Page 77 - West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook Cricket Club

UNDER 14 – TEAM REPORTS
U14 Blue
Another successful year for the Blue team with few hiccups early in the season which put us no 5 in the ladder, otherwise we could have been the champions. Last game of the season was the unforgettable one. Even though we lost by two runs, the kids showed their commitment and fighting spirit against Castle Hill RSL White, No 1 in the ladder. Most of us ended up with tears by feeling the bravery and never give up attitude from the bunch of young kids.
The success of the Blue team is the team spirit and we were lucky to add two great players, Tom and Blake, into the team this season to lift our team bowling, batting and wicketkeeping strength for Season 2020/21. There was a marked improvement in the skill level from all players this season which led to the team showing some outstanding performances, picking up some fantastic wins, but also fighting hard against some tough opposition. There were a couple of inconsistent days when a few top guns were unavailable, but that’s something that can be worked on to improve the win ratio next season!
Among the Batsmen there were some excellent performances, 3 Half Centuries were scored by Nadil and 1 each by Riley, Ben, Archie and Blake - Congratulations! With some good totals from Alex, Akash, Tom, Isaak and Hunter as well – there was some fierce and healthy competition each match for each of these to do their best and top the run scorers list. Dylan was able to contribute with useful runs whenever he got a chance. Big improvement compared to the last season!
Nadil and Archie batted with form and consistency and Nadil won the Batting Award - 280 runs @ 46.6 HS: 50* and Archie was just few runs behind- 271 runs @ 67.7 HS 51*. Archie hit seven sixers during the season and best in the club in hitting sixes! Archie wins the Team Player of the Year.
Tom, our new wicketkeeper showed his great skills behind the stumps as our top wicket keeper snaring 4 catches and 5 runouts.
The bowling was stronger than last season with Ben and Isaak both were firing some unplayable deliveries. Ben bowled fast and improved his accuracy to win the Bowling Award – 13wkts @ 8.5 BB: 3/3. Isaak finished the season with 8wks, but his bowling against Castle Hill RSL White was one of the best bowling we have seen during the season. Great spin bowling from Akash and accurate fast bowling from Riley always helped us to restrict oppositions to a smaller total. In addition, there were strong bowling performances which got wickets whenever required, from Nadil, Alex, Archie, Hunter, and Blake. Dylan’s bowling improved a lot and we were able to see his piercing attacks with some top teams. Laxman’s spin bowling reached another level and he contributed by taking wickets of some good batters throughout the season.
Ben stepped up as captain and did a wonderful job throughout the season. All the players enjoyed each other’s successes and were always supportive of their teammates and respectful of the opposition. They showed excellent sportsmanship and were always happy and keen to play throughout what was a crazy season weatherwise!
A big thank you to Steve for managing the team and Grant for sharing the coaching throughout the season, and to all the Mums and Dads who helped make 2020/21 another enjoyable season.
Badde Jayakody -Coach
Under 14– Red | 2020-21 Season Report
Congratulations to the Under 14 Red Team for a fantastic 2020-21 cricket season. The consistent effort from all players throughout the season delivered the best result the team has ever had, qualifying for the finals for the first time. Unfortunately, the team didn’t get to make their long-awaited finals series debut, with the rain washing out their semi-final match up against Castle Hill. Oh well, something positive to build on going into next season.
At the start of the season, we welcomed Arnav to the team, a competent bowler who immediately added even more value to the team’s bowling stocks. After the Christmas break however, we lost one of our foundation players, Zach Hawkins, whose family made the move back to Melbourne in January. Zach is a talented cricketer, both with ball and bat. To the team’s credit, they overcame this loss, and continued their consistent form through to the end of the season. Each player should feel proud of how they contributed to the team, but also pleased with the development and progress they have made individually.
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