By ANDREW COOK

With football season now in the rearview mirror and some sunny days reminding everyone that summer is on the way, Delatite’s Under 16s started their 2025/26 cricket season on Saturday.

With the turf pitch at Lords oval not quite ready to go, the team’s first home game of the season was held at the Arundel Street oval in Benalla, against Greta.

Elected that morning by the playing group, new captain Koby Middleton won the toss and selected to bat, hoping to make the most of a damp outfield to quickly soften the new ball.

Middleton was accompanied by Felix O’Meara and they began carefully but steadily, punishing poor balls while keeping out straight ones.

When wickets began to fall, Middleton played the classic captain’s knock to hold up one end, eventually retiring on 31 and saving himself to come back in if needed.

This proved to be the case as only one other batter made it into double-figures, Will Benton making 12 off 18 balls.

Delatite finished on 9/79, with the best of Greta’s bowlers being Austin Morris taking a triple-wicket maiden in his second over to finish on 3/11.

To nobody’s surprise, Delatite’s opening bowler was last season’s U16 league-leading wicket-taker, Nixen Martin.

Accompanied by his brother Cooper at the other end, both bowlers drew early edges from the openers, but a vacant slips cordon meant almost certain wickets were instead free runs down to third man.

Once Greta’s openers overcame their first-game-of-the-season nerves they soon hit out at any loose deliveries, and raced to 28 for no loss from five overs.

The introduction of Will Benton saw fortunes change somewhat, taking two wickets in four balls.

The runs continued however, with Greta reaching 2/47 by the end of the eight over, comfortably passing the half-way point of the target with plenty of overs in hand.

The introduction of Josh Cook (2/4 from three overs) and Finnigan Stokes (1/6 off two) put the brakes on Greta’s chase, both Cook and Stokes drawing batters into false shots with consistent, perfectly-positioned deliveries.

However runs soon flowed again (despite the best efforts of Nixen Martin and Harry Berg, taking 1/1 each from their next overs), and Greta passed the victory target in the 17th over.

Delatite will rue the three dropped catches that would have upended Greta’s innings, and will surely be a focus at training this week.

The U16s will face Wangaratta Magpies in their first two-day game for the season, and while the team’s core is strong the team and club are keen to grow the list and encourage any of Mansfield’s teenagers who are keen on cricket to reach out to the club and join up.