Year 9 & 10 Boys’ Cricket on Friday
After a week of torrential rain in the Northeast, the clouds parted, and the stage was set for a cracking day of Year 10 boys’ cricket. The team took a quick bus journey down to the South Wangaratta Rec Reserve, only to find that the playing surface was more suitable for a swimming carnival than a junior cricket fixture. One local resident who was walking past with their dog claimed that a family of ducks was paddling about over near the sight screen at the far end. Phone calls were made, and the teams scrambled back to the Wangaratta High School oval, aka ‘the home of cricket’, for what was sure to be a tight contest with Victory Lutheran College.
Winning the toss, home captain Ned O’Kane channelled the aura of Steve Waugh in the first test match at Chennai in 2001, sending the visitors in to bat on what looked like slightly-less damp conditions at the High.
After a close shout for caught behind in the first over, Ned drew first blood in his second over with an excellent Yorker, sending one of Victory’s openers back to the sheds for one run. Euca Boonzaayer struck next, with their number three batter spooning one to the cover fieldsman. Victory’s other opening began dishing out some pain for the WHS boys, dispatching anything short and wide with disdain. In one of the shrewder moves since Ricky Ponting threw the ball to Michael Clarke at the SCG in 2008 to save the match, captain O’Kane turned to Jack Lockhart for the breakthrough wicket, with some great wicketkeeping from Tom Ford resulting in a tough chance snared down the leg side. Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals, with Tom and Jack Ford chiming in for two and three wickets each, respectively. Victory finished their overs 8 wickets down for 110 runs, leaving a huge chase for WHS.
Ned O’Kane and Euca Boonzaayer strode out to the crease to open to batting as lunch time was approaching at the High. Students began to filter outside and lined the boundary with anticipation, eagerly watching on. O’Kane put the bowling attack to the sword, playing several powerful shots before chipping a craftily disguised slower ball to mid-off. Boonzaayer was watchful, stonewalling his opponents in an effort many spectators likened to that of Francois du Plessis at the Adelaide Oval in 2012. Eventually he was dismissed for 13, but not after hitting the only 6 of the innings, to the jovial cheers of many an onlooker. Tom Ford and Hamish Tanner partnered up to steady the ship for WHS. Ford played a short cameo innings filled with dashing strokeplay, finding gaps in the field with the precision of a seasoned cardiac surgeon. He looked to be on a roll as he pummelled another ball down the ground, unfortunately straight into the hands of a fielder on the boundary. Tanner played more of a controlling innings, punching the ball into gaps, with the pro-WHS crowd cheering on his every run. ‘My goodness gracious, that’s bodacious’, exclaimed a loquacious young year 7 student, watching on from the FLC boundary area as Tanner pulled a short ball for a one-bounce four. Jack Preston, Jack Lockhart, Harvey Cook and Ryley Downing all came and went while Tanner was batting. None being able to go the distance with him. Eventually Hamish was run out on the last ball of the innings for 17, as the team fell 42 runs shy of the target.
The game was played in great spirits, with both teams having a go and sharing some wisecracks on the field. Thanks to Mr. Jud Mullins and Ms. Sandy Newman for organising and assisting with the late venue change, and a huge thank you to all the students and staff who came along and watched some of the game at lunch time. The boys on the team really enjoyed that!
- Morgan Clark