Graeme Batty
COUNTRY CHAMPS
Graeme Batty provided the poise and Dale Scifleet added the power as the Illawarra pair inspired the Bush Blues to a gripping two-wicket win after a mammoth run chase at the Australian Country Championships at Bundaberg yesterday.
Bush Blues skipper Batty anchored his side's reply to Victoria's imposing 9-292 with a superb 117 and Scifleet added a whirlwind 51 from just 27 balls as the unbeaten NSW scraped home with four balls to spare.
With his team reeling at 5-131 in pursuit of Victoria's total, Batty staged a rescue mission with Cameron Belshaw (27), before Scifleet cleared the fence five times in a match-turning innings.
Scifleet scored all but 12 runs in a 63-run union with Batty for the seventh wicket, to give NSW the impetus to scramble home.
Fellow Illawarra representative Andrew Hicks (10 no) was at the crease when Brett Davies (12 no) hit the winning runs.
NSW would have ended the tournament with the Australian Country Championship crown even if Victoria pulled off an upset on the final day.
That looked like every possibility at one stage, after Eamonn Vines (97) came agonisingly close to a century to anchor Victoria's dig.
Batty, who finished the tournament with 342 runs, took 4-53 from five overs. Hicks was the most frugal of the NSW bowlers with 1-34 from seven overs.
