WHEN Ben Taylor came out to bat during Sunday's Whitney Cup grand final, Rugby had just lost two wickets in two balls and found themselves at 7-127.
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Macquarie had their tails up, were right on top and with just eight overs remaining they had every chance of restricting Jordan Moran's side to a total below 150.
But in the 35 balls Taylor faced he totally changed the game, and the way he demoralised the Macquarie side was the catalyst for his side's grand final victory.
"The pitch did a bit early so it was difficult to bat on but I guess going from last year I played a stupid shot and got out so this year I just came out and hit the ball in the middle," he said after the match.
"The first ball I faced, I think it was just a dot, but it was in the middle and I just knew I was in and a chance of scoring some late runs. I didn't think I'd score that many but it was nice to get a few out of the middle."
Taylor hit an incredible seven sixes and two fours in his innings of 62 not out, including three sixes in a row off the bowling of Jacob Harvey and got his side to the total of 8-201.
Taylor was modest in assessing his innings, preferring to put the focus on his own side and the team effort they put in throughout the season on their way to collecting the title.
"It's a pretty strong team we've got and me batting at nine is a reflection of that," he said. "I'm not big noting myself but we've got a bloke like 'Patto' (Ben Patterson) who was batting eight and it could easily have been him hitting those sixes instead of me."
The wet pitch and outfield made play impossible on Saturday so the match was reverted to a one-day clash and Taylor's innings was a classic one-day performance.
After blasting the Blues' bowlers all over the park, he took the new ball with his left armers and finished with the figures of 2-29 from seven overs, including the big wicket of Steve Knight for a duck.
Following on from last season's grand final, where Rugby were destroyed and beaten within a day by RSL-Colts, Taylor admitted after the match it was a great feeling to put in a such a strong performance in the biggest game of the 2013-14 season.
"It's been a really long season and to top it off with a Whitney Cup... we got smashed last year and before the game Jordan just used that as motivation for us today," Taylor said.
"Overall it's been a good season, I think this is just about the first time we've had a full strength side on the park, we've always had one person away or injured so it's nice to win with the full side."
While he was full of praise for his own team, the man known as 'Turbo' also took time to commend Macquarie and their long-serving captain Jason Green, who was playing his first grand final in 25 years of senior cricket.
"It's disappointing that the weather played a part in the match, Macquarie are probably a stronger two-day side but they fought right to the end and it was a good grand final and full credit to Macquarie, they shook our hands and were good sports," he said.
"I'm sorry for 'Greeny', he's a mate of mine but there can only be one winner and obviously I'm glad it's us."