NIC Broes believes that Twenty20 is a simple game and on Saturday the Central West Wranglers all-rounder certainly made it look easy as he crunched an unbeaten 85 and took five wickets to lead his side to its maiden Regional Bash win.
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The St Pat’s Old Boys talent was the star as the Wranglers beat Orana Outlaws by 35 runs with 11 deliveries to spare at George Park 1.
His 85 runs off 62 deliveries helped the Wranglers to an impressive total of 2-166, Broes carrying his bat after he had opened alongside Ben Sheehan.
Then when Wranglers skipper Daryl Kennewell threw him the ball and ask him to bowl with the breeze at his back at a time when the Outlaws were upping the run-rate, Broes again provided. He took 5-29 off his four overs.
“It’s been a while coming I think, it’s just nice to hit a few out of the middle of the bat and do something for the team,” Broes said.
“I’ve been doing a bit of hard work, so it’s nice to see that work paying off I guess.
“There was a bit of pressure bowling with that wind, you get under it and it takes off with that wind. But I can just set the field how I want and just bowl straight – T20 is a simple game.
“It’s the first time we’ve beaten Orana and our first win, it was a few years in the coming, but we’ve finally done it.”
Since the inception of the T20 competition in 2015-16, the Outlaws have been the most consistently performed team with two appearances in the regional final, which includes a title win.
Along the way Orana had twice eliminated the Wranglers from the competition, but this season the Outlaws’ line-up fielded almost an entirely new-look squad.
It was one that was unable to add to its winning streak against the Wranglers as Broes and Sheehan took control early, putting on 101 runs in their 12.3 overs together.
Sheehan survived an LBW shout off Steve Skinner in the sixth over then a caught behind appeal, but that did not deter him. He brought up his 50 in fine style in the 12th over, cracking a Skinner delivery down the ground for a boundary.
His half century came off 32 balls and took a tick over 50 minutes.
The first few drops of rain fell in the 13th over and with it came a much needed breakthrough for the Outlaws.
Sheehan was caught out for 58 as he tried to hit Skinner for six down the ground. His departure made it 1-101.
Four deliveries later the Outlaws had a second victim, Josh Doherty bowled as he missed an attempted sweep off Greg Buckley.
But that saw Broes' Saints club-mate Adam Ryan at the crease and together they kept the runs ticking over.
Broes brought up his 50 on the last ball of the 16th over, clearing the boundary rider. His half-ton came off 49 deliveries.
He hit his fourth six of the innings off the final delivery - adding to his five boundaries - as he finished with an fine unbeaten 85 off 62. Ryan scored at a run-a-ball for his 15, with the Wranglers reaching 2-166.
Buckley was the best of the Outlaws bowlers as he took 1-16 off four overs.
It was a total which gave the Wranglers confidence, Broes delighted that he and Sheehan had been able to fulfil the task they had set themselves.
“That’s what our goal was with that opening stand – try and set a good platform – because we’ve got some hitters in our team who can come in and take it apart,” he said.
“I was a bit slow to start, but I got into it. You put it up there and just let the wind take it.
“After that innings we knew we had at least five overs to get in to try and make a game of it. The whole energy in the field and everything was great.
“We got a wicket pretty much straight away too which was good.”
Needing to score at more than eight runs an over to take the win, the pressure was on last season’s runners-up.
It was pressure which built as early wickets fell - Ben Mitchell’s brilliant out-fielding saw Steve Skinner run out for three, while Ben Parsons ran backwards to take a nice overhead catch to see Buckley on his way for eight.
That made it 2-14 after three overs and when Broes took a catch off Kennewell’s bowling to have Chris Morton out for a second-ball duck, it looked even worse for the visitors.
Bowling his four overs in one spell, Matt Stephen was superb for the Wranglers. He was not only responsible for Buckley’s dismissal, but skittled the stumps of Corey McDean (five) to finish with 2-10.
At that stage it was 4-27 after six overs, but with the bowling changes came a swing in momentum.
Mat Skinner dragged Outlaws back into the contest as he belted a six which cleared the George Park fence then followed it up by sending the next delivery to the boundary.
The following over Mat Skinner replicated his efforts – blasting a six and four in consecutive deliveries.
Kennewell wanted him gone and decided Broes was the man to do it, throwing him the ball in the 12th over. The move worked as Mat Skinner was bowled for a well made 27 off 19.
Jordan Peacock kept the runs coming – hitting 38 off 33 – before he was caught on the boundary in Broes’ second over.
After 15 overs the Outlaws had 100 runs on the board, just eight fewer than the Wranglers had managed at the same point. However, the visitors had lost four more wickets and it was to prove telling.
The pressure to play shots saw the lower order try to target Broes’ spin, but it back-fired. Off consecutive well-flighted deliveries smart work from wicket-keeper Matt Corben produced two stumpings to make it 8-112.
Though Broes could not make it a hat-trick, he finished with five wickets and catch off Ryan's bowling to make it game over.