THE all-St Pat’s Old Boys Bathurst District Cricket Association second grade grand final was heading for a cracking conclusion on Sunday.
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Then the heavens opened.
The rain helped the St Pat’s Old Boys White team complete an undefeated season.
Prior to the match’s early finish the White side had been engaged in a tough run chase, fighting their way towards their Blue clubmates’ total of 233 runs.
White were in a tricky position at 6-160, but with Chris North (65 not out) looking strong out in the middle it was a game that demanded everyone’s attention up until the final ball.
The title went to White since they were the first team through to the decider.
The rain may have cut the game short but Pat’s White captain Scott Traves said it wasn’t going to dampen what had been an amazing season for both his team and St Pat’s as a club.
“It was a game that was in the balance. If the rain didn’t intervene then it was heading for a great finish,” he said.
“The Blue side were a very competitive team and ended up coming second on the ladder. We thought there was a chance that we could go one and two. There a lot of decent bats in both teams.
“Our guys have been committed all year, and it can be difficult to keep guys committed through and entire season, but that’s what they did.
“We had a couple of close calls throughout the year but we got home every time. I’ve played cricket for a long time but this is the first team I’ve been associated with who have gone through a season undefeated.”
It was a game that was in the balance. If the rain didn’t intervene then it was heading for a great finish.
- Scott Traves
Blue batted through Saturday’s opening day before declaring the following day at seven wickets down.
Shane Broes (91) finished just shy of a century with his season-high score, given great support by Ben Cant’s 57.
North’s promising innings was backed up well by Traves (47) before players and spectators were robbed of an exciting finish.
Traves is confident the Saints’ second grade teams can remain a strong foundation for junior development into future seasons.
“It’s a fantastic result for the club. We’re a really family orientated club. We have fathers playing with sons and have had a lot of strong juniors coming through to first grade. It’s amazing to see our juniors playing so well,” he said.
“We have a few older players in the white team but we have two players under 18 who have played well. Blue have a few more younger players in their team and they’ll benefit a lot from this experience.”