WHEN Rugby Union skipper Ryan Peacock decides to get aggressive, well rival Royal Hotel Cup bowlers best be aware.
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On Friday night at Wade Park Peacock cracked 25 runs off one Mick Hutchinson over when he decided to accelerate the run rate. It was even more impressive given he faced five of those deliveries instead of the full six.
It was a highlight of Peacock's 90-run stand and helped set up Rugby's 41-run over Bathurst rivals Centennials Bulls in the Twenty20 competition.
Rugby was sitting at 1-112 heading into the 17th over after being sent in by the Bulls.
While Peacock and fellow opener Imran Qureshi, who made 40 before he was stumped off Peter McCleary's bowling, had ticked things over at a rate of sevens runs an over, the skipper knew they needed more runs.
He cracked a six off the first ball of the over followed by a three, Rugby's marquee player Marty Jeffrey then pinching a single to put Peacock back on strike.
Peacock finished off the over with a six, a four and another six.
"I was going a bit slow there for a little bit, but I hit 25 off one over and got going again," he said.
"It was the plan, the boundary was a pretty short and he [Hutchinson] was actually bowling really well. He still bowled well that over, but I just decided that I was either going to get out or score some runs pretty quick.
"We were looking like scoring 120. We got off to a really good start but then slowed down as most T20 games do after the power play and I just thought 'Well might as well go for it now because we are only one wicket down, if I get out that's no big deal'."
Peacock was bowled by Kyle Aubin in final over for 90. Jeffrey blasted an entertaining 15 off six balls and Sam Macpherson finished on five not out as Rugby reached 2-162 off its 20 overs.
While Tim McKinnon removed McCleary (five) on the fourth ball of the second over as Rugby went into the field, brothers Kyle and Blake Aubin then steadied the ship in a 92-run stand.
When Macpherson dismissed Kyle Aubin for 29 in the 15th over Bulls were looking at a required run rate of 12 an over to try and take the win in the opening game of the competition.
But the pressure told. Macpherson dismissed both Tyler Horton (four) and Bulls captain Kurt Toole (one) in his next over to make it 4-110.
The overs ran out as Bulls finished at 5-121, with Blake Aubin unbeaten on 70.
Macpherson finished with figures of 3-13 off three overs while Jeffrey took 1-13 off four and bowled the only maiden of the match.
"It was really good to have him [Marty] actually, it's good to play cricket with him again and get him around the boys," Peacock said.
