ALL around the country on Saturday cricketers honoured the memory of Phillip Hughes and it was fitting that the top score of the CYMS versus Rugby Whitney Cup match was 63, the score Hughes was on when he was tragically hit by the bouncer which ended his life last week.
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CYMS' Matt Ellis was the one to make that score as last season's wooden spooners batted out the day, shortened to 63 overs in memory of Hughes, and finished at 9-222.
Rugby, missing spearhead Ben Patterson as well as Jordan Moran and Mitch Bower, kept the pressure on all innings and never allowed the Cougars to really get away but Ellis said his side was happy with the day's efforts.
"With a bowling attack like theirs, I know they were without 'Patto' (Patterson) today but they've still got 'Turbo' (Ben Taylor), who bowls good wheels and good areas and Jacob Bruce has joined the attack, Adrian Carey is a good leg spinner but it was Zac Murphy who got the wickets, he bowled really well on that pitch but for us to get through to stumps and not get bowled out is great," he said.
Despite Murphy taking two of his wickets with two of the loosest deliveries he bowled all day he was otherwise a mark of consistency, using the No. 3 pitch which stayed low all day to great affect.
He finished with a well-deserved 4-43 from 15 overs while Jacob Bruce, in just his second game for Rugby since playing for Colts last season, was the only other multiple wicket-taker with 2-25 from 10.
Without Moran, Bower and Patterson in the batting line-up stand-in Rugby captain Nathan Munro won the toss and elected to bowl and that decision paid immediate dividends when Taylor picked up Stuart Naden in the first over with the score still on zero.
Cougars captain Ben O'Donnell came to the crease and joined Ellis and despite the skipper battling back-pain he soon began to punish the Rugby attack, being particularly hard on spinner Carey.
Just when it looked like O'Donnell was set to make a run-a-ball half century he was bowled by Murphy for 49, bringing to an end a 73 run partnership with Ellis.
The Cougars slumped to 4-78 quickly but Todd Summers (15) stayed with Ellis before Tom Carruthers came to the crease to get the innings back on track.
Ellis, battling cramps, soon brought up his 50 and the pair added 84 runs before Carruthers was out for 47.
Ellis was eventually out after batting close to 55 overs while the CYMS tail managed to get the score well past 200.
"My job is to occupy the crease for as long as possible and see off the new ball and then build partnerships with the other guys," Ellis said of his innings.
"Benny O'Donnell batted well for his 49 and Tommy Carruthers was there as well so my job was to turn over the strike and then hit the loose ball when available so it was nice to score a few and set the platform for what will hopefully be a reasonably defendable total.
"I think it's about bowling to our plans, we've improved our cricket a lot this season and I think the bowlers have been working really hard so if we can bowl tight we're in with a shot."
Rugby's chances of winning their fourth straight match will be boosted next week when their Western Zone trio return.