Chris Pyle steadied the innings for Rhinos C-grade on Saturday.
The Deni Rhinos had a convincing win against Tocumwal in round nine of the Murray Valley Cricket Association C-grade competition.
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The Rhinos put in a full team performance continuing their winning ways in their final game before the Christmas break.
Winning the toss, the Rhinos elected to bat.
The Rhinos started their innings with aggressive intentions keen to demonstrate their batting prowess batting first for the first time this season.
Led by the attacking Anthony Bradley and young gun Charlie McCallum, the Rhinos got off to a quick start before Bradley was bowled going on the attack for 14 leaving the Rhinos 1-19.
Rowan Frazer then joined McCallum at the crease.
McCallum set the tempo, including a pull shot for six over deep mid-wicket and quick running between the wickets.
However, McCallum was eventually caught by the Tocumwal fielder at deep square leg for 24.
Charlie McCallum, pictured in a previous match, was handy with bat and ball for the Rhinos.
Experienced Rhinos player Chris Pyle then came in at 2-43 and settled in well getting used to the conditions.
Frazer was out shortly after, hitting a pull shot to the mid-wicket fielder who took a good one-handed diving catch leaving the Rhinos 3-53.
Up-and-coming Rhinos player Hamish Baker joined Pyle in the middle and the pair knocked the ball around well, finding the gaps and hitting boundaries regularly.
Pyle showed his class reaching his half-century, laying a stable foundation for the Rhinos innings and retiring 53 not out with the score at 3-132.
Stephen Marshall was unlucky coming in and given out LBW without scoring a run.
Dillip Boppidi then came in and scored a quickfire 11 before caught after skying the ball to the boundary fielder leaving the Rhinos 5-144.
Rhinos wicketkeeper-batsman Lachlan Marshall joined Baker and the young pair finished the innings strongly navigating some tricky bowling at the death to get the Rhinos to 5-181 after 35 overs.
Baker finished with a comprehensive innings of 40 not out and Marshall added some handy runs finishing 13 not out.
Both players ran several quick-singles and twos despite the heat.
When the bowling innings came around, the Rhinos strong opening bowlers Prem Muppidi and leading junior Fletcher Campion both bowled tightly getting edges and drawing false shots from Tocumwal’s top-order.
Muppidi finished with figures of 1-3 and Campion 1-14, both off four over spells.
Ted Wren came on in his C-grade debut match for the Rhinos bowling his leg-spin beautifully, creating chances and removing the long-standing Tocumwal opener caught at cover by Baker.
Wren finished with figures of 1-6 off 5 overs.
Frazer and Baker also came on both continuing the miserly bowling finishing with 0-5 and 0-9 off their three overs respectively.
Nick Fogo, with his leg-spin, and McCallum with his seam up bowling both toiled well during their five overs each.
Fogo got a well deserved wicket, again caught by Baker, and McCallum cleaned up the middle order with three wickets with bowled the primary form of dismissal.
Finishing off the innings, Stephen Marshall bowled on the spot relentlessly.
He conceded only one run off his four overs, and Boppidi also had a bowl finishing with 1-4 off two overs the wicket coming after a skyed catch, caught by Fogo at square leg.
Tocumwal scored 8-68 off 35 overs seeing out the innings, but the Rhinos won by 113 runs.
The Rhinos moved to the top of the ladder in the MVCA C-grade competition leading into the break.
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