3rd Grade Preliminary Final 20/3/10

3rd Grade v Wests at Riverside 2
Wests 126 (Simon Bellamy 4-38, Josh Allen 2-10, Ben Cleghorn 2-38) and 207 (Ben Cleghorn 6-54, Josh Allen 3-38) lost to City United 252 (Mark Chew 47, Cory Callcott 42, Michael Bellamy 37, Josh Allen 30, Simon Bellamy 28, Pat Dwyer 20) and 1 for 84 (Tim Hunt 38x, John Kennedy 33x) outright by 9 wickets.

Saturday
A fabulous performance from the 3rds, with changes during the week to the side which flogged Souths, including the season long captain Glenn Ryan. In his place, Michael Bellamy has done a wonderful job with sharp field placings and some of the more astute touches it takes to lift sides to play winning cricket.
Brother Simon, although feeling he has had days where he bowled a better line and length, did the business on a slow ad low Riverside 2 deck. Josh Allen just continued on his brilliant way with two early wickets and Ben Cleghorn, despite injury, kept the pressure on.
Early wickets might have rattled the side but the brothers Belamy have batted the team to the edge of a huge advantage with sensible, level-headed cricket during the slow partnership which started in defience of the bowlers and then gradually filled the run bucket. Despite any appearances to the contrary, this was a day of great team cricket and this mob hunted like a pack whilst a lot of us sat by and took a lesson from a great group of young blokes.
More work lies ahead on Sunday but this was a day of gutsy, brave cricket in the execution of the stand in Skipper's match plan.
Sunday
With the Bellamy's both gone within four overs you could have been forgiven for thinking a small first inning lead might be all that would be gained and the match back in the melting pot. Team batting made a lie of such thoughts. Callcott, Chew, Allen and Cleghorn batted and batted and batted, using up 87 overs, adding to the lead and eating up time. It was stiring stuff. Batting again after having their score doubled, Wests went for the doctor and threw the bat at everything in order to run through City second time round. Skipper Bellamy was equal to the task, keeping fieldsmen in catching positions rather than pushing the panic button and sending everone out. Cleghorn honoured his recent form and bagged another six scalps, giving him 18 wickets in two games.Catches to a nervously set field and City was set 82 for the outright win. After losing an early wicket, Hunt and Kennedy followed the example set by team mates in the first innings and steadily amassed the required runs.
How strong is this performance? Every batsman in the top eight got a score of 20 or more in the match. All the bowlers bowled well and Cleghorn (8-92), Allen (5-48) and Bellamy (5-48) took important wickets and were never intimidated.
This is a Grand Final team.
Match scoresheets are available in Results and all the boys stats have been added in City Stats. For photos of the game go to City Snaps.