Over the past couple of weeks, we have seen a team begin to emerge that has started putting the pieces of the puzzle together, where each piece of that puzzle has found its place and has slotted together with the others. That puzzle now looks to be complete after a victory over a competitive Kiama Gold team that combined the efforts of each individual in the Albion Park Eagles Under 13 team into a whole that is now, in my opinion, a realistic threat of winning the Under 13’s competition.
The Albion Park team batted first, and it was immediately obvious that the bowling of the Kiama Gold team has progressed light years since these teams’ first clash back in November. Tom Denyer opened the batting and his tough run continued, having hit a nice two but then leaning back too far to leg to cut and being bowled off stump by Callum Hodgson. His disappointment shows that he knows he is working hard but is having a rough trot. Save the runs for the finals Tom. Wacky Campion joined Josh Peters at the crease and these two put together a nice second wicket partnership against an excellent bowling attack who bowled full and straight and at good pace. Josh played the defensive role perfectly, happy to push forward and keep out the good balls while sneaking the odd single, as Wacky waited for the shorter ball and used his pull shot to its full advantage. Wacky had reached 15 with two boundaries when, of his own admission, he decided to try and hit the ball of the returning Callum Hodgson over mid-on, but only managed to hit it straight off the toe into that fieldsman’s hands. Liam Cergovski joined Josh at the crease and the two of them batted well until Josh reached his retirement target of 35 deliveries. He played the perfect opening batsman’s innings against good bowling today, seeing off the overs so that his middle order could see the bottom order of the bowling attack. It was telling in the final outcome.
Will Schofield came in and immediately looked at ease and as always played some classical looking strokes. The only mistake came when he hit a ball to deep square leg and called for a risky second. Unfortunately, the fieldsman had the best arm in the team, and his throw straight into the keeper's gloves found Will’s dive just short of his ground, and he was dismissed for 5. Kasey Barton also looked comfortable, with one of his trademark backfoot punches through the covers an absolute delight. In the second over after drinks though he got a nick behind to a ball from Jett Parker to be dismissed for 3. At 4/54 in the 17th over, the game was wide open and at an exciting period.
As ever though, Jack Couley was the spark and the saviour. Though again professing his nerves before going in, he shows none of them at the crease, and plays with a fresh devil-may-care attitude, looking to be positive and vibrant from the first ball. Though a couple of his missed attempted pulls must have come perilously close to the stumps, he found enough short wide balls to dispatch through the leg side into the gaps. He was terrifically supported by Liam, who played his finest innings of the season with his team in a tight spot. He claims the leg side is his strength but it was his punches to the off and excellent running between the wickets in this partnership especially that was the highlight of his innings. He is slowly coming out of his shell with the bat and his contribution today in several partnerships was enormous. Unfortunately, with one ball remaining before reaching the retirement criteria he was bowled, having made an invaluable 13 runs. He is improving at an increasing rate each week, and his attitude is just superb. Also, not to forget his wicket-keeping which is just divine. Great work Liam.
Jack continued on his way as he was joined by Kane Rex, who also played his finest innings of the season. Kane has been working hard every week and soaks up the things he is told at training, and today as soon as he found bat hitting ball for the first time, he didn’t look back. One particular cover drive where he wound up and smashed it along the ground into the gap for two was the best shot I’ve seen him play. It is great to see a kid reap the benefits of hard work and wanting to succeed. Jack retired after his 35 deliveries had totalled for him 37 runs, an innings that gave his team a fighting chance of a total they could defend. Without his contribution it could have been a completely different match. Great stuff Jack. Rob Denny came out and was again unlucky, looking to be positive from the outset with not long to go, and was dismissed by a good catch. Josh returned to the crease, and he and Kane batted sensibly to finish off the Albion Park innings at 6/119 from their thirty overs. Kane finished on 6 not out while Josh “The Rock” was on 11 not out.
What followed this was one of the most remarkable periods of cricket I have seen, and nothing I can say here will be able to explain the magnificent spectacle that took place. Opening the bowling for the Eagles was Lucas Brown and Kynan Barton, the two non-batters for the day. Both had sat and watched as their teammates dragged themselves up to a competitive total against the excellent bowling of the Kiama Blue team, and now it was their turn to be let loose. Lucas was immediately on song, with four perfect full deliveries that swung ominously from leg to off. Each was seen off by the batsman, with the fourth delivery squeezed away for a single. Then the carnage began. The next delivery was exactly like its four predecessors, but this one beat the defence of the new batsman and cartwheeled middle and leg stump. It was a beauty, one that was only bettered by the very next ball to the tall left hander, who looked as though he liked to hit the ball hard. Lucas came around the wicket and bowled the perfect inswinger, swinging in from a fifth stump line outside the off stump to clean up middle. It was a peach, the absolute perfect first delivery to a left-handed batsman. Score – 2 wickets for 1. Kynan bowled the following over and was also excellent, full and forcing the batsmen to play, and narrowly missed his own wicket when the ball must have surely shaved the off stump.
Lucas started his second over on a hat-trick, a ball that was the perfect one, right up in the blockhole, and somehow kept out by the batsman. Oh well, easy come easy go. Another dot ball followed, before yet another perfect outswinger again did for the batsman, this time cartwheeling off stump by hitting the very top of the stump. Amazing stuff. Score – 3 wickets for 3 runs. The next ball was the worst of Lucas’s spell, pulling it down short and swinging away wide of leg stump. New batsman Jett Parker swung hard and smashed it in the air wide of cover, where Will Schofield was fielding. Running at full pace he tried to track it down but it kept fading away from him and out of reach. A final desperate lunge by Will found the ball smack into his outstretched hands, and he clung onto the amazing catch, easily the best catch of the season. The boys were ecstatic, charging in to congratulate fielder and bowler. Score – 4 wickets for 3 runs, and Lucas was on his second hat-trick of the innings. Again, he bowled the perfect delivery, and again somehow the batsman kept it out. Another dot ball completed the initial spell for Lucas – two overs, one maiden, 4 wickets for 1 run. It was the best bowling spell of the season and a fitting reward for a young man who never ceases to amaze. He is the most humble of kids who continues to smile no matter what happens, and having watched him grow as a cricketer for the past three seasons has been one of my best moments involved in junior cricket. He is a gem. Watch out for him, because he is going to do amazing things in cricket. Heaven help opposing teams when he starts to grow.
Not to be outdone, Kynan did his own batting incision in the next over, firstly clean bowling the opening batsman who had watched from the non-strikers end for the first couple of overs, before then doing the same to the new batsman who had hit him for a boundary the previous delivery. Kynan bowled perfectly for the situation, he bowled flatter and quicker than usual for his off spinners, but made sure the batsmen had to play every ball and that if they missed it – which two did – he would bowl them. It was the perfect support bowling for his opening partner. After four overs Lucas and Kynan had destroyed the Kiama Gold batting, having them at 6 wickets down for just 13 runs.
Rob Denny and Kane Rex came on and also bowled well. Rob didn’t have any luck with the bat and it followed with his bowling, which was as excellent as it always is. One short ball was pulled or six, but he conceded only one more run off his other 11 deliveries to finish with 0/7. Kane had a great day today, and followed his batting with two tight overs that combined both excellent line and length. Only one ball was offline, and he finished off the innings with the final ball of his second over when he beat the batsman to bowl him middle stump. He had the kind of day that keeps bringing you back the next week. He finished with 1/3 from his two overs, and amazingly the innings was over from just eight overs, with Kiama Gold being dismissed for 23.
This is the kind of performance that has you considering just how good this team has become. At the start of the season they played the three top teams in the competition, being given a touch up in two of them and pushing the likely minor premiers to the finish line in the other. Since then this team has lost only one game, to the second placed Shellharbour Blue team. They have improved since then exponentially, and almost every player has been putting in career-best performances. That says a lot about how they are coming together as teammates and as a team, how they are playing for each other and the belief that they all have – in themselves, in their teammates, and in their team. I said at the start that they are a chance of winning the whole kit and kaboodle, and I truly believe that. The past three weeks has shown they have become the best all-round fielding and bowling team around, and two or three batsmen stand up every week to ensure a winning total. Perhaps it is unfair to put pressure on these kids by saying these things, but if they continue to show the self-belief that has been evident over the back half of this season, and they continue to rally around and take in the things their coach Anthony Pickering is sharing with them, then there is no telling what this team can do. Stay tuned...
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