THEY were untouchable throughout the Mitchell Cricket Council under 12s regular season and it turns out that when the pressure game arrives the Bathurst boys remain strong as ever.
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Bathurst completed an unbeaten MCC season on Sunday with their 49 run win over Orange at Brooke Moore Oval, doing the bulk of their damage in the field.
Mark Sheather kept Orange well short of their 139 target with devastating figures of 5-6, while a rescue effort from Blayde Burke (27) and Charlie Rendall (22) earlier in the day helped Bathurst post a competitive total.
Winning coach Phil Newton said his talented team showed composure when the going got tough.
"The boys are a great side and it was a fabulous team effort," he said.
"We were in a bit of trouble early on and we hadn't batted 10 wickets the whole competition and the guys at the tail end definitely wagged and gave us the runs we needed to beat them.
"Our batsmen from about six down haven't had much chance to perform all competition but when they were called upon they did an excellent job."
Orange's opening bowler Harry Greenhalgh (3-18) was finding the right lines early in Bathurst's innings.
He claimed two of the top three batsmen for Bathurst, who were stuck in an awkward spot at 4-31 at one stage.
Burke and Rendall provided the much-needed middle order fightback for Bathurst while Mac Hutchings (13) and Gilby Glawson (11) also found what would be critical runs.
It was certainly a day for the bowlers at Brooke Moore Oval, as Sheather quickly discovered.
Sheather gave up just three runs off the bat and half of his eight overs were maidens.
He added another five-fer to his name after his 6-13 for the representative Mitchell team earlier this season.
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Orange were set for an early trip back home at 5-24 but Hayden Griffith (17) and Oliver Brincat (14) stood tall for the lower order.
However, Brincat's dismissal led to a 5-26 Orange collapse.
Every Bathurst bowler had some reason to be happy with their performances.
Hutchings (2-13), Glawson (1-9) and Riley Hoad (1-22) all found wickets while Burke (0-9) and Cooper Stephen (0-20) each bowled maidens.
"Mark was outstanding, with most of those wickets being unplayable deliveries. When you've got someone bowling like that it makes the job easier for everyone else, but to Orange's credit they made a game of it," Newton said.
"We used six bowlers and all of them bowled well. I've got so much talent to choose from it's unbelievable."
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Alexander Grant
Part of the Western Advocate's sports desk in Bathurst.
Part of the Western Advocate's sports desk in Bathurst.
