Fielding at deep square leg for Old Boys against West Tamworth, Stevens dropped two routine catches in a row.

The batter was his good friend Harrison Kelly - who, in the same over, again struck the ball high towards Stevens, as fate would have it.

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This time, however, the 26-year-old hung on to it.

"But as I caught it, I looked down and my foot went over the rope," he said.

It was the only six Kelly struck in his innings of 40, with Wests going on to record a 44-run win.

Stevens recalled the unfortunate episode - a fielder's nightmare come true, if there ever was one - when asked to detail his most embarrassing moment in life.

"That's cricket: things like that happen," he said.

"When they do, you have to push it to the back of your mind and not dwell on it too much. And, hopefully, the next chance you get you take."

That good attitude mirrors how the Tamworth-born painter and decorator tries to live his life.

"I'm very relaxed at times, and sort of can just go with the flow," he said.

"That's a trait of mine that I kind of try and keep strong, and live by the motto, it is what it is; you just roll with the punches, I guess."

Stevens - who considers himself an allrounder - has had to roll with the punches this week after being dropped to second grade as Old Boys prepare to meet City United at No 1 Oval on Saturday.

The demotion snapped a seven-match first-grade stint for Stevens, who has made a concerted effort to lock down a top-grade spot this season after years of lower-grade action at Old Boys. He captained Old Boys' second-grade side in 2020-21.

"A little bit disappointing," he said of the demolition. "But you've gotta go with what the club needs as a whole."

After working as a baker for years, Stevens is about to start the third year of a mature-age apprenticeship with Robert Haskard Painting.

"I spend a lot of my time at work," he said. "I've found that I do have a passion for painting.

"I like watching things go from bare or old and cruddy [to] looking fresh and new. I get a bit of enjoyment out of that."

The Wests loss was the first of three-straight defeats for Old Boys. With two regular-season rounds remaining, they are third on the ladder, five points behind competition leaders Bective East.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Bective and South Tamworth meet at Riverside 1 while North Tamworth and Wests clash at Riverside 2.

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