Cometh the hour, cometh the man.
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For Orange City in last weekend’s Orange District Cricket Association grand final, that man proved to be 23-year-old all-rounder Taylor Beatty.
the former Manly-Warringah first grader starring in his side’s premiership win and capping off a simply remarkable 2017-18 summer in the process.
Beatty picked up 2-43 to help skittle Cavaliers for 138, only bettered by Brad Johnson’s 5-28, and clobbered an unbeaten 80 to get his side home despite a world of pressure to ultimately be named player-of-the-final by umpires Ian Findlay and Steve Warrington.
“I wasn’t expecting it at all,” Beatty smiled.
“Brad Johnson bowled beautifully on Saturday to take five and I actually thought (Cavaliers’) Josh Doherty had a really good game.
“He was really difficult to play on Sunday and on another day, it might have gone his way you know. He’s a really, really good cricketer.”
Beatty’s incredible final performance only bettered his stunning numbers since joining the club at Christmas too.
From his eight innings – he was only dismissed three times – he finished with 485 runs at a stunning average of 161.66, with two tons and two half-tons.
He also picked up 14 wickets at 16.64.
“I’ve just been so lucky and so thrilled with the opportunities I’ve been given at Orange City. I was so lucky to fall into such a good club and I’m glad I could help the boys to a premiership win,” he said.
“I could feel it from the first training session when I rocked up, you know, there’s nine, 10, 11 guys coming and introducing themselves immediately.
“That just doesn’t happen in Sydney, so it wasn’t something I was used to.”