Cricket News

On Saturday 22 October, the 1st, 2nd, 10A and 9A teams started their two-day fixtures against Barker, while the remaining teams competed against either Cranbrook or Newington. The 1st XI is engaged in a delicately poised affair but the 2nd XI found the going tough batting first. The 10A put a solid bowling performance together to bowl Barker out for 115 but will now have to resurrect their batting effort going into Day 2. The 9A is in a good position but are encouraged to remain focused in order to secure victory. Congratulations to the 8As on another resounding win, this time against Cranbrook.

Neil Smallfield | Acting Cricket Co-ordinator

1st XI

The weather this week made it difficult to prepare the wicket ahead of our round 2 clash against Barker. Once the covers were peeled back and a few light showers had passed, it was just a matter of letting the sun do its job to harden up the wicket so play was possible. We managed to start play at 1 pm with Trinity winning the toss and electing to bowl. There was a little in the wicket early and Barker lost a couple of wickets, but they rallied and managed to post 6-212 by the end of the day. It was hard to defend the shorter boundaries and as the wicket flattened out wickets were harder to come by. Best of the Trinity bowling, S. Turner (10Mu) 3-12 off 13 overs and S. Newton ( 11WJ) 2-44 off 14 overs.

Andrew Payne | 1st XI coach

2nd XI

Saturday 22 October saw the 2nd XI make the dreaded trip up the Pacific Highway to face Barker on a bowling-friendly pitch at Rosewood Oval. Despite the overcast conditions above, Trinity elected to bat first with the thought that runs on the board would be our friend in this two-day fixture. This was not to be, with Barker bowling some ruthless line and length allowing the pitch to do the rest, which even saw us lose a wicket on the first ball of the game! This confidence allowed Barker to take wickets in clumps, but J. Skuse (10Ar) tried his best to steady the ship with a well-fought 29 off 37 including four boundaries. Wickets continued to fall with Trinity ultimately being bowled out for just 64 after 26 overs. However, this effort did not discourage Trinity, who started their bowling innings believing the same thing could easily happen to Barker’s batting attack if we kept our discipline with the ball and got the same rewards from the pitch. Continuing his efforts from the first innings, Jayden once again showed promise with ball in hand taking 1-9 after six overs, including four maidens. But wait, there’s more! Jayden produced a tidy direct hit run-out to dismiss Barker’s opening batter, who was motoring along and looking to cause some damage. Barker ended Day 1 at 3-79, obtaining 1st Innings points. However, Day 2 still remains and this match is not over yet. When given the chance to bat again, it will be our decision how we play the remainder of the game. Do we suffocate Barker from winning the match outright? Or do we take Barker on and then try to bowl them out cheaply, gaining 2nd innings points? That’s the beauty of cricket, we shall see next week.

Will Barlow | 2nd XI coach

10A

After a long journey up the Pacific Highway, the 10As arrived at an overcast Rosewood Oval, keen to make an impression in the first of their 2-day matches. Trinity lost the toss and was allowed the first use of the new ball. After a rusty bowling performance against Cranbrook the week before, the boys were keen to take wickets and they had the plan to do so.

Trinity bowled full and straight, attacking the stumps with aggressive fields and they were rewarded for their approach. After a good start to Barker, A. Royal (9Ar) took two wickets in two balls (3-13) thanks to an amazing reflex catch by super-sub R. Flanagan (9Fo). Mitchell Starc-esque H. McLean (9Yo) let some left-handed thunderbolts swing, thereby ensuring consistent pressure from both ends. Trinity’s medium pacers then came on and applied the same consistent pressure which led to false shots and wickets. J. Prodigalidad (9Ar) took 2-12 off 5, N. Chun (9Ho) 1-17 off 4, and M. Larrota (9Sc) finished off the tail with 2-0 off 1. The boys should be proud of their bowling and fielding efforts to bowl Barker out for 115.

Trinity knew that Barker would likewise look to attack the stumps with the ball. They knew that playing straight would be important. However, due to a lack of concentration and failure to play on the front foot and defend our stumps, we lost wickets at regular intervals. The need for survival imminent, D. Clough (9WH) dug in to see off the opening bowlers finishing with 10 off 62 balls. J. Prodigalidad (9Ar) also stepped up to hold off the Barker attack, finishing the day 0 not out off 40 balls. The boys will need to dig in next week, play straight and look to pounce on Barker’s bad deliveries and run well between the wickets in order to give themselves a chance.

Jordan Gupta | 10A coach

9A

The 9As cricket had a dominant outing on the first day of their 2-day match against Barker last Saturday. Trinity bowled their opposition out for 158 runs on a batting-friendly pitch and are currently 1/83 in response.

After losing the toss, Trinity was sent into bowl. This would be a big test for the boys, as the focus of our midweek discussion was starting with high intensity in the field. On this, they delivered. Opening bowlers J. Tsang (8We) and J. Fudeh (8Yo) restricted Barker’s run rate early on, with only 12 runs off the first six overs (compared to 45 the previous week). This placed pressure on the batsmen and led to a wicket for J. Fudeh, who ended with figures of 1-7 off his four overs.

Later on, a bowling change by captain J. Acland (8Fo) brought on A. Yee (8Ta) and L. Ellis (8Yo). This would prove to be a successful move. The boys picked up five wickets in the space of eight runs to have Barker on the ropes at 6-51. L. Ellis (8Yo) showed the effect of persistent line and length bowling which frustrated his opponents, drawing them into loose shots and resulting in wickets. He ended with figures of 3-13 off four overs. A. Yee (8Ta) displayed a masterclass in full-length fast bowling, featuring several yorkers which slowed the opposition’s scoring rate. Ashton took two consecutive wickets to set up a hat-trick ball. A feeling of déjà vu seemed to be setting in with the recollection of his hat trick last season. However, history was not to repeat itself on Saturday as the batsman kept the ball out. He ended with figures of 3-17 off eight overs.

The boys went into drinks in a commanding position. The message at drinks was to keep the pressure on and capitalise on their position to try and dismiss Barker as quickly as possible. The key was to retain high energy and not get flat in the field. However, this did not come about, which allowed Barker back into the match. Barker took the score from 6-56 to 7-117 in a disappointing run of overs for Trinity. Trinity eventually refocused with J. Acland (8Fo) and K. Huang (8Du) taking one wicket each. The last wicket came as a direct hit run out.

This left Trinity with about an hour to bat on day one. The message to openers, K. Huang (8Du) and S. Narayanan (8Hi) was to bat the hour out. If we could end the day without loss of a wicket then victory would be almost guaranteed next Saturday. The boys started very strong with good discipline. They respected good balls and showed intent to punish loose deliveries. At one point, K. Huang (8Du) expressed frustration about seemingly being on strike at the start of every over. After striking first on the next over, he dispatched the bowler for a six and two fours. Being on strike didn’t turn out too bad for Kingston after all!

The two put on a 51-run opening partnership before S. Narayanan (8Hi) was bowled for 15 by a peach of a delivery which came in before swinging away late to claim his middle stump. This brought last week’s top scorer, A. Kountouris (8Mu), to the crease. He showed immediate intent by scoring a quick single off his first ball. This pair guided Trinity to the end of the day and they ended not out on scores of 45 and 15 respectively.

Looking to the second day’s play, the biggest danger for the boys is potential complacency. However, if they go into Saturday knowing that the game is not yet won and that there is still work to be done to earn their victory, then they will have the right mindset to go out and do so. Nonetheless, I would anticipate a feeling of excitement among the boys as the potential to claim their first win for Trinity looms.

Tom Thorpe | 9A coach

8A

Coming off the back of a strong performance against Newington in last week’s trial game, the boys were keen to post a good start to the CAS season in their round one game against Cranbrook. Although dark clouds and an unfavourable weather forecast consistently threatened the day’s play, we were blessed with a dry afternoon and full match.

Winning the toss and electing to bowl, the team marched out with the collective goal of suffocating Cranbrook for runs. This task was complicated by the nature of the facilities: a synthetic pitch amidst a patchy surface and quick outfield. For this reason, it was pleasing to go into drinks with Cranbrook at 1-57. Nonetheless, throughout the back end of their innings, Cranbrook’s batsmen progressively increased their scoring rate, almost tripling their total. They closed their innings with a respectable total of 142. Special mention must go to T. Blackman (7Du) who took a spectacular airborne catch to dismiss Cranbrook’s opening batter and captain. However, as it often is with cricket, the ordinary is just as (if not more) important than the extraordinary. It was pleasing to see solid performances all-round from Trinity’s bowling line-up. Every boy who was handed the ball should be proud of their efforts.

After a quick changeover, our opening batsmen A. Jamwal (7Ho) and A. Patel (7Ta) walked out to the centre. In the lead-up to drinks, they both played very safe and steady cricket. At the 16th over Trinity was 0-55. The discussion at this juncture revolved around taking calculated risks and upping the run rate. The pair took this to heart, finishing their innings T20 style. A. Jamwal (7Ho) was run out for 27 and A. Patel (7Ta) was similarly run out for 58 in a man-of-the-match performance. From here, T. Wood (7WJ) took the reins and closed out the innings with a swift 28. Ultimately, the boys won by three overs in a textbook batting innings.

Another strong performance and a promising start to what’s going to be a great season.

Sam Vickery | 8A coach