The 1st XI travelled to 2nd bottom Ballam Park in Round 9 in a match (surprise surprise!) that had been reduced to a 40-over per side match after heavy rain forced day 1 to be cancelled by the league.

Winning the toss and bowling, Rye blasted the home side out for just 70, with 2 generations of Dunn’s sharing the majority of the wickets. Mick (opening the bowling) snared 3/17 from his 10 overs, whilst Andrew went one better, claiming 4/20 in a man of the match performance. Travis Sawers claimed the other wicket, with Ben Ashworth securing 2 run outs for the afternoon. Aaron Vernon (0/19 from 7 overs) and Justin King (0/11 from 8) also bowled tightly an impressive performance in the field from the Demons.

Rye had little trouble knocking off the small total, only loosing the wicket of Corey Harris (27) with the score on 51. Justin King anchored the run chase, finishing 31n.o, and Travis Sawers (11n.o) applied the finishing touches.

An impressive performance from the Demons, who stay in touch with the top 4 with only 2 rounds to play. Keep winning, and the boys may find themselves playing finals in the club’s first crack at the top division. A local derby against Sorrento awaits next week!

The Rye Cricket Club 2nd XI also stayed within reach of a top 4 spot, claiming their 4h win in a row against Ballam Park on Saturday. In another 40 over per side encounter, Rye restricted the visitors to a score of just 109 from 37 overs. The R.J Rowley surface was very lush and slow, and the Demons exploited the conditions perfectly.

Captain Troy Harris opened the bowling with Joel Lynch, a combination that restricted the Ballam Park scoring, which consequently forced the fall of wickets. Harris returned 2/18 from his 10 over spell, with Lynch (1/16 from 8) also bowling economically. Brett Portors (1/28) and Harris Wilson (2/27 playing with a broken thumb) also provided options for skipper Harris. But the major wicket taker was Englishman Ben Gethin-Golder, who claimed 4/19 from 5 overs of leg spin.

In reply, the Demons got off to a solid start on the back of openers Ryan Taylor and Gethin-Golder. With the score on 22, the ‘pom’ fell for 6, which brought Dean Collins to the crease, batting in the unfamiliar spot of first drop. This proved to be a masterstroke from Captain Troy Harris, with ‘Deono’ proceeding to destroy Ballam Park’s bowling attack, helping himself to six 6’s and four 4’s in a knock of 61n.o (50 from 19 balls!).

At the other end, Ryan Taylor was adding to his already impressive batting record this season, helping himself to 47, which included some of the best straight drives you would be likely to see in any form of cricket. So on the back of Collins’ and Taylor’s heroics, Rye passed the total 2 wickets down in just 19 overs. Rye sit in 5th spot on the ladder and know they have too keep winning to once again sneak into the finals. A trip to Sorrento next week awaits the boys next week.

The 3rds hosted Hastings at Stringer Reserve on Saturday, and were able to restrict the visitors to just 133, a total skipper Jason Ellul would have been happy with at the start of the day. Max ‘bundy bear’ Patton was impressive with the ball, claiming 2/14, with Luke Sullivan, putting the disappointment of being his for hit for six 4’s in one over in the previous round behind him, chipping in with 1/16. The Ahearne brothers claimed 4 wickets between them, with Mick (2/16) and Max (2/28) both impressing, whilst Rick Graham (2/22) also picked up 2 wickets.

In reply, not enough Demons players were able to lend support to ‘smokin’ Joe Velastro, who top scored with 26, out Rye’s total of 98 all out. A disappointing end for Rye, who deserved the points after an impressive effort in the field.