The South East under 18 cricket team has been denied a second round win in the Jeffrey Cup by an unsporting “Mankadding” wicket.
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Star batsman Tom Kellar was “Mankadded” – the bowler stumping the wickets at the non-batting end – which is allowed under the rules, but considered very poor form.
“He was going to win the game for sure, him and Jack Allen were batting really well, but when he was out it just changed the whole diagram and we struggled to find the runs,” team coach Adam Blacka said.
“It’s unsportsmanlike and we’re not real happy about it.”
Thanks to the move, the Shoalhaven won the round by a single run – 117 over the South East’s 116-run total.
Despite the sour finish, Blacka said the Cup was providing a wealth of experience to a key age group in the local competition.
“We had a lot of raw talent, but hopefully these boys have learned a bit about cricket and can step up to the next level,” Blacka said.
“You’re talking mostly 16-year-olds playing in the under 18 draw and teams like Cricket ACT are just another level.”
The team had a Saturday morning loss in Bega to the visitors, before two matches in Queanbeyan on Sunday.
“It was really good to see the boys to step up even from the Saturday - they learned so much to take into Sunday to see the difference even in one day was amazing to be a part of as coach.”
Blacka said the team only came together a few weeks before the carnival and it was a phenomenal effort to claim a draw against Goulburn, while putting up a fight against Canberra and Shoalhaven.
He praised Jay Stafford from Kameruka, who was clinical in containing the strong teams.
“He was definitely the one that impressed us, early you can only have two players outside the ring so these teams were attacking hard, but he bowled really well to keep them tight,” the coach said.
He also praised Jack Allen, who impressed with both bat and ball where Blacka said his weekly experience in the high ACT grades were showing on the pitch.
Blacka said the team also has a bright future, with potential for two more years in the draw for most of the players.
“I picked a side that I knew would be around for years to come - the best thing is that the boys have learned it's not that much above them and their skills are probably on par,” he said.
As a former top level cricketer, Blacka said he hoped to coach the boys again next year and share his skills with them.
“It's about learning the actual game and being an over ahead – all the subtleties and tactics of it.”
“It is only going to improve our local cricket - these guys are the age group we need to step up and take over the cricket clubs and build the future.”