Round 11 of the Murray Valley Cricket Association A-grade has the Deni Rhinos playing Nathalia.
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This is the match of the round, with the third-placed Rhinos playing league leaders Nathalia.
A win to the Rhinos could see them move to second or even top of the ladder, depending on other results from the round.
A two-day, 80 overs game, play will resume this Saturday.
Day one was a tough day for both sides, with the temperature reaching a challenging 35ºC.
The toss was always going to be interesting with both teams using the substitute replacement rule and having two changes for next week.
From the Rhinos’ perspective, it was a toss that teams hope to lose, taking the decision out of their hands.
Nathalia won the toss and elected to bat.
The side was without their leading run-scorer Luke Quinn (287 runs at an average of 143.5) for the first week, but they still had plenty of quality bats.
Andrew Hogan struck first for the Rhinos with Lachlan Holloway holding a brilliant low-down catch at mid-on.
The dangerous Scott Morris was dismissed shortly afterwards edging one off Matt Taylor to the wicketkeeper, Boddie Arthur.
Ewan Congues and Ash Quinn batted sensibly and ran well between the wickets, adding 49 runs for the third wicket.
Congues (27) had a break in concentration when advancing down the wicket to the left-arm spinner Charlie Paton.
Arthur completed the stumping and Nathalia were 3-67.
Brenton Campbell joined Quinn as the pair looked to take control of the game.
Campbell was severe on anything short, hitting Paton for a six over mid-wicket.
Campbell (21) then hit a full toss from Holloway into the safe hands of Monte Barnes at mid-on.
Meanwhile, Quinn continued and brought up his half-century in the 36th over with a boundary off Taylor.
However shortly after this, Quinn (52) was dismissed off a short ball from Taylor.
He tried to play the hook shot but the ball took his gloves.
Arthur took a brilliant one-handed catch, low-down to his right.
Following this breakthrough wicket, Hogan struck twice in the 40th over.
McKenna (7) was adjudged LBW, and then three balls later Frostick (0) was bowled.
Clancy Congues and Dylan Cunningham added 16 runs for the 8th wicket, taking Nathalia to 150.
Paton took his second wicket when Congues (18) played one onto his wicket while attempting a cover drive.
The Rhinos were looking to close the innings quickly.
However, Cunningham and Charleston had other ideas, adding 49 for the 9th wicket.
Cunningham was particularly aggressive, hitting three sixes and one four.
Charleston (17) was caught by Paton off the bowling of Brodie Bennett.
Cunningham (34) was well caught by Barnes, low down at mid-wicket.
Bennett had two wickets, ending the Nathalia innings at 204.
The Rhinos bowlers shared the wickets with Hogan taking three, and two each to Taylor, Paton and Bennett.
Nathalia batted for 58 overs, meaning the Rhinos had to face 22 overs to end the day’s play.
The Rhinos made some changes to the batting order as Brad Todd and Charlie Paton will both be unavailable this Saturday.
It was not going to be an easy evening session, with Cunningham (16 wickets this season at an average of just 11 runs) and veteran left-arm paceman, Ash Quinn (10 wickets at an average of five runs) both bowling well.
Quinn had Paton (0) caught behind, edging a drive in the third over.
Todd (9) hit two powerful boundaries over cover before suffering a similar fate with Cunningham picking up his first wicket.
Kai Hillier was elevated up the order and joined his brother Harry Hillier in the middle at the batting crease.
Kai was shortly bowled by Cunningham only to hear the no-ball call from the umpire, Matt Whitty.
But it was not long after that Campbell had Kai (0) caught at slip, and the Rhinos were at 3-24.
Harry (27) and Matt Taylor (9) took the team through to stumps, 3-50.
Hillier was looking very comfortable hitting three boundaries with his trademark pull shot.
The game is very evenly placed with both Harry and Taylor set at the crease when play resumes this weekend.
Ideally, the Rhinos duo will bat for a solid hour next week and blunt the Nathalia bowlers.
The Rhinos have plenty of batting to come with Griegan Taylor (498 runs at an average of 62), Brodie Bennett (272 at an impressive average of 136), Andrew Hogan (271 at 54) and Boddie Arthur (216 at 27) to come.
The Rhinos need a further 155 runs to win.
In other MVCA matches, the Cobram versus Katamatite game is interestingly placed and may well see an outright points result next week.
Cobram were bowled out for just 63 while Katamatite are 5-40 at stumps.
Berrigan posted a big score of 345 with Finley 0-19.
Barooga are also well placed having posted 207 with Tocumwal at 6-67.
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