Cricket News

On Saturday 29 October, all teams competed against Barker and while some teams found the going tough, there were also some tightly fought contests. The 9A is to be congratulated on their impressive first innings victory and the 8A were unlucky to lose in a last-over thriller. However, the most remarkable performance of the weekend came from the 10A team. They were 6-25 chasing 115 going into Day 2 and had an uphill battle to climb. Despite this, they showed immense character and resilience to stay in the contest and, in the end, only lost by eight runs! While the team’s collective performance is always what matters most, there were also some notable individual achievements: T. Bermingham’s (9Mu) 69 for the 1st XI, Joel Prodigalidad’s (9Ar) 52 for the 10A, K. Huang’s (8Du) 63 for the 9A and the overall improvement in the 9B’s batting, bowling and fielding. As always, there are too many individual performances and memorable team moments to mention here, but please read the match reports below for more information.

Neil Smallfield | Acting Cricket Co-ordinator

 

1st XI

Day 2 of our second round clash with Barker College was played out in glorious sunshine. Barker was 6-212 overnight and continued batting to finally post a score of 316 all out. Best bowling included S. Turner (10Mu) 3-37, S. Newton (11WJ) 2-53 & C. Williams (10La) 2-69. Trinity started their innings well and were 2-94 early on. However, losing 4-25 in the middle of the innings made any hope of chasing down 316 a distant memory. Trinity was bowled out for 175 and suffered a first-innings loss. Best of the batting, T. Bermingham (9Mu) 69 and K. Thapa (10We) 32.

Andrew Payne | 1st XI Coach

 

2nd XI

The 2nd XI returned to Barker hoping to play a positive brand of cricket and chase an outright win by reversing the disappointing first innings result from the previous week. We were disappointed that Barker chose a defensive tactic to continue batting, but the boys maintained their positive mindset regardless.

The bowling attack worked in harmony to restrict Barker to 129, taking 7-50 on the day, with S. Wadhera (11Ke), L. Demark (10Sc), T. Dawson (10Ta) and I. Wyatt (11WJ) all finishing with multiple wickets. The challenge from there, with only 37 overs remaining in the day, was to post a quick-fire total in our second innings, declare and send Barker back in. P. Dawson (10La) made 42 not out off 45 balls and S. Wadhera (11Ke) also blasted a rapid 41 before a few quick wickets fell as the boys chased a timely and competitive total.

At the final drinks break, with Trinity 5-101, it was decided that no further result could be achieved and hands were shaken. While the end result went against us, there were many positives from both days for the boys to take into future fixtures.

Nigel Cowell | 2nd XI Coach

 

10A

The 10A arrived at Rosewood Oval bright and early, very aware of the mammoth task that faced them on Day 2 of their fixture against Barker. Reduced to 6-25 on Day 1, in response to Barker’s 115, Trinity’s first aim was to avoid the follow-on. H. McLean (9Yo) and J. Prodigalidad (9Ar) walked to the crease, without a cloud in the sky, in what were brilliant conditions for batting. After defending well and leaving even better, the Barker bowlers started to tire and become impatient. This led to some loose bowling which H. McLean (9Yo) was able to place superbly through the field and start the run flow for Trinity. Harry off the mark after not too long. The tension was building. After steadying the ship the previous week, J. Prodigalidad (9Ar) had been feeling the pressure from his teammates to get off the mark. But after his 75th ball, J. ‘Dravid’ Prodigalidad got off the mark with a glorious pull shot. However, in awe of this first run, H. McLean’s (9Yo) concentration slipped and he fell, spooning a full ball to the close-in fielder, the score 7-33. This brought P. Thomson (9Sc) to the crease. He proved an ample partner and their partnership flourished. In what seemed like no time at all, P. Thompson (9Sc) was dismissed for 12 on the last ball before drinks, the score at 8-61.

After drinks, the boys (ecstatic to have avoided the follow-on) started to relax and dig in. L. ‘Giggles’ Stevens (9We) partnered J. Prodigalidad (9Ar) and they began a brilliant partnership. The tiring Barker bowlers produced some wide deliveries and Trinity was not going to miss out. The pair built a 38-run partnership, including some exquisite driving and placement from L. Stevens (9We) through the slip cordon for a beautiful boundary. Unfortunately, he then lost his middle stump, the score 9-99, leaving A. Worsfold (9WJ) with the best seat in the house to spectate the masterclass that his batting partner was putting on. After taking 75 deliveries to get off the mark, J. Prodigalidad (9Ar) was finally dismissed for 52 off 158 balls, including eight boundaries. It was a truly special experience to watch it all unfold. Whilst they didn’t win the game, the boys are truly beginning to believe in themselves and, most importantly, they are enjoying their cricket. There truly isn’t a more tense and special sport to be a part of, Trinity all out for 107, just eight runs shy of their target. I can only be excited to see what the team can produce for the rest of the season!

Jordan Gupta | 10A Coach

 

9A

The 9As capitalised on their dominant position from the previous week to secure a first innings win against Barker. Barker scored 158 in their first innings, which Trinity chased down with six wickets remaining.

The second day began much like the first day ended. K. Huang (8Du) sent loose opposition bowling to the boundary on several occasions. He quickly brought up his half-century, the first one ever in this side. He was well accompanied by A. Kountouris (8Mu) who showed a similar intent and found the gap, and hence the boundary, multiple times. Perhaps more impressively, the pair exhibited mature vision and understanding of fielder locations to pick off many singles. They put together a 63-run partnership. K. Huang (8Du) and A. Kountouris (8Mu) ended up getting dismissed for 63 and 35 respectively.

The fall of these wickets brought J. Acland (8Fo) and H. Turner (8Ta) to the crease. The boys quickly took the scoreline over the 159 needed to win. The decision was made to continue batting in an effort to secure an outright win. There was thus a need to increase the run rate to score as many runs as possible and maximise the time available to bowl Barker out for a second time. The batting pair displayed control and skill in going about achieving this. They dispatched the bowling all over the field, including several sixes. J. Acland (8Fo) ended with 45 runs, while H. Turner (8Ta) scored 22.

Next came M. Flynn (8Ho) and L. Luzzani (8Ta). They were presented with the difficult task of maintaining the high run rate as the opening bowlers came back on. L. Luzzani (8Ta) was unfortunately dismissed early on in his innings and this brought J. Hendry (8Ta) to the crease. The new pair combined to add 15 more runs to the total and both of them ended not out. Trinity declared at 6-206, leaving a 48-run first innings lead and Barker one hour to bat.

The second bowling innings had an exhilarating start. Opening bowler A. Yee (8Ta) steamed in on the first ball of the innings. The ball angled in before darting away and claiming the top of the middle stump – a wicket to open up! The boys went wild. The scene was reminiscent of Mitchell Starc’s first ball Ashes wicket last year. You could almost hear Adam Gilchrist going off in the commentary box. Trinity could not have hoped for a better start. L. Ellis (8Yo) opened up from the other end. The difference in pace between these two bowlers caused trouble for the batsmen. The fourth ball of L. Ellis’ (8Yo) second over started on the stumps, drawing a shot from the batsman, before moving away and taking an edge. The catch was taken at wicketkeeper by A. Kountouris (8Mu). The very next ball was a perfect repeat and claimed another wicket. These events left Barker reeling at 3-18. However, Barker was able to steady and ended the day without losing any more wickets. The match ended as a first-innings victory for Trinity.

A quick look at the MyCricket statistics for the 9A competition shows A. Yee (8Ta) and L. Ellis (8Yo) as the leading wicket-takers two matches in. A. Kountouris (8Mu) and K. Huang (8Du) rank 4th and 6th on the batting records. This is a great accomplishment. It should inspire these boys and others to continue pursuing excellence as a part of the team.

This was the team’s first win since they started in Year 7. It should give them the confidence to continue putting together strong performances and hopefully continue the established momentum. As expressed last week, the boys should not become complacent following their victory. They should instead use the feeling as motivation to push for more glory.

Thomas Thorpe | 9A Coach

 

8A

Coming off the back of a strong win against Cranbrook, the Trinity 8A side was confident in their skill set leading into Saturday’s fixture against Barker. That said, there was widespread pre-game consensus that Barker fielded a strong side; it was set to be a good battle.

After losing the toss and being sent in to bowl, it became clear early on that Barker had an aggressive mindset; they proved to be strong strikers of the ball and ambitious runners between the stumps. For a while it seemed like the scoreboard was getting away from us. However, a flurry of quick wickets put an end to this and the runs began to subside. This considered, it was pleasing to go into drinks with Barker sitting on a mere 3-48 (16). Nonetheless, as a great man once said, “complacency kills athletes”. Trinity marched back onto the field knowing that applying pressure was just as important now as it was at the start; we managed to do just this and bowl Barker out for 97 in the 32nd over. A. Jamwal (7Ho) and M. Prideux (7WH) were the pick of the day’s bowlers. The former ended with figures of 2-11 (7), the latter with 2-9 (3); both impressive numbers.

Although 97 appears a small sum, Trinity was acutely aware that the outfield was slow and that runs would be hard-earned. Thus, the emphasis of the innings huddle was dropping and running to consistently pick up quick singles. Although we got off to a strong start several quick wickets fell and our run rate dried up. Ultimately, we went into the final over needing 17 runs to win and it seemed all hope was lost. That was until A. Lee (7Ta) took strike and hit 11 runs (and ran one bye) off the final over in a man-of-the-match performance. Despite his best efforts, the boys fell four runs short of the total. Special mention should also go to C. Viola (7St), H. Ingram (7Sc) and T. Henry (7Ta) for their effort in the tail and their good drive to push for quick singles.

Although we didn’t seal the result we hoped for, it was a great day of cricket. Going forward, we need to work on aggression in our running between the wickets.

Sam Vickery | 8A Coach