BY ANDREW COOK
We’re going to Bonnie Doon!
While not mentioned aloud, the famous refrain from The Castle was surely on the minds of many when Delatite’s C Grade team met Benalla Bushrangers for the first time at Bonnie Doon’s football oval last Saturday.
Although the freshly-laid pitch was in perfect condition, the weather did not match the oval’s readiness for summer, with gloomy skies casting half the game in permanent twilight and a rain delay lengthening the lunch break.
With only four players backing-up from the C-grade game the previous week, it meant a new-look team for Delatite would christen the pitch.
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After losing the toss, opening bowlers Andrew Cook and Nick Taylor had the first opportunity to send down deliveries to Benalla’s opening batsmen.
Benalla stalwart Greg Hoystead set the early pace, soon adjusting his game to suit the slow outfield and pushing several quick singles.
Taylor struck first, taking the wicket of Benalla’s other opener to a fine catch by captain Rick Mills, setting the tone for the afternoon – seven catches were hit to Delatite fielders, and seven catches were taken.
Although the adage ‘catches win matches’ remains true, Delatite were going to be hard-pressed to keep up the ‘winning’ part of the equation as Benalla began scoring freely as the outfield dried out.
Wickets were relatively evenly shared amongst Delatite’s bowlers, with seven of eight bowlers taking a scalp.
The most important wicket for the day however went to the shortest player on the ground, Xavier Heaysman repeating his efforts from last week by again taking the scalp of a set opener, Hoystead finishing his innings on 60.
Late wickets prevented Benalla from capitalising on a good start, ending on 9/154.
Taylor proved to have the best bowling figures for the day, claiming 3/27 runs off eight overs.
In Delatite’s reply innings, Fabian Hemantraj celebrated his first runs in the league but fell soon afterwards, followed by his fellow opener Adam Jonston.
Cook and Ross O’Meara came together and played watchfully until drinks, Delatite’s innings now stable but well behind the required run-rate.
A push for more runs after the break saw both batters fall, and while runs now came at a faster rate, so did the wickets.
Taylor showed some flair with some late-innings hitting to finish on 10 not out, while Heaysman impressed with five runs to see the innings out, Delatite finishing well short on 7/76.
A visit to Moyhu after a Melbourne Cup bye is next for the team, with every opposition an unknown prospect for a team rejoining the C-grade competition after a break of several years.
