Hit for Six (8 page)

When Josh was on forty-two and the Shimmers were three down for eighty, Sunil enticed Josh to play at one outside the off stump. It left him just enough to catch the edge of his bat and wicket-keeper Tay took a straightforward catch.

The remaining Shimmer batsmen managed a few more runs, but eventually they were all out for 116, with Sunil taking seven wickets.

In the Sluggers' second innings, they again lost their opening batsmen early. Davey was well aware of the responsibility he carried and played within himself while he accumulated runs.

With the score on two wickets for sixty-two, the Shimmers' fast bowler tried a short of a length delivery at Davey. He stepped inside the line and smacked it straight over the square leg fence.

Clearly annoyed, Troy bowled another, even faster, ball but Davey repeated the dose.

He had now hit four sixes.

‘Way to go, Davey!' his dad shouted.

‘Two to go,' Davey said to himself.

The Sluggers lost another wicket, but Davey bided his time, waiting for the right ball. At three for ninety-four, with Davey now on forty-six, their off-spinner tossed one up. Davey took two paces down the pitch and hit it straight over his head and over the sightscreen. Five sixes!

The crowd erupted as, with the shot, he brought up the team's hundred and his own half-century. Davey clocked Mo looking worried.

Davey realised that his arms and shoulders had held up. He wasn't as tired as he thought he would be.

Trevor . . . !
Davey thought. He realised that all the work he'd done at the bowling club had given him the upper body strength he needed.

Several overs later, the Sluggers had a good lead and Davey was in the sixties.

It's now or never
, Davey thought, with the last over about to be bowled.

Davey tried the helicopter shot on a well-pitched ball from their medium-pacer. He swung himself almost off his feet and the ball left the bat like a bullet from a gun. Davey heard the crowd gasp as the ball soared over wide mid-on.

He'd done it! Six sixes!

The crowd went ballistic. Davey Warner had hit six sixes and won the bet.

Sunil ran to Davey from the non-striker's end and nearly knocked him over with a hug.

‘That was incredible!'

Davey felt completely stunned.

‘Where's Clouter?' Davey asked Sunil. ‘I feel like a Whopper Chomp or twenty.'

The friends scanned the crowd to see Mo taking off from the grounds as fast as his legs could carry him.

At the break between innings, Davey found himself surrounded by friends and well-wishers. People were lining up to congratulate him.

‘Knew you could do it, kid brother.' Steve ruffled Davey's hair.

Trevor shook Davey's hand enthusiastically.

‘Good for you!' Benny enveloped Davey in a bear hug. ‘I was backing you all the way, son.'

‘Warner?'

A familiar voice caused Davey to turn. ‘Sir?'

Mudge looked so grim that Davey knew for sure he was a goner. It made sense now. Mudge couldn't wait until school to tell him he'd failed his assignment.

‘I read your essay on preparing the green in order to play a game of lawn bowls.'

Davey noticed Bella Ferosi sidling up next to them.
Her ears must be flapping
, he thought. He'd be decked out in pink in no time.

‘Yes, Sir?'

Mudge suddenly broke into a smile.

‘I am pleased to say that you surprised me, Warner. The depth of research that you went into was impressive. And I have to say it gave me a new appreciation for the game of cricket.'

Davey's jaw dropped.

‘I have given you an A.'

Bella scowled.

Davey's jaw dropped even further.

‘What's more, I've sent your name to Mrs Trundle for the next round of merit awards. I think you'd better be on time to assembly on Monday.'

‘Thank you, Sir,' Davey managed to say.

Was Davey's hearing working? Did Mudge just give him an A for his essay
and
a merit award?

He must have, because Bella was now trying to sneak away.

‘Not so fast, Ferosi, you're not going anywhere!' He grabbed Bella's arm. ‘We have a beautiful slug costume with your name on it.'

Bella shot Davey a withering look, but she went with Sunil and George.

Davey wolfed down an orange and then it was time to head out to field. After all, they still had a game to win.

The Sluggers weren't out of the woods.

Thanks to Davey's innings, they were leading by 147 runs, but the Shimmers were still very much in the game.

Josh was in great form. He'd taken Davey hitting six sixes badly and wasn't about to let go of the game. He smashed another four to the fence.

Despite excellent bowling from Sunil, the Shimmers were scoring quickly. The Sluggers' morale was dropping steadily and Sunil gathered the team together for a quick pep talk.

‘We can do this!' he said cheerily in his captain's voice. ‘After all, we have a secret weapon!'

‘First I've heard of it!' Ivy said drily.

‘What's our secret weapon?' asked Tay.

‘That!' Sunil pointed to an odd-looking slug-coloured creature standing on the sidelines. Two limp antennae drooped from the top of its head.

The Sluggers' slug mascot had arrived.

‘What
is
that thing?' cried Josh in horror.

‘The slug!' cried the team.

A huge cheer rang out from the Sluggers supporters. Despite burning cheeks and looking as if she might die of embarrassment, Bella Ferosi began to perform the slug dance. To her credit, she gave it all she had.

‘Sluggers! Sluggers!' chanted the crowd.

Though wickets fell at regular intervals, Josh continued to play very well. He was like a man possessed. He handled all the Sluggers bowlers, including Sunil, with ease.

With the score at seven wickets down for 144 and Josh at the crease, things were looking grim for the Sluggers.

Sunil brought himself back on for one last effort.

Josh edged the first ball on the ground through the slips cordon and ran a single: seven for 145.

Next ball, with a mighty effort, Sunil produced an unplayable delivery that pitched on leg stump and seamed away to knock the batsman's off stump out of the ground: eight for 145.

The Shimmers' number ten came in looking distinctly nervous. Sunil bounded in and pitched a full one straight at his toes. He backed away but managed to get his bat up, and the ball looped in the air to point, where Davey took a simple catch.

The score was now nine for 145.

In came the Shimmers' number eleven. Sunil was again in top form. He got the batsman to edge the ball, but even Tay, flinging herself to her right, could not hold the difficult chance.

Josh rushed through for a single to get the strike.

Sunil bowled to Josh as fast as he possibly could, but over-pitched.

Josh slammed the full toss back down the wicket straight at Sunil. He valiantly tried to catch it, but it burst through his hands and hit him on the inside of the kneecap.

‘Oohhh!' gasped the crowd.

Sunil went down like a sack of spuds, writhing in pain.

No run was taken and the Sluggers crowded around their captain. He definitely couldn't bowl any more and was helped off the field.

Shimmer Bay needed only two runs to win.

One wicket to fall.

One ball left in the over.

Who was going to bowl it?

‘Give it to me,' said Davey. ‘I'll bowl.'

He and Josh Jarrett locked eyes.

Davey had noticed when he was batting that at the crease where Josh stood there were one or two cracks in the pitch outside the off stump.

If he could land the ball on one, he might just get it to move around a bit.

‘Ha!' Josh smirked as Davey got ready to bowl. ‘The lawn bowler! Perfect.'

Josh had no idea just how right he was. Davey was a lawn bowler and a greenkeeper. But he was also a cricketer.

‘This one's for Josh,' Davey told the ball.

Davey ran in holding the ball with his fingers on either side of the seam. The ball pitched a little short and Josh stepped back, intending to smack it away on the off side.

But the ball caught the edge of the crack and seamed wickedly back in to Josh. Completely surprised, Josh only succeeded in getting a thin inside edge.

Tay flung herself to her left at full stretch and just managed to glove the ball in her left hand.

Josh Jarrett was out! Tay and Davey had done it between them.

The Sluggers had won by one run.

‘YAAAYYY!'

The new number ones on the ladder sprinted around the pitch faster than any slug you've ever seen. Even the slug got into the spirit. Bella was picked up by the crowd and carried around the field. The Sluggers were heroes!