The Deni Rhinos B-grade side travelled to Finley Recreation Reserve to face a fairly unknown prospect in Tungamah on Saturday.
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Tungamah only returned to the Murray Valley Cricket Association this season in B-grade.
The Rhinos had a surprise factor of their own, with senior cricket debutants, brothers Ben and Liam East, joining the side.
Losing the toss, Tungamah elected to bat first.
Going into the field, the Rhinos side looked to lean on their experienced bowlers for early wickets.
Charlie Hillier and Prem Muppidi opened the bowling with two maidens.
Hillier got the first wicket in the third over, with his pace getting the batsman bowled out chopping on, leaving Tungamah 1-3.
The Tungamah batters started trying to play their shots, which lifted the run rate slightly.
This also led to a tough chance dropped by Liam East at first slip off Hillier’s bowling.
Hamish Baker and Ben East then came on to bowl first change.
Baker struck in the ninth over, getting the remaining opener caught by Noah Bradley at cover.
In the next over, Ben East got a wicket, bowling the Tungamah number three batsman.
Chris Pyle and Jake Herberte then came onto bowl against two steady Tungamah batters.
The pair stifled the Tungamah batters, but the Rhinos were unable to get any more wickets ahead of the drinks break at the 20 over mark.
At this stage halfway through the innings Tungamah were 3-67.
Following the drinks break in the 22nd over, Herberte got the wicket of Ben Beaton, LBW for 18. It was a good wicket as Beaton was looking dangerous.
Rowan Frazer and Noah Bradley then came in to bowl.
In the 25th over, Frazer got his first wicket off an under edge, well caught behind by Rhinos keeper Tom McCallum, who was up to the stumps.
Frazer then got two wickets in the 27th over.
One was off the first ball - a skied shot, safely caught by Prem Muppidi at square leg.
His second wicket, bowled out four balls later.
The Rhinos had Tungamah 7-90 after 27 overs.
This finished Frazer’s stint after five wides in his spell, with Hillier returning for a second spell, this time to bowl off spin.
Bradley was the next wicket taker, getting the batsman caught at square leg by experienced fielder Stephen Marshall.
This wicket had Tungamah 8-115 after 32 overs.
The main thorn in the Rhinos’ side was Tungamah captain Tom Irvine, who was scoring around the ground and keeping the strike.
Irvine’s innings included seven fours and one six, which was caught spectacularly by Liam in front of the crowd at Finley but was completed over the boundary.
Baker and Muppidi returned to finish the innings with the ball.
The final two Rhinos wickets came in the 39th over, with a run out completed by Marshall from the boundary to Baker at the bowler’s end.
Baker then finally removed Irvine LBW for 52 which was the top score for Tungamah.
Tungamah set the target of 143 which the Rhinos were aiming to chase.
McCallum and Marshall opened the batting for the Rhinos.
They were looking good early against some accurate bowling before Marshall was out off a skied catch for two in the fourth over.
Baker then joined McCallum at the crease.
Both batsmen were getting set before McCallum was out caught in the slips for four in the fifth over, leaving the Rhinos 2-7.
Hillier joined Baker for what was poised as a crucial partnership for the Rhinos, taking the score to 2-24 after 10 overs.
However, in the next over, Baker was caught at mid-off for 10.
Liam then walked to the middle but spent little time there, bowled facing his first ball.
Bradley joined Hillier to face the hattrick ball, and kept it out well.
The pair built strongly before Hillier was bowled by one that kept low, for 10 in the 14th over, with the Rhinos left at 5-36.
Pyle then came to the crease, with the two batsmen adding 11 runs together before Bradley was out LBW for 15 in the 18th over.
Herberte joined Pyle, providing able support for the senior batsman for nearly 10 overs before being bowled for four in the 27th over.
At this stage of the innings, the Rhinos were reduced to 7-79
Frazer came to the crease, and he and Pyle put on 22 before Pyle’s defiant innings for the Rhinos came to an end.
He was given out LBW for 36 in the 33rd over.
Ben joined Frazer at the crease, hitting a good shot for three through square leg, providing optimism for the Rhinos.
However, the first ball of the next over saw Frazer out for seven. He was caught hitting the ball straight to backward square leg, leaving the Rhinos 9-105.
The final hope for the Rhinos, Muppidi, joined East, adding one run off the bat before being caught at mid-off from the second ball of the 35th over.
Bowled out for 107 with five possible overs left, Tungamah defeated the Rhinos by 38 runs.