Page 45 - West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook Cricket Club Yearbook 2017-18

UNDER 14 - TEAM REPORTS
The U14s fielded 2 teams and were all very competitive this season. At the beginning of the season, it was a bit of a challenge to field 2 teams due to the low number of players returning from last season. This was mainly due to some players enrolling in private schools and was mandatory to represent their schools in sports. Thanks to a few new registrations to the Club and couple of players playing an age group up, we had 27 players to form the 2 teams. Regretfully I had to turn away 2-3 players (late registrations) as the 2 teams were full and there weren’t enough to form a third team. I would like to advise players (current and new to the club) to register as early as possible to avoid any disappointment.
Our White team performed extremely well throughout the season and were placed 3rd in the ladder. Unfortunately due to the low number of teams in the competition (only 6 teams) there were no semis played. Therefore, White team could not qualify to progress to the Grand Final, though they had all the skills of a finalist team, beating one of the finalists in a preliminary round. The Blue team was placed 5th in the ladder and Cameron Tunks was outstanding being ranked second in the HK&HDC Association scoring 541 runs at an average of 77 (7 half centuries with a highest score of 77 not out).
Thank you to all the coaches, managers, umpires and scorers who dedicated their time and support.
Duminda Thenuwara – U14s Age Coordinator
The U14 Blue team was a new look team this year with players coming from various WPHCC teams from the previous season. The boys came together well and although there were varying levels of ability, all played well together and more importantly had a fun season of cricket.
While the team finished 5th on the ladder, the Blues were by no means the easy beats. With some very close games and even beating the minor premiers in a nail biting T20 at the end of the season.
Each member of the team contributed in some way with some highlights being- Luchith’s maiden 50 against Hornsby, Cory’s brilliant opening bowling, Ritish’s gutsy digs with the bat, Kieran’s excellent fast bowling, awesome wicket keeping from Evan & Oscar, some great 50’s from Cameron and Oscar, Seth & Stefan’s improved bowling, great team men and ever enthusiastic Luke and Nikil, Hiresh’s 3 wickets in one over against Hornsby and Ratul’s excellent bowling and fielding. With all improving by the end of the season.
Thanks to the parents who helped and supported me during the season, from stepping in the assist with training, scoring, umpiring, setting up the field etc. It was all appreciated and contributed to the boy’s season. I look forward to seeing you all back next year.
Andrew Tunks – Coach, U14 Blue team
Most of the White core team had been same from last season when team had made to the grand final. There were new faces in the team with mixed skill sets to make it a good balanced side. This was a great start to the season with team gelling together from the very start and continuing that throughout the season.
The team was bit rusty to start the season losing their first three matches. After this wins started to come with some positive cricket and team/individual player confidences increasing as the season progressed. Our team lost just one more game in the remaining season matches and finished season 3rd on the ladder. Unfortunately with only six teams in the competition, there were no semi finals and the teams did not get chance to play further.
The main highlight for me was the positive mindset and approach that players developed through the season, with which they could apply to improve overall. There were 6 individual scores of 50+ among 4 batsmen and 3+ wickets taken 5 times among 4 bowlers, some of these being their best career batting/ bowling performances. A very rewarding season for me to be coaching such good bunch of young players and am sure they will keep getting enjoyment from playing this great game for years to come!
Tarun Lath – Coach, U14 White team
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