By BILL O'BRIEN
The Euroa Veteran's cricketers could not have asked for a more thrilling win to open their season.
The side hosted Benalla Veterans at the picture-perfect Friendlies Oval on Sunday, 12 October, with acting captain Dave Gleeson winning the toss and electing to bowl, sending Ric O'Bree and Roger McKernan into attack.
The lively Daryl Burgess then made a welcomed return with two timely wickets.
The halfway point saw the visitors at 3 for 68 before Tony Courtin chimed in with two quick wickets, pressuring Benalla to reach a gettable 149 runs.
Playing with just 10 fit men, Euroa's confidence was high and openers Ric O'Bree and David Gleeson set about the run chase only to see Gleeson fall early for five runs.
Enter man-of-the-match Peter Malone, who immediately attacked the Benalla bowlers and plundered 40 runs by game's end.
With the score steadily rising, confidence grew and Euroa slowly pegged back the target until, with one over to go, the scores were locked in at 149 runs with no one left in the shed.
However, that easy last single in the final six balls was more difficult to get than it looked with Benalla's tight bowling lifting the pressure that bit more.
On the final bowl, O'Bree was forced to take the riskiest of singles, sliding across the non-striker's crease in every childhood's dream victory, to win the game by one solitary wicket - of only nine.
This is Euroa Vet's fifth season, a club which has been led ably by retiring captain Phil Thompson and our thanks and gratitude go out to him for the great work he has done in keeping the team focused and together for the last four years.
We have a bye next week before we venture to Wodonga to take on the Raiders, so we are looking to see everyone at training on Thursday nights.
Go Pies!
