 from three overs appears. Tristan Denmeade swapped between his spin and his seam, but it was his seam bowling that was impressive today, causing the batters lots of problems. He finished with 0/8 from three overs and looks to be building nicely towards the end of season games.
Josh Peters once again suffered from not keeping the ball bouncing over the stumps and hitting the pads, but was again economical with his 0/1 from 2 overs. Kasey Barton continues to be a threat with the ball in hand and is often too good for the batters he bowls to. He finished with 2/8 from his 2.4 overs today, which only goes to show the importance of bowling at the stumps. And Aiden Campion bowled a similar line, thus also missing out on possible wickets by being just slightly off the line of the off stump, and finishing with 0/1 from two overs.
The star with the ball today though was Josh Schofield, who after many good spells this season got everything together today. With his beautiful outswinger working overtime even despite the wet ball, he even merited a first slip, which came into play first ball after drinks when he caught the edge which was taken by Kasey. He also found the edge to have the ball skew to Tristan at point for another wicket, and finished it off with another outswinger that started on leg stump and took middle. Josh bowled three overs for brilliant figures of 3/2, and now that he has his bowling line on the stumps rather than outside he is reaping the rewards he deserves. Great job Josh.

Kiama Gold was bowled out for 61, and with the weather closing in it required a pro-active chase from the Albion Park team. Enter Kasey and Aiden, who played positive cricket mixed with good running between the wickets to push the score along. Aiden dominated the strike, and eventually retired on 19 not out. Lucas Brown replaced him, and between he and Kasey they chased down the remaining runs required, finishing on 0/64 from 12 overs. Kasey continued his excellent season by finishing on 23 not out, and Lucas finally had a good hit in the middle, finishing on 12 not out, an innings that better shows his potential with the bat.

Another good win by this young team, but not without a few stumbles in the field again, which only goes to prove that they still haven’t played the perfect game. Let’s hope that comes in five weeks time.
Thanks to Mark Brown for taking on the scorebook today, and thanks to all of the parents, friends and families who showed up to support the team, with special thanks to everyone from the Under 15’s who gave up their morning after their match was washed out. That is a great indicator of what a terrific club Albion Park is building when that kind of spirit and support is shown.

Albion Park JCC Under 13's: Round 12 vs Gerringong at Athol Noble Oval.

Rain was the winner this morning, as the game was called off at 9.30am after persistent heavy rain halted the Eagles innings at 6/107 after 19 overs.

A combination of good bowling and fielding from the Gerringong team, and average shot selection and running between the wickets meant that despite the rising total the Albion Park team was in danger of being bowled out well short of where they should have finished.
The two things out of today's innings that were poor were hitting the ball straight at fielders instead of gaps, and poor running between the wickets, both not running at 100% for every run, and then some crazy calls that resulted in one run out but could have resulted in at least five run outs. Maybe the weather rewired the brains a little today.

Kasey Barton anchored the innings at the top, retiring for 32, another sensible innings from our captain. Ryan Cergovski looked solid before hitting a drive in the air to be caught for 1. Tristan Denmeade took the initiative and ran well and placed the ball nicely, hitting his first ever boundary, but then chopping on next ball for 7. Aiden Campion played a sensible innings in taking the singles on offer in the gaps provided, before cracking a terrific pull shot... straight to the fielder to be caught for 17. Ethan Thompson has had to wait a long time for his next innings this season, and unfortunately was caught not playing a shot to a ball that rapped him right on his front foot to be plumb LBW. Good thing there is always next week Ethan! Lucas Brown looked in good nick again, hitting one great pull for four and running well with his partner, before following Aiden's lead in hitting the ball right out of the middle... straight to backward square leg, and was caught for 8. Noah Black picked up from where he left off two weeks ago, hitting the ball with enormous power, before cracking a ball straight to mid off and calling yes, and being run out by at least half the length of the pitch. Great brain fade there. A shame to see that innings end that way. The Two Josh's ended up together again, and when rain stopped play both had looked good in their short stay, J.Peters remaining 15 not out and J.Schofield remaining 5 not out.

The rain whooshed in, and the sodden state of players, parents and umpires soon forced the game to be called. Let's hope for some summer sun to come back next week to get a full game in. Thanks to all the parents for sitting through the wet - especially the Nasome's and Goodway's who literally got to see none of their boys doing anything!

Round 10: Albion Park Eagles Under 13’s vs Kookas at King Memorial Oval.

The Albion Park Eagles Under 13’s returned to the field after a break of six weeks, looking to shake off the rust and show everything they had improved on over the Xmas break, and in the process came away with a good win over the Kookas at King Memorial Oval.

Skipper Kasey Barton won the toss and batted, and opening pair Josh Peters and Noah Black validated that decision, both playing straight and sensibly, running well between the wickets and putting the loose ball away. Their opening partnership was the best of the season for the Eagles, and both retired when they reached their mandatory 35 deliveries.
Kasey came in at three and was joined by Logan Goodway, who played a good shot first ball he faced, but then tried to smash his second ball, but only managed to hit it straight back to the bowler to be caught and bowled. He was replaced by Josh Schofield, who took the coach’s words about running hard and looking for singles to heart. He and Kasey had a good 23 run partnership before Josh was unfortunate to be run out. He pushed the ball into the covers, called yes immediately and took off. The cover fieldsman had to do everything right to get him, and he did, gathering and hitting direct at the bowlers end to find Josh just short of his ground. Despite that disappointment it was great to see Josh taking on advice and putting it into action. Well done Josh.
Kasey and Aiden Campion then came into action. Kasey played exactly the kind of innings that was needed from him, hitting the gaps and taking ones and twos with ease. It came as something of a surprise when he cracked a cut shot just behind point and was well caught for 23. Once again though he showed the correct attitude to the situation and did his job admirably. Ryan Monaghan continued his good batting form from before the break, once again showing an excellent defence and unflappable nerve. It took a shorter faster ball to get him, surprising him into bunting a catch back to the bowler. Lucas Brown again looked a million dollars, but got a great away swinger that he tried to play to leg instead of straight and lost his off stump into the bargain. TJ Nasome came in showing off his Rashid Khan helicopter technique but was soon undone by a good full delivery to be bowled.
At the other end Aiden was doing what he does best, hitting the ball nicely on both sides of the wicket and keeping the scoreboard ticking over. He again reached his retirement quota with a minimum of fuss and with plenty of runs against his name.

This all brought the return of Josh and Noah to the crease, and with six overs remaining, they both dropped the hammer and moved the scoring along. Josh was putting the loose ball away, while Noah’s power driving was an absolute delight, with one back foot cover drive reaching the boundary within a second of the ball leaving the bat, and the sound it made was like it was off Kohli’s bat. Noah had been on 10 runs off his first 24 deliveries, but aided by nine boundaries he added 44 runs from his next 23 deliveries, and brought up his first half century with that ninth boundary in what was a spectacular innings. Noah has played cricket for less than two seasons, and the speed at which he is improving is fantastic to watch. He was eventually dismissed for 54, and showed that this team is not just a one or two player team.

At the other end, the ball after Noah raised his first ever fifty, Josh hit a boundary to bring up his own debut half century. Having spent a good deal of time during the off season working hard on his batting and wanting to improve to become a true all rounder, this is the reward he deserves. During the break he set himself the challenge of making his first fifty. That he did it in his first innings back is a show of his determination.

Josh had been joined by Aiden, who also pressed hard to get his own milestone, but unfortunately time ran out, and when the thirty overs had been completed he was stranded on 48 not out with seven boundaries and a six. With a better base and still head, Aiden has rediscovered his batting touch in recent innings after a tough start to the season, and it is great to see him piling on the runs in this fashion.
Josh finished on 59 not out which included six boundaries and a six, and the Eagles had set an imposing total of 7/230.

Kookas made a solid start to their innings, seeing off the opening salvo. Lucas Brown bowled two good overs but was picked off for two boundaries, finishing with 0/10. Tristan Denmeade continued with his improving leg spin, showing all of his collected bag of tricks, and was perhaps unfortunate not to snare a wicket, taking 0/5 from his two overs. However, good fielding led to the first wicket, with a running mishap allowing Noah Black to race in from mid-off and fire the ball to Aiden at keeper to complete an easy run out. Further good news came in TJ’s first over, when he enticed a pull shot in the air that was taken with ease by Kasey at mid-wicket. TJ eventually bowled three overs for the day and finished with 1/20, with a variety of run ups that stretched from two steps to about 30 steps. Interesting tactics. The big wicket came from Noah Regan, who recovered after a wayward first over to bowl a much better over with his second, and the full off cutter outside off stump found the inside edge of the bat and was dragged on to be bowled. Noah’s wicket maiden to finish with 1/8 from his two overs was the over that put the Eagles back on top and was the most vital wicket of the innings. Well done Noah.

Kasey bowled two superb overs finished with 0/1, and his only fault was that he was still bowling the perfect representative cricket line, rather than club cricket line which needs to be right at the stumps. A slight adjustment will see more wickets in 2021. Ryan Monaghan admitted he was still shaking off the rust, and though his length was too short his line was excellent. One out of two isn’t bad! He finished with 0/12 from his two overs.
The Josh Attack came on next, with Josh Peters still finding ways to bamboozle batsmen, but the ball keeps bouncing over the stumps. He drew a shot to short square leg when Lucas took a smart catch, and finished with 1/3 from his two overs, and a pretty handy day of cricket. Josh Schofield took three balls to get into his spell, but then bowled a great tight line and made the batsmen play every ball. He kept the pressure on and did a great job, finishing with 0/7 from three overs. Logan Goodway again excelled with the ball, getting the sling in action and the wobble seam, and giving nothing away, making scoring tough. By keeping the ball full he drew a lofted drive from the batter who hit it straight to Kasey at cover for an excellent wicket. Logan now has eight wickets for the season, a terrific achievement for a player who is still able to play Under 13’s again next season, and his figures of 1/6 from 3 overs was terrific.

Still, some days are just meant to be for a single player. Noah Black came on to bowl at this point, and proved to be the Deliverer. A maiden over to start with, his second over was a double wicket maiden, first finding the raised bat hitting the ball in the air, where Kasey took his third catch for the morning, and then bowling the next batsman with a ripping delivery. It looked as though he could do no wrong, but a no ball in his third over shelled that, and he finished with 2/6 from his three overs, completing the faultless game of cricket… until he dropped a sitter at mid-on in the following over. The cricket gods just reminding him that you just can’t have everything…
Aiden came on with his own leg spin, and again proved to be the golden arm, beating the bat on numerous occasions, and learning just how hard it is to take wickets with leg spin if catches keep being dropped. He got his reward when his got the top edge on an attempted cut, and Ryan took an excellent catch at point to complete the Kookas innings at 99.

There were lots of great individual performances today, but once again it is all 11 pieces of the puzzle that must come together in order to see the finished product, and that was still true today. There are still plenty of things to work on and to improve, but the smiles at the end today makes all of it worth it.
Thanks to Lisa for taking on the scorebook this weekend, and to all the parents and families there to watch the kids play. I think you got your money’s worth this weekend.

APJCC Under 13’s: Round 8 vs Shellharbour Blue at Myimbar East.

In a match that had almost everything in it, the Under 13 Albion Park Eagles managed to hold their nerve under pressure to put together their seventh win of the season in an entertaining clash against Shellharbour Blue.

Having been sent in by their opponents, Tristan Denmeade got the innings off to a smashing start, lofting his first delivery over mid off for two in an unexpected beginning. Unfortunately he then tried the same shot two balls later and was caught for 2.
This brought Noah Regan to the crease, and he and Kasey Barton fashioned an excellent partnership. After a slow start where both batsmen came to terms with some good bowling, they both eventually fell into their groove and started to hit the gaps for plenty of singles and rotation of the strike as has been worked on at training. Noah struck two nice boundaries before he reached his retirement allotment. Kasey reigned in his usual aggressive nature to play the team game and find the many singles that were available. These two showed the real beauty behind this idea, where in two straight overs they got a single off every ball, perfect batting. Kasey also reached his retirement allotment by increasing his output with two lovely boundaries.
These two were replaced by Josh Peters and Ryan Cergovski, who also started dealing the same cards. Seven of Josh’s first nine balls faced were dots as he got himself in, but there were only seven further dots for the remainder of his innings. A couple of early shots in the air were replaced with firmer drives and lovely pull shots. At the other end Ryan worked hard to keep out the good balls and play his shots off the wider ones. His excellent innings came to an end when he parried a ball to short mid off to be caught for 8 runs off 29 deliveries. A great reward for a young man who works hard and wants to succeed.
With Josh retiring Aiden Campion and Logan Goodway looked to take up the scoring. Logan unfortunately was bowled by a pretty good delivery – we all get them. Noah Black came out on the back of last week’s great innings, and promptly found himself bowled as well by the returning opening bowler. A week is a long time in cricket. Ethan Thompson replaced him, played two lovely defensive shots, and then missed the third delivery, which went on to strike him in that most uncomfortable of places. The noise could be heard from the sidelines, so it was no real surprise when Ethan was unable to continue his innings and was forced to retire hurt. Why is it always funny for everyone else?
The mini collapse had brought back the retired batsmen who looked to conclude the innings in a positive fashion. Noah Regan and Aiden played well together, before Aiden ran himself out for 16 going for a suicide single to a ball just past the keeper. Kasey looked to be on track for a big score but was undone by the ball of the day which got through his defences and bowled him for a well made 29. With Ethan unable to return, Noah and Josh maximised their partnership, and at the end of their 30 overs the Young Eagles had finished on 6/149. Noah played his best innings of the season to remain on 26 not out. Great stuff from Noah.

For Josh, he completed his highest score, finishing on 39 not out from 40 deliveries. His pulling, cutting and driving were on song today, having gotten through his first ten deliveries without being dismissed. He still has work to do, and goes too hard at the ball early, but once again he was the mainstay of our middle order and kept the runs ticking over and being the senior batsman. It was very satisfying, despite the couple of close calls he still had.

150 should be enough to win most games, and though wickets didn’t come early the runs were kept in check. Lucas Brown bowled his usual immaculate first spell, with one ball shaving the bails over middle stump. Ryan Monaghan partnered him with the new ball, and bowled his best spell of the season. Standing tall and straight at release, Ryan found the ball just moving away slightly in the air, and by keeping it full and straight he had the batsmen wary. Only two runs were scored off the bat in his spell along with one no ball, and his two overs brought him the figures of 0/3. Fantastic stuff from Ryan and a great reward for a kid who also really wants to succeed. Noah Black built on his excellent spell last week with another two good overs, only going to the boundary when he tried too hard to find a wicket. Logan Goodway came on and once again proved the partnership breaker, enticing an edge second ball that was well taken by Aiden at keeper. This brought the Shellharbour big hitter to the crease and the match changed remarkably. Anything too short or too full was summarily dismissed to or over the boundary, and balls that our kids have often gotten away with in previous weeks were now flashing through the field. As always in such innings there is a slice of luck, but the power of the strokes in this partnership deserved to have some luck. On the other hand, the bowling was under fire.
After Logan had finished his two overs for the figures of 1/18, Kasey and Noah Regan then felt the brunt of the batting, with good balls kept out but short balls dealt with harshly. The retirement of the solid opener brought some relief, and Noah’s full ball saw the new batsman smash the ball low to cover, where Josh dived to take a brilliant catch just above the surface. It is moments like this that can change the course of the match. Noah finished with 1/13 from his two overs.

The spin twins in Tristan and Josh came on to try and quell the maelstrom, and did a reasonable job. Both beat the bat on several occasions while Tristan was unfortunate not to have a stumping. Tristan’s developing leg spin had 0/12 from his two overs but he bowled better than those figures suggest.
At 2/89 at drinks it was going to take a great team effort to steal victory. Step forward Aiden Campion. Coming out from behind the stumps to save his team, he was aided by the retirement of the clean striking young Shellharbour batsman, and he took every advantage, first drawing the leading edge that was excellently taken again by Josh rushing in from cover, and then plucking out the off stump of the new batsman next ball. The hat-trick was avoided, but in his following over Aiden bowled the set batsman to have the amazing figures of 3/0 from two overs. His partner Ryan Cergovski kept that pressure on, keeping the ball full and straight and not giving away any easy runs. He finished with 0/8 from two overs to finish a good day for him.

Now it was a dog fight, and time for the leaders to continue to step up. Kasey was next, coming back for a redemptive over that ended by him bowling the tail end batsman and doing the job he needed to do. Lucas and Noah Black then returned for extra overs and continued to tie up the run rate. Lucas finished with 0/7 from his three overs today, while Noah finished with 0/9.
Josh came in, the ball spitting off the surface, and bowled a perfect hard spinning leg break that found the gloves and was brilliantly caught by Aiden low down at his ankles at first slip to dismiss the returning opening batsman.
One wicket left, the hard hitter back at the crease, but the other end open to try and claim the match. Aiden came back for a third over, and two chances for run outs were missed by lax fielding. However, a third was not, as the suicide call when hitting the ball to mid-wicket fell to Kasey who screamed in, took aim, and threw down the stumps direct – again – to complete the innings with the captain’s trademark.

From 2/94, Shellharbour Blue were bowled out for 120, and the work after drinks was what good teams do. They reset themselves, they started again, and they got the results.

For Shellharbour Blue, shout outs to Cruz Wraight who took 2/17 from four overs and looked very handy with the ball, and Harry O’Shea whose 63 not out was not only his first half-century but belligerent and exciting to watch. Also to Will Thompson, an excellent young man who played in the Under 13 rep team this season, who not only kept beautifully, he came on and bowled lovely off spin to take 3/28 and then batted excellently to make 18 runs off 42 deliveries. One to keep an eye on.

A win by 29 runs then, and despite the tough periods and the hard questions asked by their opposition during those times, the kids were able to find a way to come out on top. One game to go until the Xmas/New Year break. Let’s hope the kids can put in for one more week before they allow us all a well earned break.

APJCC Under 13’s: Round 7 vs Kiama Blue at Des King Oval.

On the kind of day that would be better sitting in a spa on the deck drinking beer – yeah ok, 8.00am might be a bit early for some of that – the Albion Park Eagles Under 13’s took on Kiama Blue at Des King Oval, and battled their opponents and the elements to come away with another solid victory.

After being inserted by their opponents the Park kids had some good moments and hair pulling moments in compiling a total of 152, being entirely dismissed for the first time this season, albeit with just three deliveries remaining. Noah Regan is relishing the opening role and again made a great start against the medium pacers, but struck trouble against the young leg spinner who drew the false shot, and Noah was caught for 6. After this a partnership flourished between Aiden Campion and Noah Black, with both batsmen looking to be aggressive with the bat, but perhaps not so much with the running between the wickets. Yes it was warm, but after we’ve spent three trainings practicing it, the coach would hope to see a better response. Nonetheless, both played well, Aiden hitting the loose balls hard to the boundary, and Noah punching hard for singles and twos. Both retired not out for a well earned break.
Skipper Kasey Barton came in to face the best of the Kiama pace bowlers, and played the anchor role early to keep the score ticking over. He also retired after another goo stint at the crease. Ethan Thompson came in and timed two balls sweetly, one to the field and the other past mid-wicket. He is really beginning to find the middle of the bat which is satisfying. Unfortunately he then got a good delivery that found his leg stump and he was bowled for 1. Ryan Monaghan has not had much luck with the bat this season, coming in at times where the bowling is hot. He faced two balls from the young leggie where he played two good defensive strokes, but his second unfortunately got some bounce which he parried back to the fielder, and was caught for zero. His time will come this season.
Lucas Brown and Tristan Denmeade batted well together last weekend, but today was… unfortunate. Tristan parried one wide of gully and Lucas called yes and ran hard. Unfortunately the fielder stopped it, and Tristan didn’t respond, which saw both batsmen shaking hands. The unfortunate result was Lucas being run out, when he hadn’t done much wrong. More stuff for training debrief. TJ Nasome then came out and got a good one first ball after a long wait which is not ideal to be bowled for a duck, before Aiden returned to just push a ball back to the leg spinner to be caught and bowled (for an excellent 33 -but a disappointing end) and Kiama Blue was well and truly back in the game at 6/107.
Noah Black returned, and blasted another boundary and other good runs before finally being bowled for 28 runs. It was his highest ever score by quite a large margin, and was an innings of improvement and maturity that typifies the way his game is going ahead in leaps and bounds. It was fantastic to watch and an indication of what is to come. Great stuff Noah.

It was left to Tristan and Kasey to complete the remaining six overs, and they did well in the heat. Tristan continues his steady improvement, looking for runs and showing a nice range of strokes. Pushed along by Kasey they ran hard and maximised the chase for runs in the final overs, before Tristan fell with three balls to go looking for quick runs for 11.
Kasey again played a terrific skipper’s innings. It wasn’t always going to plan for him, but he stuck to his guns, and dispatched the loose balls for runs. He finished on 42 not today, and is showing why he is the number one batsman in this competition in all conditions.

Defending 152 in the hardest heat of the morning was always going to be a challenge, but the Albion Park kids started in the right fashion. Lucas made the initial breakthrough as he almost always does with the first ball of his second over, finding a thin edge that Aiden took with soft gloves to bring about the first wicket. Then calamity struck the Kiama team, twice having batsmen run out going for a second to balls that were through the gully region but unfortunately having Kasey chasing, whose great arm back to Aiden at keeper had both batsmen well short of their ground. Three wickets in the third over was a tough start for Kiama, and they lost a fourth when Josh Schofield bowled a lovely ball that moved from middle to leg to beat the defensive prod of the batsman, and Kiama was struggling at 4/9.
To their credit they knuckled down and looked to get themselves back in the match. The Park kids had bowled well early and had conceded few sundries. Tristan bowled two terrific overs, swinging the ball beautifully in to the right handers, and finished with 0/1 from his two overs. After his batting that was a great effort. TJ continued his great bowling over recent weeks, keeping the ball straight to avoid any wides. His two overs brought figures of 0/4 which was impressive. Ryan Monaghan had one of those days where he angled down the leg side and couldn’t quite get his run up right. We’ve been working on keeping him upright in delivery, but the heat today didn’t help that today. He finished with 0/15. Noah Regan bowled the best over he has ever bowled with his first up maiden today, and followed it up with possibly his worst. Well, we’ve all been there. Still, 0/5 is good figures for two overs. Ethan Thompson has been so good this season so far, but today it didn’t click for him, also a bit wide down leg and the ball and feet didn’t want to play nice. He finished with 0/13 from two overs.

The drinks break couldn’t come soon enough, and afterwards some order was restored. Aiden came out from behind the stumps and Noah Regan donned the gloves. It was great for both. Aiden bowled superbly, the straight bungers on a full length being perfect for the situation. He found a way through the defensive to clean up the stumps for his first wicket, and then found the edge for Noah to take a great catch with the gloves, keeper to keeper. Aiden bowled 3 overs, 2 maidens and finished with 2/5 which was great for him and the team. Behind the stumps Noah was terrific, taking that catch and letting through only 1 bye. He will be getting more work as keeper in the coming weeks.

Still, Kiama made the Eagles boys fight. As Joe Burgess went on his rampage, the bowlers had to bowl well to try and contain him. Lucas had bowled well but learned today that the ball at the stumps is often the best method, and he didn’t quite finish off as we would have liked. He bowled four overs and finished with 1/9 which is fantastic, and he remains our premium bowler, but it shows that even the best sometimes can’t quite be the finisher they would like to be. Ryan Cergovski and bowled wonderfully well, and absolutely deserved better figures than he had. He bowled with a slip today such is his improved accuracy, and he beat the bat a number of times. His three overs cost 0/7 and he continues his great season. Josh Schofield was on fire early, his first two overs excellent in picking up a wicket. His third over was also perfect, exactly where we wanted the ball to be, and yet he went for two sixes. It’s another lesson, that good bowling isn’t always rewarded, but I thought his third over was better than his first two. That’s cricket. Josh will bowl worse and pick up a bagful. Kasey’s figures of 0/3 from 3 show he didn’t do much wrong, but he was off the boil a bit today in the heat after his batting.
And then there was Noah Black. Bowling from a height of about ten metres, he was superb today. He bowled 14 deliveries, with one no ball, twelve dots that were all full and at the stumps or just outside off stump, and a wicket, the last to fall, which took leg stump. His figures of 2.1-1-1-1 were absolutely brilliant, and such a joy to watch. When you see someone working hard to achieve something, and he does, how can you not be happy for him? Add to this his fielding which has been marvellous (his arm from the 4 metre boundary is always into the keepers gloves and hitting them hard), and Noah is taking to cricket like a duck to water. I am very excited about his progress.

Kiama Blue was bowled out for 92 in the 29th over, which looks like a clear cut victory, but again some of their players showed a great deal today. Hamish Campbell was terrific with the ball and has a lovely bowling action, and I thought Vincent Sherrell was also very good. Charlie Edwards is one of my favourite kids after being involved with him in rep cricket last year and his bowling continues to improve. With the bat young Lachlan Booth showed a lot of grit and determination and supported his partners wonderfully well. The star though was Joe Burgess, whose leg spin was superb to pick up 3/15, and then played a swashbuckling and yet thoughtful innings of 44 not out. As my Kiama links are still strong it was heart-warming to see such performances from our opposition today, to see good young kids still coming through the Cavalier ranks.

The young Eagles remain undefeated in season 2020/21 and they played another good strong game today in difficult conditions. Again there are things we need to work on, but the kids can be very happy with the effort they are putting in.
Once again well done to the families from both sides who showed up to support the kids in very difficult conditions. Not easy to watch in, but I am sure the kids appreciated you being there. Thanks to Josh and Mark for scoring today, and Wazza for taking the umpiring reigns for the first half of the match.
We have two matches remaining in the first round and to get us to Xmas, both against Shellharbour. We will be fighting hard to retain our undefeated record and head to the break in a good position to push for finals cricket.
#GoEagles #WeFlyAsOne