Muddies Blue are Cricket Far North one-day champions after a see-sawing encounter saw the underdogs beat club rivals Muddies Green at the Port Douglas Sports Complex yesterday.

Having been beaten by Green late in the season, it was always going to be a tough challenge for Blue in the biggest match of the year, but batting heroics by Logan Marsh saw them get over the line with a 10 run win.

A tired and emotional Muddies Blue skipper Simon Cody spoke to The Newsport this morning, and said Marsh was the rock on which the win was built, coming in when his team looked in dire straits at 3/15 early in their innings.

"Logan decided to tee-off and took Doug Barnes, who's the best bowler in the completion and had won the awards for most wickets and best average, and he took him for 12 off one of his overs with two booming sixes, lofted drives over mid-off.

"I thought he was more of a bowler but his batting was sensational. He didn't offer any chances until the last ball he went out on."

Marsh and Cody combined to steady the ship with a 45 run partnership, with Marsh going on to top score with 69 and take Blue's total just shy of their pre-game goal of 120 runs to finish with 115.



Muddies Green were immediately put under pressure with Sam Hodgson a star performer for Blue delivering tight wicket-taking bowling.

"They got off to a bit of a slow start. We were pretty lucky we held them down and then they had a succession of quick wickets," Cody said.

"We were pretty nervous. We thought we were going to throw it away but we were lucky enough to come away (with a win).

"I'll be honest, we won the one that counts, and without being rude we know we're the better side, and it showed on the day that if you bat your overs and you bat with intent that you'll win."

Cody said the win came despite playing against a team with a big advantage - a hugely pro-Green crowd.

"We weren't the crowd favourites that's for sure. No one was routing for us. Every time they hit a boundary the whole crowd went up for them."