The U10s had great success over the Coasties Cup tournament. Considering it was the 1st time many had played Zooka ball, the team competed exceptionally well winning 4 games out 6. The two losses were marginal, we were right in those games until the last innings. I was proud of all the kids, the effort and the spirit they played the game. I could not have wished for anything more.
There were many fantastic moments from all, but the standout for me was the consistently great hitting, great fielding and teamwork. This tournament provided the kids with great experience, confidence and belief they can equally do well or better at the Country Championships. Thanks again kids for all your efforts.
The coaches
Brian Vaughan, Martin Stephens, Rodney Angel and Evan Boggiss
Illawarra Little League Majors ventured up to Gosford for the 21st Coasties Cup with the forecast of great weather which it proved to be. The tournament would test how well the team has trained and how well they would gel as a team having several new players onboard. Game 1 the team got off to a great start against panthers with a six run lead. Panthers tried to fight back but Illawarra held them out to a convincing win. Game 2 was going to be a real challenge for the team against Macarthur Colts who usually have the upper hand over us. Both teams started well and it was tight throughout the whole game with either team not allowing any runs to be scored. Illawarra managed to hold off Macarthur for a narrow 3-2 win. The team was ecstatic knowing they just beat one of the better teams of the tournament. Illawarra were looking good going into the next day having won both their opening games.
On day 2 although taking an early lead Illawarra didn’t have a great start against Mustangs and struggled to stay ahead. Mustangs fought back to be only 2 runs behind. Illawarra made some drastic changes to their line up which later proved fatal as we were caught out on a technical error by batting out of order. With little time left in the game both teams decided to award a draw even though Illawarra was in front by a few runs. Despite the hiccup Illawarra was still undefeated and looking strong going into our next game against the Saints. Illawarra wanted to finish on a high and they did narrowly winning against Saints to end Day 2.
What a fantastic start by Illawarra being undefeated after 2 days. However the third day was going to be their biggest challenge knowing their last two games were going to be against the joint competition leaders. Game 5 against Coasties proved too much for Illawarra as Coasties used their best pitcher who could out pitch most 16 year olds. Our team struggled to hit against a super fast pitch and Coasties ran away with a big win. Our team played well even though we couldn’t hit against their gun pitcher. Going into their last game against Seadogs Illawarra found it hard to rise to the occasion knowing their winning streak had come to an abrupt stop. The team were down and struggled against Seadogs ending in their second lose.
Illawarra Little League Majors can hold their heads up high having done really well throughout the whole tournament. With 3 wins, a draw (that should’ve been a win), and only 2 loses, the team proved they are a team to be reckoned with. There were some magic moments by all players without naming any individual players. Congratulations to Noah Lepre being named the player of the tournament by the coaching staff. A big thank you to our scorers Karen Cole and Jude Donnelly who did a fantastic job trying to keep up with the complexity of changes due to rule restrictions. Also thanks to our coaching and management staff being Marc Mulvihill, Brett Carpenter, Jeremy Ryan (Team EO) and Murray Burgess, for their dedication and commitment in preparing the team.
Well done Illawarra!!
Regards,
Anthony Lepre
Head Coach