Well my time in Sydney is coming to its conclusion with only 6 weeks left.  I can safely say this has been the best experience in my life to date and I would recommend it to any fellow cricketer, even if the weather has been like back home at times.  The last report was before Christmas and things were not going just to plan but things have picked up in 2008.  For the last round against Blacktown I got the good news that I was selected to play 2^nd grade for the first time.

 

The first game to report on straight after the New Year was the highly competitive Poidevin-Gray Shield competition.  The teams are usually strong at this age group of U-21 with your talented Aussie 1^st graders breaking through and pushing into the NSW state team.  So this game against St George I can say I was very nervous about opening the batting, I felt this was my chance to really get the tour on the road for me.  It was such a hot day and I was delighted to see the skipper giving us the batting signal from the middle.  The game was at the village green our first grade ground so the wicket was a good Australian road!  My opening partner Mitch Gowland runs between the wickets like a whippet so I would have to be on my toes.  We got of to a great start and we had an opening stand of 93 before mithcy went caught behind.  The thing I enjoyed most about that partnership was watching the opposition team get progressively quieter as we kept going without losing a wicket, it’s something that usually doesn’t happen to the aussies (be quiet).  I then departed for 43 of 60 balls which I was pretty happy with against that attack because their openers both played 1^st grade.  I was caught at mid off trying to go for the big one off a leg spinner.  We moved towards a par score off 256 for 8 of our 50 overs.  The U-21 coach always expects us to get beyond 300.  We easily bowled them out for 146 so we got the double bonus points.

 

During the next week my parents and grandparents arrived so it was really good to see some family again.  As usual it was not to long before my dad was on my case about my batting as unfortunately for me I asked him to come along to the SCG to watch me have a net.  It all helps in the end!  That Saturday I would be in 3^rd grade against St George playing over the two weekends.  Unfortunately again our skipper lost the toss and they opted to bat on another low flat road.  I bowled 12 overs 1 for 45 so again the part time seamers were a little handy!  They finished on 278 for 8 at the end of the day.  Everyone kept telling me that January was going to be the hottest month and it has had its days, but the weather again called off our innings and another week of batting was lost.  On the Sunday we had a massive U-21 game against North Sydney as they were sitting top of the pile, and if we could win we would leap frog them into the top two teams in Sydney.  We again played at home and the wicket looked good but it turned out to do a lot more than the previous week.  However my partner and I pushed along UNSW to an opening stand of 130 which was just fantastic to be involved in.  Gowland was just a pleasure to bat with smashing 81 in no time at all and our running between the wickets was brilliant.  It was good to have the family there watching me bat and I ending up with a respectable 52 which was a hard fought innings because the wicket’s pace was totally gone from the previous week.  We got the lads off to a great start and some good lower order batting got us up to 271 for 9.  Then, thanks to some fine quick bowling from Hugh Le Lievre taking 4- 22 and some great leg spin from Medley we took crucial wickets at the right time and crushed them for 123.  We had won double bonus points against the leaders of the pack. I don’t think I have mentioned this before but after wining a game in Sydney there is a team song to sing it is some atmosphere after the games.

 

Through the following weeks my batting felt like it had improved so much but I think it was that my confidence was just higher.  The 1^st grade captain a South African and a very good friend Murray Creed came up to me and said “Ryan that was awesome you are now batting like an aussie not a moaning Scotsman”.  I wasn’t sure to take that as a compliment but it must have been because on the Friday before the next game against Blacktown I got a phone call telling me I was selected to play 2^nd grade.  That was just brilliant news because I felt that the hard work I have put in at training paid off and I was looking forward to giving the next grade a crack.  Typically we fielded again in the hottest day and instead of the 80 overs in 3s it was 96 overs.  I nearly died!  Unfortunately for my parents they would only get to see me bat once but that is just the way Sydney cricket goes.  We had them at 128 for 7 at one point but a fine knock from a young lad meant they ended up with 249 all out.  Next Saturday again the weather was poor over night so the wicket had been under covers.  It was the last thing we needed with their bowling attack looking good the week before when we ended play at 22 for no loss.  I was due to come in at number 6 and when I was walking to the middle we still needed 130 to win.  Unfortunately for me the spinners were on, and since I am on opening batsman I can’t say I felt at home straight away.  I tried to grind it out but they were getting a lot of turn and drift so I was caught at 2^nd slip off the leg spinner for 6. The 2^nd grade team had not won a game all season and it looked like we were throwing it away but a great 98 from one of our openers Stuart McKay and a brilliant 54 not out from Steve Towers guided us to a win.

 

Back in the sheds I can safely say the boys went mental.  It was a big win for the team and there was a lot of beer consumed that evening.  That had given me a 100% record at the village green so the lads think now that maybe the Scotsman is a lucky charm!  Not long left in Sydney so slightly disappointed but there is still around 5 knocks available so I will let you know how they go.

 

Cheers Ryan Flannigan