WL – 11.01.14 Action Sports Stadium (ASS),
Kashiwa, by Kris Bayne and Ryan Peters
Coming into the New Year the Bulls sat No. 1 in the Winter League with a maximum possible 12 points and Hammerheads No. 2 (having lost to the Bulls) on 8. Our first Shark games in 2014 were against Wyverns and the Go!Go! Ken! gals – by the end of the evening the two Shark teams had bolted even further ahead, both winning handsomely, with bonus points.
With some teams struggling to even field one team, the Sharks have two and we are still resting players. A big thanks to everyone. Keep posting on the website.
Bull Sharks vs Wyverns (by Ryan Peters)
After losing the toss, we were sent in to bat first. Anton and Ryan opened the batting with a mind to get 20 to 30 runs on the board. They pushed the ball around the court, found the nets a few times, and avoided any unnecessary run-outs. In fact they finished with a solid 35; which ended up being the highest partnership of the game. The next two batsmen were Aayush and Awal. Some really energetic batting and running saw them score well but that enthusiasm for extra runs led to a couple of run-outs.To be fair, the Wyverns are pretty handy with their ball-handling skills, so a few run-outs can be expected in this cricket format. The Double-A Duo finished with 28 runs giving us a solid total of 63.
The last pair to come in was Captain Chris Molloy and Dave L. They also put on a solid 27, thanks to some big scoring hits here and there. Again the fielding prowess of the Wyverns led to a wicket we wouldn’t usually see unless we play these blokes – a freak catch that was destined for a six off Dave L s bat. The total came to 90; a couple of shots under par I would say playing against this team.
What was needed to win the game was some sensible bowling and fielding, and that is exactly what we saw. The first four overs were bowled by Awal and Ryan. Apart from a few wides, we were able to contain the runs, with the Wyverns kept to a miserly 18.
The next session saw Chris and Anton take over the bowling. This is the point in my report where my recollection is a bit hazy, as a ball that beat the bat, then beat my gloves, hit home in a way only us guys can understand (no box)… thus ending my short, but eventful, career with the Sharks. Only 10 runs were conceded in this spell, with 4 wickets taken in the latter half.
Needing 62 to win, the Wyverns were in more trouble than my private parts. Dave and Aayush finished the job with 3/31 to give the Sharks a 31 run victory. Dave picked a MOM.
Thanks everyone for having me (Ryan) on your team this year. I enjoyed it immensely. If you’re ever in Melbourne, let’s catch up for a pie and/or beer.
Anton 10/2-9 Ryan 25/1-10 Aayush 16/1-24 Awal 12/0-8 Dave L 16/2-7 Chris M 11/2-1
Hammerheads Sharks vs GoGo! Ken! (Kris Bayne)
GGK probably have not sent in their top team as yet, but Saturday night’s six featured some very competent cricketers and the 3-for-1 rule always means we have to play at our best. They also generally bowl a tight line and if you miss, they hit. We would have liked to chase but Kris lost the coin call and we batted.
In his first indoor game for a while Moto teamed up with Kris. They played a great ‘tap-and-go’ game and with a bit of luck went better than a run-a-ball. The only blot on their effort was when Moto, having done a wonderful job, was dropped but subsequently run out on the last ball. They put of a competent 21.
Alwin and Adit then build very solidly on that start. After a catch in their first over, no ball was left alone unless wide. Very good running, calling and hits into the scoring nets saw them get multiples with ease and Adit slammed a couple of 7s. The pair crashed 54 to take us to 75. The girls probably were quite perturbed to see the next pair, Takady and Chris T, take strike.
This could have got very messy, but it didn’t. The first over went for 17 but after that the ladies did very well to cramp the big hitters. While they got wood and runs on every ball, a run-out and, surprisingly, no back-net action at all had the guys add a decent 36 to take us to 111 in total. Against GGK this was probably a bit under where we wanted to be. We would have to be on our game with the ball.
The key to trying to nullify the 3-for-1 rule is to attack the pads of GGK. They all wear them but any leg-byes are only single runs. The girls are very good at playing the square side netting. Just three such shots an over would get them over a hundred. Anything drivable might see some significant runs. We needed to limit their scoring and get them out. We might ‘complain’ about the rule but it certainly gives us a challenge and we have generally come out on top in recent years.
We decided to go for the jugular and open with Takady. Follow up with Alwin and then bowl out Kris and Moto… It did not go according to plan. A wicket to Kris was the only one we nailed and the very competent first pair motored along nicely doing exactly what we feared, knocking off exactly half the needed runs, 56, after four overs.
With the middle pair being less experienced we had to start putting on the breaks. We reset the field and ‘pop-spin king’, Kris, had ball in hand. The first one took middle stump, the next induced a runout, ball three, four and six took pad only and died as a dot, ball five got an edge and a scrambled 3. Great over and it set us on our way.
Moto was right on the money and got two dots. From Over 7 onwards the wickets began to tumble. Chris got touched up a bit but also got a runout, Alwin then bowled two. The middle overs saw 5 wickets and only 13 runs. Chris got revenge with two run-outs as the new but experienced Ota and Kobayashi knew they had to go for it (they did slip in a ‘12’ in the process). Adit entered the fray and was nigh on unhittable. Takady’s last saw a team hattrick and Adit finished them off.
The last four overs claimed 7 wickets for 8 runs! Go!Go!Ken! finished on 77 and we had a win and a bonus. Tremendous team bowling effort as we adjusted our field and lines to great effect. Of the 13 wickets we took, 9 were stumpings or run-outs as Chris and also Takady were spot on behind the stumps and the stops and returns from Adit and Alwin created those chances. We looked in trouble at 56 in four overs so it was a very satisfying win to the pick up 12 wickets for 21. Aditya got another deserved MOM.
Kris B 16/3-3 Moto 5/0-29 Alwin 16/2-15 Aditya 38/2-10 Takady 19/3-5 Chris T 17/3-15
To date the sharks have wiped the floor with all-non-Shark teams, both dispatching Wyverns and GoGo. Both teams have third placed Souths, made up of very experienced ASS members, and the not-so-experienced Boso team to face. Bulls also face the My-Ys and H’heads Senshu Uni. We are placed nicely to remain No. 1 and 2 so it will be an interesting run to the finals.
Goodbye (Ooroo) to Ryan, who is going back to Australia. He had some very memorable moments with the Sharks… He had another one on Saturday night, but finished with a good game (while it lasted), smacking 25 runs and getting a wicket. Good luck back Down Under and always wear protective gear! Avoid the ‘Pies.
