Albion Park Under 13's: Final vs Shellharbour Blue at Myimbar East

In a summer where the biggest news seems to be that the state is in drought and creeks are drying up and golf course dams are at all time lows, it seems quite ironic that on the final day of the junior cricket season the premiers in the SCDCA Under 13 competition has been decided by the rain rather than the contest on the field. And yet this is what occurred on Saturday when the match between the second placed Shellharbour Blue team and the fourth placed Albion Park team was washed out without the toss being made or a ball being bowled, an event that led to the higher placed Shellharbour team being declared as Premiers for 2018/19. There was no argument from the participants – Shellharbour had won both matches between the teams during the regular season and were favourites for the game as it was. But Albion Park has only played its strongest team once during the season, and that had been in the demolition of the Lake Illawarra team the previous weekend, and with the vast improvement that they had made since their last meeting in January, there was plenty of confidence leading into the weekend that they could spring another surprise. Instead, they could be happy with thought they they had given everything they had on the cricket field during the season, and that reaching the final in the first place was indeed a terrific achievement.

It has been one of the best of my 41 seasons of cricket that I have been involved in on the South Coast, even if it was just from the spectators position. Watching these 14 young kids each week, and seeing the massive improvement each of them made between October and March, has been as gratifying as any season before this. Anthony Pickering as coach has been amazing, enthusiastic at every training and at every game, positive and encouraging in every sense of the word, always with the kids best interests at heart. He has been tough when he has to be, and because it has only been on the rarest of occasions, each time he did struck a chord with the kids and they responded immediately. His heartfelt words after 15 overs of the game against Shellharbour in January, when the lethargy of the kids had shown and cost them too many runs, had an immediate impact, and their recovery in the second fifteen overs was amazing. If they had been just as good in the first fifteen overs, they may well have won that match. That’s what makes a good coach, the ability to know when words need to be said, and when to just let the kids have their head. This wasn’t the only example of this during the season, but it was the most significant. Thanks for everything you did this season Anthony, you can be justifiably proud of what your team achieved this year because of your efforts.
It is also important to acknowledge the support of the parents and families this season. These kids all perform better when they have their family there to watch, because they WANT to perform for you and to do well in front of you and FOR you. The massive support you gave to this team every Saturday is a big reason they did so well. There is nothing better than doing something good, and hearing the cheers for you from the sideline, whether you are 12 years old or 49 years old. Nothing matters more to kids than playing in front of their family and their teammates families. The support this season was extraordinary, and you all can lay claim to a piece of the responsibility for this team doing so well this season.

Everyone will have different memories of their favourite parts of the season. Mine may not equate to the same as others, but sometimes it is the moments rather than the best performances that stick best in the mind. Rob Denny’s first three deliveries of the season, all perfect left-arm outswinging deliveries to the left hand opening batsman, with the third plucking the off stump out of the ground. Lucas Thompson’s catch standing at mid on under a high ball off Josh that took six months to come down, followed by the biggest smile ever and his teammates crushing him in celebration. Kane Rex’s crushing cover drive at Gainsborough in a ‘stand and deliver’ pose, possibly the best stroke he has played in his short career so far. Watching Liam Cergovski take the keeping gloves at training for the first time, and then not letting a single ball past him, and suddenly realising we had found a wicket-keeper in the making. Blake Ison’s fearless and blistering batting when opening against Oak Flats chasing 117 to win, and perfectly setting up the team with his innings to ensure a famous victory. Will Schofield’s perfectly amazingly brilliant catch at Gainsborough as the ball continued to drift away from his grasp until the final instant he managed to wrap his hand around the ball. Tom Denyer chasing the ball from mid-wicket to deep long on against Shellharbour, turning and throwing down the stumps direct at the bowlers end to have the batsman short by two metres. Wacky Campion’s terrific stumping off Josh at Con O’Keefe after he said at drinks ‘I’m a good keeper! I’ll get a stumping off Josh!’ Jack Couley’s match-changing innings against Kiama in a game the team had to win to reach the finals. Lucas freaking Brown and his 4/1 from two overs against Kiama when he was on two hat-tricks and might have gotten all the wickets if he’d been allowed to bowl more than two overs. Every single Kasey Barton back foot punch along the ground through cover, just the best looking stroke from a 12 year old it has ever been my pleasure to see. Kynan Barton’s dual run outs in consecutive deliveries against Kiama Gold at Con O’Keefe, one from a great piece of fielding at slip and the other chasing the ball down at point. Owen Pickering’s match-winning batting in the semi-final when he showed the poise and responsibility of the senior player in the team to calmly see off the best bowlers before hitting the winning runs from the change bowlers. And Josh Peters… bowling Jarryd White for a golden duck in that same game… I may have dropped my guard and screamed in triumph at that…

These are but a handful of the great moments from the season. Each and every one of these boys can be proud of their seasons. And every single one of them has a great future in this game, and we need to encourage them to keep playing and improve. They are literally the future of the Albion Park Cricket Club, and we all need to make sure they continue to love the game as much as they do now, and keep playing on for years to come.

Bring on 2019/20.

Tactical Batting Turnaround Has Aussies Moving Forward

As good as this ODI series victory was for the Australian team in India, it is important to note that these conditions are unlikely to be similar to the ones that await them in England. Whether there is more ball movement in the air or off a friendlier surface, and whether spin is as potent as it was in this series, we can only wait to see. India also made enough changes in their team over the final three ODI’s to suggest that they hadn’t picked their absolute best team to challenge for wins. And yet the positives for Australia outweigh any perceived problems on a tour where few could have said they expected that the visitors would win both the T20I series and the ODI series. It has not necessarily answered pending questions in regards to the upcoming World Cup, but it has certainly changed the questions that are being asked.

Never give a sucker an even break. A saying as old as the hills. In the early part of the Indian tour, Shaun Marsh was allowed to stay at home for the birth of his first child. That’s an excellent outcome for he and his family. However, it gave Usman Khawaja the chance to slot in as opener in the ODI team, and it has proven to be the ideal scenario for both himself and skipper Aaron Finch. It was instructive that for the deciding game Marsh was overlooked for Western Australian teammate Ashton Turner, a decision that has over-reaching complications for Marsh and his participation in the World Cup. Marsh played three of the five games, scoring just 29 runs. All along it has looked like only one of Khawaja and Marsh can play in the same ODI team, given the similarity of their play in this form of the game. At home Marsh looked to be a lock for the World Cup squad. Now, with Khawaja on a run streak and Marsh having given him that leg up by coming into the tour late, that whole selection debate has become a lot more difficult and intense.

On the matter of Khawaja and Finch, they have formed a good partnership, and Finch has been able to break the stranglehold of low scores that has beset his Australian summer. More importantly, the opening partnerships of 0, 83, 193, 3 and 76 are more than acceptable over a five game period, with the three larger ones at five runs an over or better.

Having spent the better part of 12 months trying to replicate the England ODI batting format of going hard from the first ball and trusting that their line-up can do so all the way through, Australia has realised it is not their go. D’Arcy Short and Chris Lynn were seen as those guys at the top of the order who could demolish a bowling attack but in the end they were unsuccessful, and Australia instead often found themselves two or three for not many and then having to have the middle order recover the situation. In India they have fallen back to better cricket, utilising the gaps in the field to hit boundaries generally along the ground rather than the aerial route. The opening partnership has been well supported by the similar stroke play of Handscomb at three, while the more adventurous hard hitting has come from Maxwell, Stoinis and Turner in the middle. The ODI’s against Pakistan will give a better idea if these batting tactics can continue to build good totals. One suspects in England Australia will need more runs than the 250-280 they are making now, but the order as it stands right now looks capable of doing that on their own terms.

Alex Carey should now have answered any critics of his position in this team. His gloves have been good, and he has contributed well with the bat. He leads well from behind the stumps and doesn’t appear to get flustered. His keeping to the spinners especially has been good, and overall he has done everything asked of him. Hopefully this question is now laid to rest.

The selection of Ashton Turner in the squad is one of the best the national selectors have made in some time. Off the back of an excellent career at Western Australia and the Perth Scorchers and a terrific BBL08, he has been given his opportunity and has taken it with both hands. His scintillating unbeaten burst of 84 off 43 deliveries to finish off the winning chase in the fourth ODI along with his two other innings and wonderful fielding has set him up to be the ‘finisher’ Australia has been looking for since Mike Hussey’s retirement. And he hasn’t even bowled his handy part-time offies yet. He is perhaps the most exciting member of this team going forward.

Not that anyone doubted he would, but Pat Cummins has become the white ball leader much in the same way as he has become the red ball leader. His series was just what Australia needed, and in leading the attack he was able to give his other charges – Jhye Richardson, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Jason Behrendorff – a release of pressure and allow them to bowl without the weight bearing on their shoulders. Richardson continued on his great summer and looks to be one of the required fast bowlers for the World Cup, while Coulter-Nile would be handy in the lower order with the bat as well if he can stay fit. The clouds hovering over the fitness of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood look to be the only thing giving anyone else a look in at this stage in regards to fast bowling slots.

The selectors will be ecstatic with the showing of both Adam Zampa and Nathan Lyon on this tour. Both needed to prove they should be in the team, and in their own way they have done just that. Zampa showed all of his variety and wicket-taking potential with 11 wickets in the five matches, while also going for less than six runs an over. He is hitting form at the right time, and no doubt being given consistent and continuous matches is helping that enormously. Lyon took only three wickets in three matches, but his economy rate of 4.43 was the best of any bowler on either side in the series. It appears unlikely that two spinners will be required in England, but if they do then Australia’s two best look ready for the challenge.

The big question of what to do with Steve Smith and Dave Warner is probably no closer to being answered. But what is perhaps the best outcome of all of this is – who says either has to be immediately chosen in our best ODI XI? Australia’s first engagement at the World Cup is against Afghanistan, and their second against the West Indies. Without denigrating either team’s chance of defeating Australia in those matches, the point is that the selectors aren’t beholden to choose their two returning superstars from the first match. Both should certainly still be in the 15 man World Cup squad, but if the team continues on its winning way in Pakistan then there is no immediate need to change a winning formula. Surely it would be a handy thing to have Smith and Warner in reserve should the team lose a couple of matches, and be able to inject them into the line-up – rather than putting them in from the start and leave out two guys who have been performing, just on their name and reputation alone. It is something well worth considering. 

India now head into the IPL, while Australia has five further ODI encounters to play against the unpredictable Pakistan team, all of which will then culminate in the final 15 man squad having to be announced. If nothing else, Australians have been buoyed by the performances in India, and a similar effort against Pakistan will at least have fans in a positive frame of mind when we get into the real thing come end the of May.

Albion Park Under 13's: Semi-Final vs Lake Illawarra at Morley Park

In the 1983/84 Under 14A competition, the fourth placed Albion Park team took on the undefeated minor premiers Shellharbour in the semi-final. Against all odds and with nothing to lose, Albion Park won that game convincingly, and went on to play in the final the following weekend, again with nothing to lose. I bring this up only to illustrate that such a scenario can happen, so that when you read the following you will know it is not an impossible tale, and much like the tagline for the original 1978 movie version of Superman that read “You will believe a man can fly”, here you will believe that the underdog can defeat the overwhelming favourites – which is what faced the fourth placed Albion Park Eagles Under 13’s in their semi final against the undefeated minor premiers Lake Illawarra at Morley Park on Saturday morning.

Lake Illawarra batted first and walked out to face a pumped-up Albion Park team, who were much less nervous than many of those watching from the sidelines. Lucas Brown took the new ball, something he wants and has generally thrived on in the past two seasons. He has become the (young) man who has created the initial breakthrough in the batting order, and often more than one. He is coming close to mastering the art of the full straight ball with just enough swing away from the right hander that makes him a tough proposition. He was coming off a four-wicket haul in a school game on Thursday, and on his shoulders rod the hopes of an early breakthrough. In the end he disappointed all those watching, because he was unable to get a wicket until the second delivery of the match, when the perfect delivery found the leading edge for the ball to pop safely into the hands of Kynan Barton at mid-wicket, and the score was 1/0 – and the roar and rush to come together by the Albion Park team must have been frightening for the incoming Lake batsmen such was the ferocity of excitement. The new batsman was one of the best in the district, and his imposing first boundary looked to restore the order lost by that early wicket. Liam Cergovski bowled a solid first over that kept the pressure on, and then Lucas started his second over. The batsman had by now recognised his threat and had decided on a defensive posture, but this is what brought about the next downfall, as the nervous prod forward only resulted in a simple return catch back to Lucas, and he had his second wicket and that of the biggest batting threat in the Lake team. Once again the boys rushed together and celebrated, but there was still a long way to go. Both Lucas and Liam finished their initial spells. Liam (0/8) again shows how much he is improving each week and gave the batsmen nothing to hit, keeping the pressure on for the superstar at the other end. Lucas (2/8) again was the golden arm. He’s not as fast as some others (yet; and believe me that will come) but he bowls the perfect line and length and scares batsmen by his accuracy, all the while with the biggest grin on his face no matter what happens. His two overs opened this game up for the Eagles from the outset and he should be immensely proud of his efforts.

Josh Peters and Jack Couley replaced this pair, and along with stunting the already halting run rate the pressure they created continued on with these benefits. Jack had the ball swinging from the hand and caused some problems, while Josh forced the issue as the batsmen were drawn into playing shots they didn’t want to play. He was taken down the ground in the air by the attacking left hander, a ball that fell agonisingly short of a desperate chase by Lucas Thompson, but it proved turning point. His leg spinner that drifted, dropped and bounced completely fooled the batsman, drawing the edge that was brilliantly snared by wicket-keeper Owen Pickering, and the third wicket was down. The following ball Josh tossed up another perfectly pitched delivery, drawing the slog across the line from the right handed batsman who was completely beaten by the flight, and he only managed to drag it onto his stumps to be bowled. The next ball was to another left-hander (why do leg-spinners always seem to have to bowl hat-trick balls at left handers?) and Josh produced the same delivery as had drawn his first wicket, only to miss the edge by a gnats wing. Despite this, he had taken out the middle order and further decimated the Lake batting. The pair finished their two over spell. Jack (0/4) was good as he always is, unable to break through as he had the previous week but again kept the pressure on the batsmen with a couple of deliveries passing perilously close to the stumps. I am biased in regards to Josh’s cricket prowess, but if there is a better spinner under the age of 14 on the South Coast I have yet to see them. And Josh (2/4) is only 11 years old.
Tom Denyer and Kynan Barton came on, and now found the batsmen in stonewalling mode. With 22 overs to go in the innings and their top order smashed to pieces they needed to spend time in recovery. Tom (0/9) at the moment is only being held back by his own doubts, but it seems that once he gets one good delivery away he finds his groove. He was probably a bit pumped up from the way the team was going and channelled this in to trying to bowl too fast. His second over though was terrific, zeroing in on the stumps and giving the batsmen plenty to think about. Kynan(1/5) again bowled a beautifully tight spell, changing his pace and length accordingly and not letting the batsmen settle or be able to predict what was coming next. And, as he always does, he found his way through again in beating the batsman with flight and pace and taking out of the off stump, creating the fifth wicket of the innings. It was lovely deception, and the perfect way to end his short spell.
‘Wacky’ Campion (0/1) is the perfect foil for these situations, always bowling straight and on a good length, forcing the batsmen to play every ball, sometimes their peril. It the classic “you miss, I hit” strategy and he does it superbly. Though he didn’t get a wicket today, he certainly enabled his bowling partner to do his job. Kasey Barton bowled his best spell of the season today, and what a day to do it. He was a major part of each of the final three wickets to fall. With his first ball he created a chance, a leading edge out to cover that lobbed just out of reach of brother Kynan. The groans were quickly turned to calls for the ball to go to the keeper, as the batsman had just taken off for a run without a response from his partner. Kynan’s throw to Owen found the batsman metres short, and the sixth wicket was back on the sideline. Kasey deserved a wicket and picked one up not long after when a thunderbolt cannoned off the batsman’s pads into his stumps. With the drinks break suspended because only one wicket remained to be taken, Kasey (2/2) bowled the perfect outswinger at pace that clipped the edge of the bat, and Owen at keeper had to go down to the ground and to his right to take a spectacular and brilliant keeper’s catch to end the innings. It is hard to explain just how good that catch was and topped off a terrific performance by the leader behind the stumps. In just 16 overs, Lake Illawarra had been dismissed for 42 runs, and the Albion Park kids were ecstatic and with good reason.

Special mention must be made here of the contribution in the field by Kane Rex, Rob Denny and Lucas Thompson in particular. All three boys were the unlucky ones who were unable to be a batsman or a bowler, given that the team has 14 players this season and in Under 13’s you can only bat nine players and bowler 11 players. They are still a big part of getting the team to this position, and their efforts in the field were terrific. Rob was enthusiastic and encouraging from point and square leg, Kane was all over everything at mid-on being quick to the ball and keeping the talk up, while Lucas made some great chases to cut down runs at mid-off, and almost got himself into a position to make a grab at a catch from Josh’s bowling. They all beamed all morning, and their contributions were as much a part of this team performance as those already mentioned.

With the Lake looking to push hard for an advantage, the Eagles were led by opening batsmen Will Schofield and Blake Ison. Their opening partnership against Oak Flats had been a leading reason for that victory, and here again they were charged with this task. Will has been technically the best bat in the team, but today perhaps nerves had hit him along with a desire to cut down the runs needed as soon as possible. It’s also possible that, having played in rep teams with many of his opponents, he just wanted to dominate. All this led to a slightly looser innings tan we are used to seeing from him, but it was effective. His partner was just fired up. When Blake is switched on he is unstoppable, plays strokes with abandon, but most importantly his calling and running between the wickets can change a game. And it did here. Blake backed up superbly, called loud and ran hard, and on at least three occasions stealing extra runs from his calling and running alone. It was fearless and exhilarating stuff in the early overs, as Lake threw their best at them to try and dislodge them quickly. Blake’s downfall came from the ball of the day from the Lake left armer who swung the ball from well outside off stump to take Blake’s middle and off pegs. Though he only had three runs to his name, and the score as ‘only’ 14, those extra runs he had engineered were like gold, and his contribution enormous.
Kasey Barton has had a good week with the bat in school cricket and was ready to do the same here. A solid start had him looking good, and when a cut down past point got him off the mark it looked even better. There was no one on the sidelines that thought there was two in it… unfortunately this is what was attempted, and despite his frantic dive at the end the terrific throw found Kasey short of his ground and he was run out for 1. Five runs later Will died by the sword he had been brandishing, being caught for 10 which had been an excellent innings under the difficult circumstances. At 3/20 Lake believed they were back in the match, and a nervous balanced remained.
Enter Owen Pickering, who played one of the best leader’s innings you could wish to see, and his sergeant-at-arms Wacky Campion. With so much time left to bat, they sensibly went about seeing off the spells of Lake’s best three bowlers who could only bowl two overs each initially. This they did with great skill. Owen was solid, looking for singles where possible but ensuring the danger bowlers were seen off. From here he played superbly, keeping out the good balls but cracking hard at every short wide delivery. Granted he didn’t time many of them, but he got enough bat on them to get the singles and twos that came. At the other end Wacky did his job, running hard when needed but also contributing his own runs to the tally. As the bowling lost its direction, each no ball and wide was ticked off the score by the big crowd in attendance and finally, at the end of the 11th over, the Park had reached 3/43 and were declared winners. The sight of coach Anthony Pickering charging onto the field, far outrunning his young chargers, is one of the best things I’ve seen in cricket. The unrestrained joy from them all over the next few minutes makes all of the hard work this season from everyone involved more than worth it.

What’s the secret? Once again in cricket, it is not about individuals, it is about the team. Every single person put their hand up today and they made their own contribution to the cause. They field as a team, charging in together, encouraging their teammates and picking them up when they are down. They bowl in partnerships, not always taking wickets but bottling up the batting so that someone will eventually cash in. Every week two or three put their hands up to score runs, and it is never the same kids. It is a true team performance that has got these kids to a final, and if they happen to get up next Saturday it will be as a team that they will do it.

I made mention at the start of the 1983/84 Under 14A’s team that beat the undefeated minor premiers. It should be noted that in the final (after a game that stretched three weekends because of a washout on what should have been the second day), the Albion Park team managed to win the competition from fourth place, defeating the second placed Kiama team in the process. That may seem wonderful, though as I was the captain of the Kiama team I have much different memories and emotions of the result. It again does show that such a scenario is more than possible if a team plays to the best of its abilities and their opponents take their eye off the ball for even a moment.

Next weekend, our Eagles boys will have their chance at their own moment of premiership glory. If they play like they did yesterday, they will be a massive chance.