DESPITE giving CYMS an almighty scare in Friday night’s Royal Hotel Cup game, Blayney suffered a five-wicket loss to the green and golds after dropping several crucial chances.
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Spilled catches cost Blayney in the field as hard-hitting CYMS all-rounder Sam Dwyer virtually ran down the visitors’ total of 8-99 on his own.
Dwyer smashed 65 not out from just 29 balls on Friday night, including 10 fours and two sixes - equating to 56 of his runs.
“We dropped him a couple of times, and he goes on to make an extra 30 runs, “ Bird said.
“But that’s cricket, you miss those chances you need to make them back up. Ninety-nine wasn’t enough runs.
“We fielded well in the first eight overs, but then Sambo smashed it ... and we dropped off.”
Blayney openers Jameel Qureshi and Pirenu Nirmalandren put on 47 from the first six overs, with the former taking to CYMS new ball bowler Chris Novak, who finished with 0-35 from his four overs.
But after Qureshi was dismissed for 25 by evergreen spinner Al Dhatt (3-4), Blayney then lost 5-7 to find itself reeling at 6-67.
Imran Qureshi (29 not out) somewhat steadied the ship, but couldn’t take his side further than 8-99 from its 20 overs.
After CYMS lost Matt Baker (4) in the first over, Nick Wright (9), Dave Neil (0), Hugh Le Lievre (0) and Tom Belmonte (0) all fell around Dwyer as Nirmalandren snared 4-16 to keep Blayney in the game.
But tellingly, with CYMS sitting at 5-70 and Dwyer 48 not out, he was dropped on the boundary. He scored another 17 and led his side to victory.
“If he gets caught there we would have been in a lot of trouble,” CYMS skipper Hamish Finlayson said.
“But I’m very pleased to win, very happy no matter how we got there.
“We just started awfully really, but we pegged it back pretty well.”
The win catapults CYMS to the top of pool B, albeit with a game in hand over Lithgow (second) and Orange City (third), and the green and golds take on the Lightning in a pivotal final group stage clash on January 25.