AW Green Shield: Round three wrap from NSW’s premier U16 cricket tournament, 50+ photo gallery
After rain washed away round two, the big guns of the U16 Green Shield fired up on Thursday before the Christmas break. Bung shoulders, big scores and more. Round three wrap, 50+ PHOTO GALLERY.
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Following a miserable and wet Wednesday where all 10 matches were abandoned, Thursday saw the players back in action for round three of the AW Green Shield.
Despite numerous delayed starts, only one game was aborted with the Fairfield-Liverpool and Northern District match at Rosedale Oval abandoned without a ball bowled.
With the players now on break until Sunday, 14 January, here’s how all the round three action unfolded.
DEFIANT SAINTS HERO
He’s Newcastle’s man of steel, but on Thursday Keanu Botha was the hero of Hurstville.
Following a crushing opening round loss, the St George recruit joined Luca Pengue (82* off 95) after an early wicket and the pair proceeded to bat Blacktown out of the contest in Saints’ 2/204 off an allotted 35 overs.
Although there was a strange twist when Botha departed in the 18th over, seemingly retired hurt on 25.
But when Anoop Bawa was the second wicket to fall with the score on 90, Botha returned following a five-over break.
Once warmed up, the St George skipper and Pengue shifted through the gears. By innings end Botha had hit two sixes in an unbeaten 92 off just 77 balls.
Sajith Kundar replied with a classy 84 off 78 deliveries but it wasn’t enough as Blacktown finished 28 runs shy of the target.
“Keanu popped his shoulder,” St George coach Peter Jackson said of Botha’s short absence.
“It was fully dislocated, but it didn’t seem to bother him when he came back on.
“Initially we were worried about the wicket after all the rain, but Luca and Keanu continued to turn over the strike and once settled they accelerated at the end.”
Following St George’s round one collapse, Jackson enjoyed the show.
“Keanu is a well respected leader of the group, he was desperate to get some runs today,” said Jackson.
“Luca is a South Hurstville Carss Park junior, he’s been playing seniors for the club in Metro Cup and his form continues to improve as the season goes on.”
TOP DOG SHOOTOUT
At Waverley it was a battle of the in-form captains as Easts’ Aston Weir faced off against Parramatta’s opening round century-maker Blake Noorbergen.
After being sent in, Weir cracked 87 to propel the Dolphins to a competitive 7/183 off 38 overs. Opener Rehaab Afzaal was next best with 28, while for Parra, Noorbergen showed his class with the ball, finishing with 3-21 off eight overs.
In reply, Parra fired from the get-go as openers Arjun Nadadur (38 off 56) and Athan Maraziotis (65 off 69) put on 85 for the first wicket before Noorbergen closed out the eight-wicket victory, hammering 57 not out in a cavalier knock off 45 balls.
RUN OUT OF TOWN
With three run outs in their opening round loss, UNSW’s search for combinations continued down south.
But after opting to bat at Glenn McGrath Oval the Bees stumbled once again, all out for 143 in a card that included five run outs.
Manav Narayan (40 off 63) and Blayde Burke (30 off 29) top scored before both fell to Sutherland’s reliable all-rounder Max Kennedy.
Christmas came early for Max DeCelis. In addition to gloving a sharp chance while standing up to the stumps, the keeper finished off four run outs before scoring 30 in Sutherland’s four-wicket win.
After Angus Weightman (1-24) uprooted Sam Stewart’s middle stump in the opening over of the chase, Kennedy returned to steady the ship with a brisk 42 off 51 balls.
“Given the pitch had been covered since Tuesday we were happy they chose to bat, plus in a reduced game it’s always nice to know what score you need.” said Sutherland coach Jake Wilson while touching on his side’s magic day in the field.
“Five run outs is pretty rare, but it shows the boys were switched on and it’s an area of the game they have focused on at training.”
Among a host of strong performers, Wilson singled out Kennedy following the efforts of the Caringbah junior in the side’s first two outings.
“Max has risen through all the rep sides and has made a great start to the competition,” Wilson said.
“With scores in both games and wickets today, he’s proving to be our Mr Fix-it.
“He skids the ball through and today he followed the plan of bowling stump to stump and was rewarded with two crucial dismissals.”
Speaking of quality gloveman, Sydney captain Daniel Craig also had a day out as his side defeated Sydney University by five-wickets.
In tandem with leg-spinner Aditya Thakare (4-23), the keeper completed three stumpings to go with a catch and a run out as Uni fell for 115.
On a challenging University Oval wicket, Craig then backed up with 26 before Lucas Medford saw Sydney home with an unbeaten 41.
THRILL OF THE CHASE
It was heavy going for batters as showers swept across Coogee Oval.
In a contest reduced to 39 overs, Bankstown openers Lucas Kay (30 off 78) and Riley Collison (27 off 52) braved the conditions posting an opening stand of 56 in the first 18 overs.
In a total of 9-138, the back half of the visitors’ innings was dominated by John McDonald’s 4-21.
In the end, Randwick-Petersham snuck home by three wickets with eight balls to spare. But it was a near thing, and some late lusty blows by Alexander Greenhill (15 off 7) made all the difference.
Play was slow to get underway at Manly before Wests restricted the hosts to 8/90 from an allotted 23 overs.
Lukas Overhoff (31 off 48) was one of two Manly batters to reach double figures in an innings dominated by William Zakostelsky’s (3-15) leg-spin.
Wests lost opener Ashton Russell without facing a ball, but Baldip Singh (37 off 62) and Rehaan Shyamsundar (22 off 45) turned the tide in a five-wicket win with seven balls to spare.
FINAL-BALL THRILLER
Paceman Chase Hayward (1-32) held his nerve as Penrith edged out UTS North Sydney by two runs in a 26-over shootout at Tunks Park.
After top scoring with 33 in Penrith’s 9-131, the right-armer took the ball with Norths requiring 10 runs off the final over.
Luke Austin (26*off 23) found the fence off the first ball, but could only manage a single off the last when four were needed.
THE EARLY BIRDS
In the first of two games to start on time, Gordon were pushed hard before finishing 57 runs clear of a determined Campbelltown Camden.
Asked to bat first, Gordon struggled early against Henry McMahon’s (2-35) left-arm pace until Vivaan Gandhi (35 off 45) and Campbell Smith (39 off 37) combined in a fourth wicket stand of 61.
Avanindra Sikarwar was best with the ball for the Ghosts. A leggie to keep an eye on, the right-armer rocked the middle order taking 4-33 as Gordon fell in the 46th over for 185.
In reply, Campbelltown Camden lost wickets at regular intervals before Tyler McInnes cleaned up the tail for Gordon with 4-12. But it was Sam Dillon who did the early damage, taking 3-22 in 10 tidy overs of spin.
Out west, Mosman got the better of last season’s runner-up Hawkesbury by four wickets with an over to spare.
Hawks opener Josh Bawcombe (51 off 73) top scored in a total of 171. For Mosman, right-arm off-spinner Jacob Callaway grabbed 3-23 before keeper Noah Feenstra (44 off 96) and opening bowler Max Circosta (38*off 40) navigated the chase through several nervous moments.
ROUND 4: SUNDAY, 14 JANUARY
Fairfield-Liverpool v Blacktown at Rosedale Oval
Gordon v Penrith at Chatswood Oval
Hawkesbury v Campbelltown Camden at Bensons Lane No.1
Manly Warringah v Bankstown at Weldon Oval
Mosman v Sydney at Allan Border Oval
Northern District v Sydney University at Storey Park
Randwick Petersham v Parramatta at Coogee Oval
UNSW v Eastern Suburbs at David Phillips South
UTS North Sydney v St George at Bon Andrews Park
Western Suburbs v Sutherland at Pratten Park
PHOTO GALLERY ROUND THREE
Randwick Petersham v Bankstown
Easts v Parramatta
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