Page 49 - West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook Cricket Club Yearbook 2014-15

UNDER 15 ARMIDALE TOUR REPORT
ARMIDALE TOUR – WALTER TAYLOR SHIELD
This January Brendan Flynn and I led a team of keen Under 15 players (and their equally keen support crews) to Armidale for a week of regional representative level cricket.
The team motel provided headquarters for post game analysis, strategy sessions, team laundry, BBQs and swimming. After breaching the motel’s conservative noise policy on the first night, we came to an understanding with management and avoided further altercations.
The cricket was competitive and of a very high standard, as we have come to expect at these country carnivals.
First up we met Penrith at Lambert Park, a picture postcard ground complete with plenty of trees, a picket fence and a turf pitch. Play was delayed slightly as the grounds staff worked to ensure the pitch was in tip top condition for our boys (much like Saturdays at our local grounds). Penrith got off to a flyer putting on 244 for loss of just 2 wickets. We knew we weren’t in Cherrybrook any longer. Our boys replied with 6/129 with Matt Carpenter and Brent Larkham high scoring.
Day two saw us take on the hosts Armidale back at Lambert Park. We bowled Armidale out in 39 overs for 131 then won the match with 4/134 in 45 overs. Haydn Murray took 3 catches to the delight of the TV camera crew who setup by where he was fielding (see screen grab from the TV news below). Wickets were shared with Gian, Cameron, Ryan and Asees taking 2 each.
Day three saw us play two 25 over games, first against Northern Districts then another game in the afternoon against the hosts . In the Northern Districts game we batted first and put on 6/93 with Brent Larkham and Josh Banner top scoring. Northern Districts chased down the runs with little trouble in 19 overs.
The afternoon Armidale re-match was an absolute cracker. Coming off their shock loss to a club team, Armidale were in no mood to repeat Monday’s result. Armidale batted first and put on 6 for117 off their 25 overs, with Gian Glll and Josh Banner each taking 2 wickets. Then was our turn to bat. Runs seemed to come at glacial speed as parents paced the boundary. The game looked all but lost after 23 overs, with WPHCCC needing 24 runs off two overs. But Haydn Murray switched on his afterburners and a quick cameo from Rhys Flynn, including a boundary, left us requiring 3 runs off the last ball for an upset win. Rhys scored 2 runs off the final ball, leaving him 6 runs from 2 balls not out, and the game was tied. The reactions by both teams were telling, with Armidale clearly disappointed at not securing the win, and our boys ecstatic at the tied result – when defeat had seemed inevitable only a few balls earlier.
This result saw us play Hunter Valley on day four in a 25 over match to play off for 4th spot overall. Hunter Valley batted first and struggled against our bowling attack managing 58 runs all out in the 20th over. Matt Carpenter 3/9 and Ryan Gunn 3/6. Our boys batted and reached the target in 15 overs with Josh Banner and Brent Larkam top scoring.
With that our Armidale tour came to an end with us finishing 4th overall.
One of the highlights each evening was to assemble back at the motel to catch the evening TV news, as the sports news contained a daily wrap of the Walter Taylor Shield. WPHCCC featured heavily and below is a grab showing Haydn Murray celebrating a catch in the match against Arimdale.
I thoroughly recommend these country carnivals for our players and for the parents and supporters who come along.
Julian Bish
Team Manager Armidale U15 Tour 2015
Haydn Murray celebrates a catch on the TV The carnival was covered each evening on the TV sports news. highlights package
48