MANSFIELD’S two U12 teams faced off against each other on Saturday in the second Delatite Derby, with the kids given the pre-Christmas treat of playing on the turf pitch of Lords Oval. Gold won the toss and after some back-and-forth they chose to bat, hoping that the dewy outfield would quickly take the shine off the ball. This proved to be the case, however it did not stop Blue’s opening bowlers from keeping a tight line and length and restricting early runs. Billy Briggs snagged two wickets from the top order, bowling opener Callum Logan-Williams and Gold captain Cecily Smith. Most of the remaining Gold batting line up saw out their allotted balls with little trouble, the lack of runs off the bat made up for by runs donated by the bowlers through extras. Near the end of the innings Ethan Jones returned from retirement and for a second week in a row his hustle and eagerness to score late-innings runs paid off, Gold boosting their final tally to 74 by making 11 runs in the last over. Briggs picked up the best bowling with 2/5, while Jay Kancherla continued his good recent form by top-scoring with 10. Blue looked set to capitalize on the now dry outfield, with three of the club’s top five run-scoring batters in their line-up. Jones however ensured that Blue got off to a rocky start, claiming the scalp of Briggs in the second over with his first ball. Opener Xavier Heaysman alongside Roy Mercieca dug in and batted excellently, and when they and Noah Heaysman retired, Blue looked well on track for an easy victory, reaching the half-way mark at 1/46. However in what is proving to be a familiar scene this season, once the top order has departed the runs dried up, the next four batters retiring with no more than one run to their names. At the end of the seventeeth over Blue still needed fourteen runs to win from the last three overs, but a runout and a wicket to Beau Anstee brought retirees Xavier Heaysman and Mercieca back to the crease to give Blue the lift they needed. They proceeded to scored off nine of the next 11 balls and brought Blue home for the win, Mercieca top scoring with 14. Jones was the best of the Gold bowlers with 1/3 off two overs. A hybrid team made up of both Gold and Blue will play one further game for the year next Saturday in Benalla against Yarrawonga Mulwala, before enjoying a well-earned rest over the Christmas and New Year’s break.
