Two best mates were unlikely heroes with the bat for Gisborne in the Gisborne and District Cricket Association McIntyre Cup grand final.
At 8-169, the Dragons’ premiership hopes looked all but gone after Diggers Rest Bulla had taken three quick wickets.
At the crease for the Dragons were the Nolan brothers, Darcy and Geordy.
Both had highest scores of 16 for the season. They managed to put on 22 runs before Geordy was out for six.
That brought a clearly injured Jay King to the crease. Despite not being able to run, King stayed with Darcy Nolan and they kept the scoreboard ticking over.
A Nolan boundary levelled the scores at 215 – enough to secure the Dragons a premiership as they had finished higher on the regular- season ladder.
The game was over the next ball, with Nolan dismissed for 34.
Despite having a highest score ever of just 31, Nolan said he was quietly confident that he could get the job done. He made 12 not out batting at No.11 in the Dragons’ B-grade grand final win over the Burras in 2013-14.
“Five wickets and 80 runs you think … you can get them,” he said.
“The fact it took us nine down didn’t matter in the end. When the ball was on my pads, I had to go for it and it paid off.
“It’s unreal – to get out there and get the job done.”
Nolan said batting with his brother and then with one of his best mates was a contrast.
“Batting with Geordy was awesome,” he said. “His chat was good early … he batted really hard and put his head over the pill and did the right thing.
“Jay is one of my best mates.
“It’s pretty ballsy to come out last week and take four wickets and this week bat through with stress fractures in his shin and be there when we got the runs.”
Doctors told King, who moved across from Rupertswood in the off-season, he shouldn’t be playing in the grand final after scans before the first weekend of the match revealed the stress fractures.
“It’s pretty messed up,” King said. “I thought I was done for.
“The doctor said, ‘No you can’t play’, but the physio strapped me up heavily and got me to the point where I could attempt to play.”
The final decision to play was left to King. “They didn’t pick me until about 11 on the Saturday morning,” he said.
“I had to have a bowl and see if I could run at the last minute … they put it in my hands as to whether I could contribute. I said yes and they backed me in … [I’m] very thankful.”
King, who took four wickets on the first two days, was the most nervous person at the ground when the two Nolans were batting.
“I couldn’t speak to anyone,” he said. “I was sitting here being quiet and didn’t move. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I was packing myself.”
King, who could barely walk, let alone run, finished four not out.
“I was in a bit of strife,” he said.
“I kept telling ‘Darc’ to keep fighting. ‘Darc’ didn’t want to know me [when he hit the runs to tie the score] – he was too busy trying to talk to everyone in the crowd.
“It was a little bit of an anti-climax that he went out straight afterwards.
“As well as the result, I got to play with ‘Darc’, and he’s my best mate. It’s been a brilliant year.”
For more pictures of the closing stages of the match, CLICK HERE
