Wins to Pups, Dragons

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CRICKET

He must be Happy Jack after that.

Bollywood High School Old Boys Pups’ Jack Whitehead-McKay has claimed top spot on the T30 Colts cricket batting leaderboard with the only half-century of Round 1.

The 14-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman hit two sixes and seven fours at first-drop in his innings of 51 retired off 28 balls in the Pups’ 104-run win against the Eastland Broncos at Nelson Park on Saturday morning.

The Year 7-10 grade retires batsmen at either 50 runs or once they have faced 30 balls, whichever comes first.

“I was patient for most of it . . . ran a few singles,” said Whitehead-McKay in reference to his innings.

“All I did really was hit the bad ball when it came along.”

He was backed up by Pups captain Hamish Swann (a run-a-ball 31 retired, with five fours), Lukas Fry (31 retired, from 28 balls, four fours) and John Broad (25 retired off 30 balls, two fours) as Pups posted 206-5 in their 30 overs.

Muzammil Khan (2-4 off two overs) and Jacob-Peter Douglas (2-25 off three) bowled well for the Broncos but the Pups’ margin of victory was 104 runs.

Pups bowlers Broad (1-5 off three overs), Swann (1-9 off two) and Rhys Grogan (1-10 off four) are all tidy seamers.

Broncos captain and opener David Gray top-scored for his new-look side with a skilful 23 in their 23 overs at the crease.

The Dnature Dragons are all class. Still, they didn’t have things all their own way, despite their two-wicket victory over the Bollywood Stars.

Stars captain Kayley Knight won the toss and chose to bat, her team making 133-7.

At the top of the order, she made 38 retired off 26 balls, with Dylan Foster’s 23-ball 22 being the other major contribution.

Opening bowler Izahn Duckworth took 2-6 off two overs and his captain, wicketkeeper-cum-seamer Sebastian Wilson, took 2-7 off 2.2 overs. Bekko Page (1-5 off three) and Nathaniel Fearnley (0-8 off three) also bowled accurately.

Wilson — who bowled last in the nine-a-side format and batted at No.8 — hit two sixes and four fours in an 11-ball innings of 31 retired.

Page, coming in at No.9, hit four consecutive fours as part of his 13-ball rush to 27 not out, while Alex Shanks — a gritty, hard-working cricketer — produced 24 runs in 37 balls.

The Stars’ left-arm spinner Riker Rolls took 2-21 off three overs and is a Year 7 bowler of real promise, while medium-pacer Connor Starck (1-4 off three) impressed with his attacking line.

The Dragons reached 134-6 to win in 19 overs.

Knight was pleased with her team’s batting effort and, in particular, a fine all-round effort by Starck, who made 18 from 30 balls at No.6.

“Considering player numbers, lack of an experienced ’keeper and the rain, 133 by us was a good performance.”