By Steve Doble

Travelling to play first placed Mareeba at Kerribee Park (Mareeba Rodeo Ground) was always going to be a challenge despite Muddies' C Grade smashing win earlier in the season at The Mud Pit home ground.

For this game the first challenge was the weather that saw B grade at home washed out 24 hours earlier then Mareeba unsure until Muddies' departure time if their outfield would drain.

There were also conflicting reports about which route to take with Bushy Creek potentially still flooding, but it wasn't until play was effectively underway that the greatest challenge became apparent.

Muddies chose to bowl after seeing a moisture affected but otherwise well prepared pitch with soft outfield and unusually after 6 overs neither opening bowler had broken through sharing 0/7 each.

Redfern, brought in for the 7th over with a slightly blustery cross wind was effective catching a well flighted delivery off the batsmen's inside edge, to have Mareeba 1/14 off seven overs. 

Porter managed a 12 ball first over, although he too broke through second ball, Mareeba 0/25 off 8.

Redfern remained in control at one end as Barnes waited to the second ball of his second over to break through prior to having a hat trick opportunity in his third, eventually receiving the umpire's vote of the day with 4/9 off 6 overs.

Redfern bowled through offering few scoring opportunities with 1/15 off 6.

Early season team member with a self pronounced nickname "Sven" from being a former Uni student/masseuse Ben Gaske was offered to take over from Redderz.

He was encouraged to go back to the massage bench after just one over that saw some of the only fair wide calls the umpire managed all day.

Schulz and Scheisser returned to the attack, the latter victim of some corridor balls outside off being called wide to return 0/11 and Schulz gave Scheisser his second catch at cover and Bronson Ryan a skied catch to manage 2/16, both off 6.

Wickets had fallen steadily and with Ryan bowling tightly at one end Porter returned with a more apt 2/4 off two to go with his first over of 0/11.

Mareeba were all out in the last over for 85, wides top scored with an illegitimate 19.

There is not much to say about Muddies early batting, Harold (0) slashing an edge to gully in the first over perhaps lit the umpire's gun as quickly three more batsmen saw themselves triggered LBW and back in the shed, a total of two runs between all four of them!

At one point following a wicket the umpire appeared to be as much a part of the centre wicket huddle as any fielder.

By the 11th over Muddies were 4/36 and by 14 overs 4/54.

It was Darlington who had plundered everything Mareeba could produce, eventually bowled for 54 off 51 balls.

Muddies' Redfern (10) and Scheisser (6) partnered well at the crease taking the team to 84 and Ryan, who closed out the bowling remained 1 not-out to return a Muddies win and no doubt a big blow to the local challenging number 12.

The team will play Innisfail at Innisfail this coming Sunday afternoon for C Grade.

B Grade play in the one day Grand Final at Mareeba on Saturday then at home on Sunday afternoon in qualifying two day match.

Get down and enjoy.