Game 2 v NSW Country 8/1/12

After having played many warm up games against our New South Wales Country cousins – a team consisting of many of the winning State Cup Central Coast side – today was a day when the crop failed and the sheep were fleeced. Under cloudy and miserable skies – and a torrential overnight downpour or two - we ran out eventual victors 24-7 in a romp at the end. Overnight and in the morning, no play was predicted but the characteristically bleak Melbourne weather proved unpredictable. We started on time at 9.00am.

However early on our propensity to both score – and leak – runs was as entertaining as it was alarming. Dean Frew again got amongst it (2/3), as did Philibossian (2/3), Mayo (2/3), Hunt (2/3) and Moran (2/3). We struggled early (down 6-7 after two completed innings) and some more errors spoilt the party. Dyer and Philibossian, our pivots, were the unlucky ones today. However, there was some good work amongst the field generally.



James started at centre field again and did not have to do anything bar one bleeder dropping in front of him with him rounding in a skidding high bounce on the wet Astroturf field and hurling it to a just safe runner at third.

No outfield catches were hit or taken.

Simply put, New South Wales Country were dominated outside of the very good work of one of the NSW discards (who played in James’ winning U/14 National Champions Team last year) and one of James’ good Cronulla baseball mates – Bailey Musulin (3/3) – who found himself as a catcher left out of the catcher-rich NSW squad. His revenge was sweet, hitting us strongly and consistently.



At the plate James had three bats. He skied one long and deep to right field and was caught, nonetheless securing a key run for the team at a tight moment in the game. He then scored another run with a ball just past but to their second base fielder – and finished with a walk from a pitcher who walked five batters. Solid team play, but nothing flashy. A bit like him.

Players were soon leaving their bats in the dugout and instead taking walkathon sponsorship cards up to the umpire at this stage of the game.

Brad Simon and Gavin Dixon both pitched strongly. As younger players – who are both well over six foot at the age of 14 - who can play again next year, this was a huge plus.

In the crowd were a number of scouts, with one pictured here, good enough to pose for me.



By game’s end there was sunshine on the field, but not in the NSW Country dugout. The Melbourne weather happily sunburnt the unsuspecting Sydney siders. In the end, the Country team were swamped but had held their better pitchers back from playing us. Tournament play requires tough decisions surrounding pitching rotations. Our challenges with pitching lie ahead.