Deni Rhinos C-grade cricketer Chris Pyle almost pulled off the perfect season in cricket, with only a C-grade premiership eluding him last Saturday.
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The Deni Rhinos C-grade team fell agonisingly short of the win, but did a magnificent job from last on the ladder to a place in the final, sometimes struggling to field a team.
Finley were too good on the day but runners-up is something to be very proud of.
But in the days before, Pyle was honoured with a swag of accolades at the Murray Valley Cricket Association awards night, including C-grade Cricketer of the Year.
Reflecting on the season, Pyle said “I felt after a slow start and a few delays, once we got past Christmas and started playing more regularly, we found some great form”.
“Seeing the kids in the team improve each week built confidence in the team, and finishing second showed just how far they have come,” he continued.
“We would have probably been the oldest team in the comp, with seven over or just under 40.
“We also had five kids under 17 throughout the year as well.”
At the MVCA awards, Pyle received a batting award, MVP and C-grade Cricketer of the Year, but is still very humble about his success.
“I felt that I had a good season but I was very surprised when I won the Cricketer of the Year and MVP,” he said.
“It’s quite humbling knowing that even at 41 I could still perform at a decent level.”
When asked about his cricket journey, Pyle said it had been a long one.
“It started when I was around 17 at Blighty where I played B-grade in the Deniliquin and District Cricket Association comp,” he said.
“After winning three flags with Blighty, and the last two back-to-back, I decided to come in and play for Town A-grade.
“In the first three years there we played in a couple of grand finals which we were unsuccessful in.
“Over the next few years the DDCA started to lose teams and I found myself playing for Juniors Cricket Club, while also being a part of a group of people that were looking at options for our town moving forward.
“This ultimately ended up with the Deni Rhinos being born into the MVCA.
“I played cricket through that inaugural season for both Juniors and Deni Rhinos.
“I was part of the losing T20 grand final and the winning one day grand final for the Rhinos, which was my first and only A-grade premiership,” he said proudly.
“From the next season the DDCA stopped and we introduced a B-grade Rhinos side in the MVCA to go with our A-grade side and I played in both teams throughout the next few years.
“In the 2019/20 season I was lucky enough to get runner-up in the league while winning the MVP and batting for that season, while captaining the B-grade team to minor premiers, though we were put out in the semi-finals that season.
“I captained for three seasons in total and then decided to take a step back in the 2021/22 season.
“Then we got to 2022/23 and I was ready to hang the bat up. But a few guys around my age - Anthony Bradley, Tim Hillier and Andrew Holloway - convinced me to play another season in C-grade.
“And what a ride it has been. From the four of us we have had torn calves, torn or strained hamstrings and parts of the body you didn’t know could hurt so much.
“But we made it through the season to finish second on the ladder, then to a semi-final for the first time outside of A-grade.
“I strained my hamstring during the match but then we got a crack at the grand final and a very impressive side in Finley.
“Although we came runners-up with an over to go, we were all extremely proud of our efforts,” he said.
“We came from last at Christmas to a grand final, I was lucky enough to receive the awards which was a nice accomplishment to finish off the season.”
Pyle believes the Rhinos have some great talent coming through the juniors.
“It is always a challenge when these kids grow up as some leave to go away to further education or other sports like AFL (like Todd Marshall and, hopefully, Charlie Hillier).
“But I do believe we are in good shape provided the numbers stay good.
“There is always room for more players if people are interested and if this year is anything to go by, age shouldn’t be a factor.
“I am looking forward to next season, though it will be with a rest some weeks.