‘Yes,’ Andy shrieked, as Maddie set off down the pitch.
But then Jye moved Sam Bates from her position in slips to short cover.
‘NO!’ Andy hollered, his arm in the air as he realised who was rushing forwards to scoop up the ball. Maddie tried to stop, but she’d built up too much momentum.
Calmly, Sam flicked the ball back to the bowler who whipped the bails off. Maddie was stranded, metres from the crease.
‘Sorry, Maddie,’ Andy called, banging his bat into the turf.
‘It happens,’ Maddie replied, giving him a wave.
‘She’s a good kid, that one,’ Shane Watson said to Sam.
‘Yeah, that run-out wasn’t her fault,’ Sam said, shaking her head.
As the Sydney Sixers gradually got closer to their target, the tension in the crowd grew. But wickets continued to fall.
‘What happens if it’s a tie?’ Maddie asked Lisa, sitting on the edge of her seat. She still hadn’t taken her pads off.
‘Might be a Super Over,’ Lisa replied. ‘It’s a good question. I’m going to chat to Steve,’ she added, jumping out of her chair and heading over to the Sydney Thunder team.
Ned and Hayley were preparing to bat, the last pair for the Sydney Sixers, when Jye came on to bowl the final over. They needed five runs to tie the game, six runs to win.
‘I can’t watch.’ Maddie grimaced, glancing across to the huge white marquee tent on the other side of the oval where all the parents were watching the game.
‘Run!’ Chase shrieked.
Maddie looked up to see Ned bolt down to the other end. He’d just scored a single.
Hayley missed the next delivery then swung wildly at the third. It caught the edge of her bat and went rolling away past the wicketkeeper.
‘Again!’ cried the Sydney Sixers players, jumping to their feet. Ned had managed to scamper back for a second run, just beating the throw to the bowler’s end.
‘Three to win,’ Maddie muttered, her fists clenched.
Once again, Hayley swung bat at ball. This time she hit it more cleanly, but it went straight to mid-off.
Groans of disbelief were mixed with shouts of excitement. Every spectator was glued to the edge of their seats, watching this amazing match unfold.
Maddie glanced nervously at the scoreboard, though she knew the equation. Two balls to go, three runs to win.
Chase clutched her arm. ‘We’re so close,’ she shrieked. ‘So close.’
Jye spent a few minutes consulting with Shane Watson and Sam Bates before making some changes to the field.
Maddie dragged Chase over to where Mitchell Starc and Ashleigh Gardner were standing. ‘Is there anything we can do?’ Maddie asked.
Mitchell shook his head. ‘She’s just got to look for a gap and find it,’ he said, his arms crossed.
The crowd hushed as Jye began his run-up.
‘Look for a gap and find it!’ Chase yelled at the top of her voice.
‘Well, she got the message,’ Ashleigh laughed, noticing a few of the Sydney Thunder players turn in their direction.
‘Whack!’ Mitchell said, clapping his hands. Hayley had done exactly what Chase had instructed.
‘RUN!’ every Sydney Sixers supporter screamed, as the ball sped out past point. It wasn’t going to be a four.
‘This is exactly what Lisa said,’ Maddie breathed, covering her mouth with her hands.
Ned and Hayley weren’t the best batters, but they were super quick runners. They’d crossed for two runs and were beginning the third as one of the Sydney Thunder players retrieved the ball. It flew back into the wicket keeper as Ned dived for his crease.
‘How’s that!’ the keeper yelled.
Five thousand pairs of eyes turned to look at the square leg umpire. Bent at the knees, he slowly raised his body before shaking his head.
‘It’s not out!’ Maddie cried, jumping into the air. ‘They made it! We’ve won!’
The Sydney Sixers rushed onto the field to hug Ned and Hayley. Behind them, the BBL players smiled and shook hands. For ten minutes the players mingled on the ground, shaking hands and congratulating each other for the great game.
While this was happening, a platform was being assembled in front of the main stand. Harold Abbott strode to the microphone. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for this wonderful group of children.’ He waited for the applause to die down. ‘A few months ago, with the help of the Big Bash League, I sent out an invitation to the children of Sydney to apply for the first T20 Crickomania Carnival. The 24 children here may not be the best young cricketers in this city, but they are cricket’s future because their applications said to me that they, of the hundreds and hundreds of letters I got, love cricket the most.’
Once again a huge round of applause and cheering echoed around the ground.
‘Each of the children today will receive a lifetime pass to Crickomania Mansion. Free access all year round for the rest of their lives.’
‘Did you hear that, Maddie?’ Chase whispered, once again grabbing Maddie’s arm.
‘Oh, far out!’ Maddie gasped. ‘Can this day get any better?’
‘So, I’m going to ask the children to join their parents as there’s just one last little surprise for you all.’ Harold Abbott beamed, looking out at the crowd.
‘I think it can,’ Chase cried. ‘Look!’
Maddie turned. Walking out onto the oval, in two straight lines, were two teams; one in pink, the other in lime-green.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys. Sit back and enjoy a T20 game between the Sydney Sixers and the Sydney Thunder!’ Harold Abbott’s voice boomed.
For a moment Maddie couldn’t move. Then she was running. Running with all the other kids across the oval to get a good seat for the match.
‘C’mon, Jye,’ she laughed, sprinting past him.
‘You –’ Jye panted, but he was laughing.
Maddie raced over to her parents, hugging them both. ‘Oh Mum, Dad, it’s so good to see you,’ she said, nestling her face into her dad’s chest.
‘Good to see you too, Mads,’ he replied. ‘Did you miss us?’
Maddie stepped back and looked into their eyes. ‘Yes … and no,’ she said, smiling.
‘That’s the best possible answer,’ her mum said, hugging Maddie tight.
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Version 1.0
Big Bash League 8: Carnival Splash
ePub ISBN – 9780143782346
First published by Random House Australia in 2017
Text copyright © Penguin Random House Australia 2017
Branding copyright © Cricket Australia 2017
Illustrations copyright © James Fosdike 2017
The moral right of the author and illustrator has been asserted.
A Random House Australia book
Published by Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd
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National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication Entry
Author: Panckridge, Michael, 1962–
Title: Carnival Splash [electronic resource]
ISBN: 978 0 14378 234 6 (ebook)
Series: Big Bash League; 8
Target Audience: For chi
ldren
Subjects: Cricket stories
Sports – Juvenile fiction
Cover and internal illustrations by James Fosdike
Cover design by Christa Moffitt, Christabella Designs
Ebook by Firstsource
Carnival Splash Page 6