Delatite’s C-Grade team welcomed Beechworth Wanderers to Bonnie Doon on Saturday, with seven players making their debut on the recently-installed pitch. With warmer and drier weather than the first outing, Delatite were hoping that the day would help them reach a higher score than their first outing, although the slow outfield meant that runs were still difficult to make freely. Delatite won their first home toss, and as expected chose to bat. Opener Fabien Hemantraj continued his run of scoring PBs and was keen to get Delatite off to a good start with nine from fifteen balls, but fell in the third over when swinging unsuccessfully for a second boundary in two balls. Fellow opener Cody George also looked sharp but was undone by a wickedly swinging delivery, bringing captain Rick Mills to the crease alongside Andrew Cook. Quick singles were difficult to make with a tight ring of fielders, so both batters scored when possible but focused on keeping out good deliveries. Delatite made it to drinks with no further loss, at 2/48. The introduction of spinner K Patel into the attack quickly paid dividends, with him taking the scalp of Mills in his first over and free-scoring Koby Middleton (8) in his third and further wickets in his fourth, fifth and sixth overs. Cook fell on 32 to bowler T. Scott, who along with D. Stone cleaned up the remainder of Delatite’s batting order, with the home team falling three runs short of their goal of 100 in the 32nd over. Beechworth’s openers started with the same intent as Delatite’s openers, just with some extra luck, and saw off both of Delatite’s opening bowlers. The introduction of Nixen Martin soon paid dividends, clean-bowling one opener and claiming the other dead in front. Beechworth made it to drinks having lost only the two wickets and were only 35 runs away from their victory target. A run-out from an ambitious second run was the only blemish on the rest of Beechworth’s innings, with their numbers three and five passing the target of 97 in the 25th over. Delatite’s C-grade team next travel to Yarrawonga and then will play three home games in a row at Bonnie Doon, looking to continue their growth and improvement towards their first win of the season.
