If you needed further proof that the stars were aligning for Old Boys, it occurred against Bective East at Riverside 1 on Saturday as Aaron Hazlewood claimed six wickets.
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In only his second red-ball game this season, after recovering from a torn bicep he received playing Premier League for Mushies last year, the talented allrounder snared 6-28 in 18.3 overs as the Bulls were dismissed for 102 in the 42nd over.
He then finished on 35 not out as the competition leaders concluded day one 5-195, in what is a penultimate-round clash before the finals.
Wobbly early in the season, Old Boys went into this match with six straight wins. They are on course to regain the premiership they lost to South Tamworth last season following four consecutive titles.
“We’ve been playing some good cricket lately, actually, as a group,” Hazlewood said. “We played really well against Norths last game, back into the two-day cricket [after Old Boys won the Twenty20 title] … We’re sort of starting to gain some good momentum as a team coming into the finals.”
“We’re starting to get the same blokes [in the side] week in week out and everyone’s putting together some good performances,” he added.
Hazlewood torn the bicep tendon off the bone in his bowling arm after his brother-in-law, Mushies president Chris Fenton, “conned him” into playing soccer again last year after he had hung up the boots. The injury required surgery – the recovery a “slow process”.
“It was just a couple of different incidents over a few different weeks that caused that [the injury],” he said. “I originally hurt it one week, and two weeks later I took a final blow to it and sealed the deal.”
Ominously for opposing sides, Hazlewood said Old Boys would be stronger next week with the addition of teenage right-arm quick Landan Price.
Hazlewood praised the performance of teammate Jaryd Stevens, who, playing his first top-grade game this season, took 4-50 off 12 overs.
Opener Nick Pearson (31) top-scored for last-placed Bective, while Adam McGuirk (44) and Adam Lole (42) led the way for Old Boys.
When not bowling, Hazlewood watched the Tom O’Neill show at Riverside 2. The tall quick bagged 6-55 off 23.3 overs as West Tamworth were removed for 217 in the 55th over. It was his best performance this season, and his third five-wicket haul in 2018-19. He snared 6-70 off 22 overs against Old Boys in round six.
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Shaun Stevenson (49), Heath Falkenmire (38) and Harrison Kelly (37) top-scored for Wests.
In reply, Souths were 2-39 off 22 overs at stumps, with skipper Mitch Smith 30 not out. Smith had scored 400 runs at an average of 50 ahead of the match – the best aggregate in the competition this season.
