He's only been a part of Centrals Red's roster for seven weeks but Cameron Roberts is already making a massive impact in the Orange District Cricket Association's second-grade title race.
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The all-rounder played a gigantic role in the side's grand final qualifying win over Cavaliers on Saturday as he took five scalps in opening innings before an undefeated 53 helped seal the deal with two overs to go.
After winning the toss at a wet Riawena Oval, the reds decided to field first as they restricted Cavaliers to 145 runs in 44 overs.
Roberts' (5/39) heroics were special but weren't enough to keep Mark Niederle quiet, the Cavaliers' batsman scoring a team-high 51.
Outside Niederle, no one was able to make inroads, although opener Edwin Appadurai (19) had some success.
After the break, Cavaliers were up and about early, taking a pair of wickets in quick succession, leaving Centrals Red at 2/6.
When Alexander Wiegold (1/18) got Adam Shepherd out for four, things really turned in Cavaliers' favour.
But, a steady partnership of Kyle Nonnenmacher (31) and Roberts was timely, the pair guiding the side to 4/84 before the former was caught.
George Olsen (24) was also handy, but it was Roberts who stayed the course.
While the conditions weren't ideal, Roberts always backed the bats to hunt down the total and felt great about the win.
"It was just a good, all-round team performance," he said.
"We bowled as a tight unit and built pressure and the wickets came from that."
Roberts described his own performance as 'rocks and diamonds' suggesting he was lucky to bat for as long as he did.
"I got dropped a few times and once I got dropped a third time, I thought I'd better stay out there and get the job done," he said.
The victory sets up a grand final with Orange City, a unit that's been the clear benchmark all season.
And while Centrals Red will probably go into the showdown as underdogs, Roberts rates his team's chances.
"Since I've been here, I haven't come across a team with a batting or bowling line-up like ours," he said.
"When we're on, we're hard to stop. We've just got to get some runs on the board because last time we played them they rolled us."
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