Deputy Principal

Winning Edge

While Australia won the World Cup in Cricket on Sunday night, it was great for me to be able to also witness another thrilling game of cricket over the weekend. On Saturday afternoon I went to Oakhill College to watch the final twenty overs of the First XI Cricket match. By luck of the draw, we played Oakhill two weeks in a row and having beaten them last week, this week they set us a total of 210 to chase down.

The team were travelling along nicely but as I got there, we lost three quick wickets, and I asked their coach Mr Simpson if he wanted me to leave. As the game started to edge in Oakhill’s favour, with the run rate required getting up to six an over, Mr Simpson confirmed that we just needed a couple of good overs to get the match back under control and that all would be okay. 

A few minutes later Josh Malone and Charlie Gray hit the ball around the ground and steered us back into contention with the pressure put squarely back on the bowlers. Just as the game looked comfortable, Josh was out and in came Justin Ryan. He pushed a quick single on the final ball of the second last over which meant he was facing strike as the new batsman. With six balls remaining, he needed to get to the other end so Charlie who was the in-form batsman could get strike. After a couple of balls, he did just that, and all sudden scores were tied with one ball remaining. As I jumped out of my seat, I was quickly told by the other players in the First XI to sit back down as superstition meant that you had to stay put! I sat back down, and the bowler ran in, and Charlie Gray smashed the final ball to the boundary to win the game by four runs! 

The camaraderie that these group of young men have built up already this season is great to see. They were supported by their parents who all witnessed a remarkable win. They are a credit to not only themselves, but also to their parents and the College.

Adrian Byrne

Deputy Principal