The real Manly Breakers team came to play against Seaforth, in a two day game that became truncated due to a fair amount of rain on day one. Oh lets be honest, it bucketed down and the ground was underwater last week!

The omens were good at the start of the day, when MBCC actually had 11 players. Even this wasn't straight forward, as Matty Beckett lost 1 million units points for failing to show, and the teams token Kiwi made an ultimately ill fated comeback... however, back to the start of the game!

In a great bowling effort by the Breakers, we managed to get Seaforth out for 149, the last few wickets collapsing after a long, slow stand by their top order. Jeff Monin bowled through amd did brillantly, claiming a wicket with his first ball of the game, which didn't impress the Seaforth batsman - still, bring bowled is pretty hard to argue against. Jeff could so easy have had three for spit. Unfortantely we missed a couple of catches in slips and keeper, sadly as I thought thought the fielding overall was brillant in trying conditions. There was some solid top order batting, and they were about 2 down for 100 odd, so the final total was a good effort for a days toil.

In the field, Rob Lavery claimed three wickets with the ball and his second broken wicket for the season (from another runout if I recall). Matty Phillips, surpirsed to be bowling in the sunlight, took his best figures for the club, taking wickets off the last two balls of the innings and sending a scramble for rule books: in case he took a first baller in the next game, was it a hat-trick? At one stage, for some reason the Breakers old heads (we prefer "veterans") were all on the off side, and with a combined age of 134 gave the victorious Pommy rugby union team a run for their dish. Chris "Dialleo" Sweet prover a seer when he commented he hadn't had a catch - so guess what happened next ball. Jeff "Jason Robertson" Monin, Tony "Team Telstra" Brown and Rog "Martin Johnson" (the tallest and ugliest of the players) Moore completed the off side field. Rog had earlier showed front row qualities (ie not always that clever) by almost ending up in the so-called creak (aka toxic waste sludge) to try and stop one of two balls ending up in the drink, before sanity just prevalied. Al Le Marchand had somehow managed to field on the offside, and claimed his 5th catch of the season.

Breakers showed our real grit to restrict the Seaforth boys, and were confident of getting the runs. Openers Shivs and Rob got us handliy underway, before Rob chased a wide one, and was caught behind by the keeper. Jeff Monin came in and defied the quick bolwer into the sun, before being unluckily dismissed.

Shivs' was playing a vital knock, reaching his invaluable half century and receiving support from Chris Sweet, who was playing in front of greater pressure than the national selectors - his dad, Dave (Breakers number one fan) was in toen and at the game. Chris celebrrated with a typically hard hitting 19 and rather too enthusiatic Riding of the Pony. Shivs reached his half century, before getting out with the Breakers in striking distance of the target, a great innings that was to earn him the Players Player award. Our luck wasn't in, skipper Matty Fisher clubbing the ball hard and falling to a good catch at cover - toyota....

Still, on and on the Breakers lower order went, and we got so close in the end with fighting knocks from Matty Phillips (9, minus any reverse sweeps), Jimmy (8), and a last wicket stand by Big Al and Rog, which ended with Al's run out when we needed run-a-ball to win in low sunlight. As with his counterpart in Seaforth, the mercurial Tras, E.X. had a good day, notching useful runs in a low scoring day, with one boundary.

It's awlays better to win, however the spirits were great and the Breakers know we a close now to that win and who can forget our fine effort a few seasons back to go so close to qualifiying after a slow start a few seasons back. This week is a good place to start. Go the Breakers!!!