Bulldogs struggle against Warratahs

The Bankstown Sports Club Bulldogs crashed to defeat at the hands of Manly at Memorial Oval last Weekend. The Waratahs batted first on Saturday and performed aggressively to score 8-334. The Bulldog bowlers tried enthusiastically to contain the visitors in ideal conditions. Promising Rhys Williams and Ben Taylor were very accurate and applied the brakes to the Seagulls batsmen. Williams used his height and pace to rattle Manly with many lethal deliveries which helped him claim 3-58. He removed three of the top order batsmen in his fiery spell including century maker Lenton. Nathan McAndrew worked up good pace and took 1-20 in a very economical 10 overs. Taylor continues to impress and was rewarded with 2 scalps. On Sunday, the Bulldogs hardly raised a whimper and collapsed for a paltry 145. The very much in form Jake Cormack tried valiantly to get the Bulldogs barking however his defiant 68 not out was a lone hand and he lacked support. Next week the Bulldogs play the Campbelltown Ghosts in a two-day fixture at Raby Oval. Bankstown will play Sydney Uni in the semi-final of the 50 overs competition at Memorial on 18th February. Second grade The Waratahs 2-307 at Manly proved too many for the Bulldogs who struggled to 201 in reply. Joel Brockley top scored with a fighting 49 which followed his magnificent century last week. Jacob Malcolm added a useful 25 in fine style whilst Liam Marshall was in good touch with 23. Number 11 Wallace Marshall batted more like number 3 with a defiant unconquered 23 and claimed all-rounder status. Third grade Bankstown scored 185 at Jensen thanks to a brilliant 60 from classy opener Peter Dignam. It was a crucial innings from the very talented youngster who looks set for a stellar career. Jehan Bilimoria chimed in with a very handy 41 which kept the Bulldogs barking loudly. In reply Manly capitulated for 179 with the loss of 8 wickets. The deadly accuracy of swing bowler Alex Schipp claimed 2-28 and both victims were clean bowled. Daniel Slane kept Manly grounded with 2-37 whilst Niran Wijewardene applied plenty of pressure with 2-43. Brad Simpson was right on target and conceded just 28 runs from his 10 overs. Andrew Dietz was in great form behind the stumps and looks a very promising keeper/batsman. It is great to see the names Bourne, Bilimoria, Dignam and Dietz appear for Bankstown as they all hold a special place in the Club’s history. Fourth grade Bankstown’s humble 163 was far too many for Manly who could cobble together only a paltry 109. The Bulldogs top order started confidently but wickets tumbled frequently after the good opening. Mat Kelly scored a useful 20 at the top of the order which included one enormous six. Ryan Malcolm chimed in with a classy 29 whilst Mansukh Singh was in top form with an eye catching 30. Singh looked full of confidence in a very stylish knock. The tail wagged defiantly with Ethan Debono hitting 16 off nearly a run a ball. Mohammad Hossain added a quick-fire 18 with three punishing boundaries whilst Chris Stefanish showed his all-round worth with a very useful 18. When Manly batted Hossain ripped into them and claimed three of their top five batsmen. He finished with 3-19 and had the Waratahs grounded from the outset. Jackson Isakka clean bowled opener Brewster then destroyed the tail to claim 4-44 from 10 lively overs. Skipper Mat Kelly once again led his troops from the front to capture 3-21 and complete a resounding victory against the competition leaders. Fifth grade The fifths tumbled to defeat at Grahame Thomas when they could only score 150 in reply to the Manly total of 7-197. Captain Alex Kouventaris claimed 2-29 in his extremely accurate 10 over spell. Daniel Carr was once again right on target with 3-45 from his probing and accurate 10 overs. The irrepressible Kouventaris once again completed a great match with a fighting 55. The skipper pounded 8 sizzling boundaries and a spectacular six in his defiant knock. Lawson Clark showed promise with his solid 23 but the rest of the batting was disappointing.