On Saturday, in round 10 of the Murray Valley Cricket Association C-grade competition, the Deni Rhinos hosted Nathalia at Deniliquin Memorial Park for their 35-over a side match.
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On a good-looking pitch, a great day for cricket and a deep bowling lineup, the Rhinos won the toss and elected to bowl.
Prem Muppidi and Hamish Baker opened the bowling for the Rhinos.
With consistently good lines and lengths, the pair kept the Nathalia opening batsman quiet early.
It was Baker who got the opening breakthrough.
He was ably assisted by Tim Hillier, who took a classic catch down low in the slips to have Nathalia opener Steve Sulman out and edging the ball for three to have Nathalia 1-6.
Coming on for the second change were pace bowlers Charlie McCallum and, in his first game for the Rhinos, Joice Mathew.
Both bowled with good pace but were unfortunate to not find any wickets in their early spell.
Tim Hillier was the next bowler able to find a wicket.
Using tactical field placements, Hillier had Nathan Binks out for three with a sharp reflex catch on the rise taken by Stephen Marshall at short mid-on leaving Nathalia 2-17.
The last wicket before drinks was taken off the bowling of Rowan Frazer, reducing Nathalia to 3-22.
It was a slower wide ball that Nathalia batsman Nathan McKenna didn’t have to play at, but a flayed edge was well taken by Cooper King in gully.
The Nathalia batters then put on 46 runs before Chris Pyle used his experience to clean bowl the remaining Nathalia opener, Gus Edwards, who made 28 off 80.
Following this, Nathalia were 4-68.
Soon after, Edwards’ batting partner Gus Frostick was unlucky for his innings to be cut short. He was run out at the bowler’s end for 24 off 47.
Frostick hit the ball straight in front of Frazer at short mid-wicket, and had all three stumps to aim at.
It was then the arrival of Cooper King’s bowling that saw plenty going on.
This included getting Zander Quinn caught in the slips by Pyle.
It was a remarkable catch after a diving assist from wicketkeeper Lachlan Marshall, whose touch kept the ball up for Pyle.
Pyle did well to stay focused on the ball and complete the dismissal, to take Nathalia to 6-79.
Returning to bowl at the end of the innings, Muppidi bowled Aiden Lindsay on his off stump for nine.
Charlie McCallum joined in the action, getting Josh Woods out for four, caught by Stephen Marshall.
Marshall moved well around to his left at mid-on with Nathalia then on 8-95.
Nathalia batted the last few overs well, finishing 8-110 with Greg Vallender on 15 not out and Mathew Johns three not out.
It was a good team performance for the Rhinos with the ball and in the field, with seven different individual wicket-takers.
In reply, Baker and Stephen Marshall got the Rhinos’ batting innings chase started.
Nathalia put the pressure on early and had Stephen out for two off a skied ball from the bowling of Gus Frostick. It was well caught by Greg Vallender moving around at mid-on.
This wicket saw Rowan Frazer brought to the crease.
Baker and Frazer batted through to drinks in the heat of the day, with some respite provided by an occasional easterly breeze.
After accumulating well and running most of the runs scored, Baker was caught out at mid-off by Michael Brooks, off the bowling of Josh Woods.
Baker scored 43 runs including five boundaries, unlucky to be just shy of a half-century, but his important innings helped the Rhinos to 2-96.
Woods, with his deceptive slow bowling, also then collected Charlie McCallum cheaply, looking to hit to mid-wicket but caught by Steve Sulman at cover.
The second Rhinos club debutant for the game, Anish Shanbhag, then came in and batted well in his first innings for the club.
Shanbhag scored six runs, hitting some nice cover drives and pulls before also being caught off Woods at mid-off by Dylan Dohnt.
Lachlan Marshall then came in and helped the Rhinos get closer to the target, but was bowled by Lindsay for one.
King came to the crease and scored a timely boundary and runs to help the Rhinos chase down the Nathalia total in the 30th over, finishing 5-113.
King finished not out on seven, off 10 balls, and Frazer 45 off 68 balls, both batters with one boundary.
The Rhinos won by five wickets, seeing them keep the top spot on the MVCA C-grade ladder with two weekends off before travelling to face second-placed Cobram away from home.
The MVCA C-grade ladder is as follows: Rhinos 42 points, Cobram 33, Katunga 27, Nathalia 24, Strathmerton 21, Tocumwal 15, Katamatite 12.
The MVCA C-grade top five run scorers: Brandon Meloury (Tocumwal) 209, Darby Salter (Katunga) 186, Luke Bauer (Cobram) 172, Nathan Binks (Nathalia) 150, Hamish Baker (Deniliquin) 146.
The MVCA C-grade top five wicket-takers: Lachlan McDonald (Tocumwal) 11, Josh Woods (Nathalia) 9, Greg Vallender (Nathalia) 8, Hamish Baker (Deniliquin) 7, James Bray (Katamatite) 7 and Declan Cameron (Tocumwal) 7.
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