The Hawks’ A Grade Round 19 clash with YOBS was set to be a very important game that, if won, would set important momentum into the final series.
A win would also place the Hawks into equal first in the ladder and take them one step closer to securing a second Semi Final appearance.
Having won the toss, Hawks look to set a competitive total however the first 25 overs did not go to plan. With Chris McLean dismissed in the 2nd over and Gareth Edmonds in the 4th over, the Hawks were 2/7. Partnerships commenced between Rumesh Silva and Shane Joyce, followed by Joyce and Kade Dittmar, but were not substantial enough to revive the Hawks innings.
With Stuarts Roberts caught short of his crease in a very unlucky run out, reminiscent of Aaron Finch in the Big Bash Final the following day, the Hawks were reeling at 6/72 at drinks. Unfortunately, the second 25 overs do not bring about a change in momentum despite the effort of top scorer Grant Garstone (24). With Ryan Miller forced to retire hurt with a calf injury, the Hawks innings finally came to a closure at a very disappointing 9/110.
The A-Grade Hawks are known for their ability to defend small totals, however a win was looking very unlikely. The opening duo of Leigh Westcott and Aaron Thomas looked to set the wheels in motion however the combination of Golding and Colombera soon found their rhythm and despite multiple bowling changes in an attempt to find the first wicket, they managed to put on 68 runs before Peter Crimp (1/31 from 9 overs) found the edge to have Colombera caught. Grant Gartsone (1/10 from 5 overs) manage to take the prized scalp of Golding through bowling tight lines and variations of pace. Silva (0/25 from 10 overs) also bowled well along with the ever-reliable Aaron Thomas (0/18 from 9 overs).
Whilst we will be bitterly disappointed with the result, we need to take the time to reflect individually on each of our performances and then positively move on ready to set ourselves up to return to our best. Given the improved consistency this year, I am confident it will be a ruthless Hawks team that will take to the field in Cowaramup next weekend.
B Grade – Being one point out of the four with only three games remaining, it was time the Hawks began their run into the finals. Coming up against top of the table Yobs was never going to be easy but we had to make a statement to the competition that the Hawks are a force and a contender for season 2018/19. Losing the toss we were sent in with Alastair Wilkie and Maurice Shinnick opening the innings. Yobs were wayward at the start which helped the openers get set and produce a great opening stand of 83 before Al fell for a well compiled 45. Wickets fell at regular intervals in the middle overs, losing Pete De Gennaro(7), Shinnick(31) and Danny Weston(5).
A constant through this period though was returning vice-captain Michael Earl who batted superbly through this tough time compiling partnerships with Matt Jarvis(28) and Ado Bailey(16) before falling for 50 off 41 balls with the score on 179. This brought together greyhounds Jordan Stanbury and Mitchell Broun for the last 3 overs and with controlled hitting and excellent running between the wickets they were able to get our final total to a competitive 198. A competitive total yes, but against the might of Yobs no total is out of reach, it was time for our bowlers to take the stage. Opening with young guns Darcy Bailey and Taj Thomas they started brilliantly. Darcy bowling 4 overs for 15 and Taj 5 overs 1/9 started the innings superbly especially dismissing the dangerous Gilbert for only 1.
Yobs predictably steadied the innings and were able to put on 55 for the second wicket only to be undone by an “Al Wilkie setup” resulting in Ado gloving the catch. The match was in the balance, perfect time for Matt Jarvis to turn back the clock. Diving to his right at full stretch he stopped a full blooded drive with one hand and in the same motion threw the stumps down leaving Tate Spowart short of his ground. It was a game changer, and all the momentum was with the Hawks, not only going for the win but bonus points were a real possibility. The bowlers were unbelievable, bowling tight lines with the fielders backing up their good work resulting in wickets falling at regular intervals.
Darcy Bailey 0/15, Taj Thomas 1/9, Jordan Stanbury 1/17, Al Wilkie 2/23, Plugger 1/16, Danny Weston 2/27 and Matt Jarvis 2/13 were the bowling returns and with terrific fielding with no dropped catches we were able to dismiss Yobs for 129 and securing those valuable bonus points. We are in the four now and with further improvement we can make a lot of noise in the finals series.
C grade – The Hawks travelled to Nannup to take on the Tigers, the toss was won by Nannup who elected to bowl first. Angus Currell and Vincent Bochart opened the bowling and bowled well without much luck.
Darcy Currell and Brad Kelly came on to replace the openers and continued the trend of good bowling without finding a wicket. On the stroke of drinks, Damian Fuller finally managed to get the breakthrough and had Nannup 1/69 at the interval. After drinks Nannup continue to chip away at the score with their captain Peter Bresser leading the way. It began to get a bit tight in the final 10 overs with runs drying up and Nannup still requiring a further 41 runs to win. In the 36th Bochart should have bowled Nannup batsman Lachlan Smith with the ball appearing to clip the top of his leg stump but the bail failed to dislodge and the ball trickled away for 4. When Bresser was run out in the 37th over by Angus Currell it seemed as though the Hawks were still in with a chance. However Nannup got the 6 runs required for victory from the first 2 balls of the 38th over. It was a good game of cricket with the total set by the Hawks proving to be just short of what was required. Special mention needs to go to Brad Kelly who played a stellar innings of 83 and then followed it up with some great swing bowling.
Junior Cricket
MR U11s Gold V YOBS Black - It was an overcast morning that greeted us on arrival at the ground along with a damp pitch and what appeared to be a slow outfield. These conditions were going to make it challenging the score runs freely off the bat. Openers Culann (6 n.o.) and Reuben (6) commenced our innings cautiously in the difficult conditions and demonstrated great patience. This solid start was followed by a well constructed innings from Beth (8) and a strong hitting display from Sawyer (7). Classic stroke play from Caspian (7 n.o.) was a pleasure to watch and Tom (8) and Sam (12 n.o.) combined well to set an excellent total for YOBS to chase, finishing with 4/134 after the 20 overs. Sam (3/16 from 4 overs) opened the bowling and set an excellent example for his teammates bowling accurately with the new ball. Once again Caspian (1/11 from 3 overs) bowled with exceptional control and is showing exciting signs of becoming a dangerous wrist spinner. A key feature of our fielding in the first 10 overs was the impressive wicketkeeping by Captain Culann, ensuring no byes were given away in the slippery conditions.
Once the gloves were handed to Reuben (0/7 from 2 overs), Culann took the ball and returned figures of 2/7 from 2 overs. The ever-improving Beth (0/10 from 3 overs) and deceptive leg spinning from Sawyer (2/8 from 3 overs) restricted the YOBS final score to 11/87 from 20 overs. Well done to players in the tricky conditions, keep up the great work at training to maintain your awesome progress!
