3rd Grade Beat the Heat at Hollymount

NDCC 3rd Grade have guaranteed themselves a 1st place finish in the one day competition with 1 round remaining in sweltering conditions at Hollymount on Saturday.

If temperatures in excess of 30 degrees, it was no surprise to captain Pat Tobin that when Keira won the toss they elected to bat. The Keira opening batsmen looked to put pressure on the butchers, looking for quick runs against the attack of Cleaves and Austin, the batsmen taking lots of quick singles to keep the score board ticking over. When the opening stand reached 19, a slight misfield from Austin off his own bowling gave the batsmen the impression they could sneak through for a single, however Austin quickly recovered the ball causing a mix up between batsmen and giving Austin an easy lob to Lachlan Dunn which had one of the openers stranded in the middle of the pitch. Austin (3/28) and Cleaves (1/21) worked hard and despite both being economical, were not rewarded early on with wickets.

Curtis Wilson (1/28) was introduced and continued to tie the run rate down and was unlucky not to have a couple of wickets as a couple edges were not grasped. The leg spin of Jason Wilson was the next change and this provided immediate success picking up a wicket in his first over.

As the heat continued to belt down on the players, providing very testing conditions, the call at drinks was to work hard and stay patient. The ability of the bowlers to bowl tight lines and limit the runs for the Keira side paid dividends for Jeremy Lum (1/19) and Matt Benstead (1/15) who both bowled exceptionally well. It seemed every time Keira started to build something a wicket fell as Austin and Cleaves were brought back to finish their spells and collect the wickets they so richly deserved. Big Dave Joinking turned back the clock with a diving screamer at mid off giving Austin his 3rd wicket, and at the end of the 50 overs, Keira had amassed a score of 166, a tricky score in the hot conditions. It seemed the biggest obstacle for the Butcher batsmen was their own bodies, as the 50 overs in the field seemed to take it's toll on all players as plenty of fluid was required during the break.

Dave Joinking joined his new opening partner Matt Benstead, and things looked ominous for the Lions when Joinking smashed a picture perfect cover drive early for 4. Soon after however, Joinking got a good delivery and was good enough to find an edge and a fine catch at 2nd slip saw him on his way. Benstead had been given limited opportunities with the bat this year but made the most of his chance at the top of the order, combining patience and some powerful strokes as he and McRae combined for a 70 run stand.

The long day was taking it's toll on Benstead as he was made to dig deep for every run he got as he saw the Butchers through to drinks. As Jeremy Lum provided good support, Benstead put one back past the bowler and as Lum pushed him for 2, Benstead brought up his first half century of the summer, a score worth plenty more in the heat. Benstead finally succumbed to the conditions on 57 leaving the Butchers in a strong position at 3/104. The heat too was visibly draining the Keira side as a refreshed Lachlan Dunn (34 no) and Jeremy Lum (41 no) started to open up and set the score board into overdrive. It didn't take them long to pass the total in under 37 overs securing a valuable bonus point.

The win guarantees the Butchers will finish the one day comp in 1st position with only 1 game remaining and will have a home semi for the one day semis in February. More importantly, it also gives them a slightly wider gap between themselves (2nd) and Keira (3rd) on the main table. Despite the Butchers being 2nd on the main table, Uni's loss to Wests means the Butchers are the only undefeated side in the competition, a stat that is sure to be tested in the coming weeks.

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