Ben was facing his one ball at the end of the over. As per the plan, his purpose was to block it out and hope Zane could hit the winning boundary next over. But, in the effort to keep the ball out of his stumps, Ben leant forward in a correct defensive pose with such a determined, definitive shift of his weight that his bat descended with unexpected sweetness and timing. The ball rocketed off the meaty centre of the blade with the peeling stickers, bounced hard on the pitch, top-spun between the bowler and the mid-off fieldsman, and rolled into the outfield. Ben began running but Zane held up his hand. Ben ran anyway. Evidently, Zane did not want to risk Ben taking the strike for the next over. Ben yelled, ‘Two, two!’ in hopes that he could get back to his end and be out of danger, while scoring his first two runs for the St Pat’s First XI. But when Ben got closer to Zane, he realised his friend was not holding up his palm to stop him running. Zane’s glove was clenched in a fist. Having been closer to the ball as it fizzed past him, Zane saw how fast it had travelled off Ben’s bat. The chasing fielders were not going to get it before it reached the fence. Zane knew that Ben had hit the winning shot. St Pat’s by one wicket! Ben Grimes, match winner!

‘Uh-oh.’

Zane also saw the stickers falling off Ben’s bat.

The St Pat’s boys, minus the departed Daniel Abottemey, ran whooping onto the field. The Cobcroft boys slumped to the turf. The coaches coldly shook hands. The crowd went as crazy as only a bunch of middle-aged and elderly cricket-flummoxed men and women can after cleaning up two cases of Toohey’s Old. Norma Grimes’s hand was fluttering at her throat. Red Cap was hoisting Josie in the air. Japan Ned was sprinting onto the ground to join the boys, Tonsure Man stumbling behind him. Kelly was crying out Ben’s name.

Ben was chaired off by Joel and Jai Something. Zane Dwyer, who had scored most of the runs, was happy to let Ben take the plaudits, but he was sticking close, an oddly worried look on his face.