Amidst the disappointment of missing out on a chance to play at the SCG, the performance of some of their youngest players was a real shining light for the Northern Inland Bolters.
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Both the men's and women's sides were knocked out of the Plan B Regional Bash, with the women beaten by the Coffs Coast Chargers in their one-off game under lights at No.1 Oval on Saturday, while the men finished their pool campaign with a win and two losses.
There were though some promising signs for the future with Jess Davidson starring for the Bolters women while teen quicks Jack Mongtomery and Dylan Smith impressed with the ball for the men.
"We've seen them before and we know they're good talents," Bolters men's skipper Tom Groth said.
Following on from an impressive performance for Narrabri in the War Veterans Cup the previous weekend, he thought Smith particularly "really stepped up".
"He got two wickets, three wickets and three wickets, and he wasn't flustered at all playing at this level," he said.
The two are set to do it all again next weekend, with Smith getting the call-up to the Central North opens side to play in the Northern Country Championships.
Groth said they played some good cricket over the weekend but were "pretty ordinary at times as well".
"We didn't play the perfect game but overall we probably did every aspect of the game pretty well," he said.
After a disappointing loss to eventual pool winners Coffs Coast Chargers on Saturday afternoon the Bolters bounced back against the Macquarie Coast Stingers on Sunday morning, Simon Norvill setting No.1 Oval alight.
The Old Boys opener blasted five sixes and eight fours enroute to a brilliant 45-ball 94 as the Bolters posted 5-166 from their 20 overs.
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"Norvs was awesome, just hit the ball hard and backed himself," Groth said.
"Played really well and got some good support from a few other guys at the top of the order."
Smith (3-30) and Montgomery (3-27) then stung Macquarie Coast early with the ball, picking up two wickets apiece to have them 4-15.
After a bit of a fightback from the Stingers, Montgomery fittingly came back on to finish them off for 141.
Backing up against Northern Rivers Rock in the afternoon, the Bolters dragged them back from a flyer to a chaseable 7-142.
"We were really happy to keep them to 140 after their power play. They had a pretty good power play," he said.
Smith was again amongst the wickets and the most successful Bolters bowler with 3-28.
In contrast to the morning's game where Norvill and Harrison Kelly put on 121 for the first wicket, they had what Groth termed a "disastrous" power play and found themselves 6-32 with Norvill (30 off 25) the only of the top seven to make double figures.
"It's hard to win games of cricket when you're 6-32," he said.
In danger of being bowled out for under 100, Adam Jones, coming in at eight and hitting 42 off 33, helped them get to 106, Groth (16 off 13) the last man dismissed.
