Page #37 & 38 of “OUT OF IT” a novel by Michael O’Leary

- Chow, he said, Blast you.
- The smoke from the dope, the P.S.M. said politely.
- No, Paul Calvert nee O’Shea gasped, I caught a ……cold night before….blast your soul….night before last…and to hell with you drinking too much draught Rewi, from now on its whiskey or nothing.
They all nodded as one!
They all moved as one back to the grandstand. Here I am thought the Malone at last and at length. Here I am with all the people the Maureen disapproves of and doing all the things she disapproves but I’ve not liked all the people she’s approved of in or out of the family and the same with the things.
-Good game, e bro, Golly be along any minute now. And that was the one she least liked …. And here I am.
-Kia Ora, Paddy, how’s it? Long time no see, e. hope you got that missus of yours well hid. She don’t like me! – Golly laughed and then brought out a bottle of whiskey and said – here!
The Malones head expanded in consciousness and size as he sipped the milk of his mother land for the first time in as many years and there he was and the rain was fallin’ on his face and the tears of heaven rolled down his once again young face, the dew from the South washed through him purifying his inner soul -–it is, indeed a great day for the Irish.
The four sat drinking and talking about old times and when the sky cleared, their heads cleared and so did the airwaves….

“Well, it seems things have cleared up, John, the covers have been removed and here, to a round of applause, is Coney leading his men back on to the field.”
“Yes, welcome back to Eden Park everyone and we return with the news that the game is to be reduced to thirty overs for each team. What does that do to the number of overs each bowler can bowl. Have you worked that out yet Dennis?”
“As a matter of fact I have and according to my calculation things do not auger well for the New Zealanders. Under the new regime, I make it that each bowler can bowl only six overs as a maximum, which means that all but one of the bowlers used so far have been bowled out. So, Hadlee, Cairns, Bracewell have all bowled six overs each and Ewen Chatfield has only one over left.”
“Coney, it would seem, has real problems on his hands. We’re coming up to the twenty-fourth over, which leaves seven full overs to play and only one of which to be bowled by a strike bowler.”
“Yes, well there’s such a thing in this game as thinking ahead, and although I think bringing Hadlee on to make that much needed break-through in the nineteenth over was inevitable, I feel it was a bit like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted!”
“Quite! Anyway it looks like Coney himself will bowl the first ball back after the break as he comes in on the gentle run-up of his, from the South end of the pitch and bowls to Te Rauparaha who takes a massive swing and the ball goes very high. I think he mistimed that shot and what was meant to be a six looks like it could be … yes it has been caught by Wright almost on the boundary, bringing an end to a very fine innings by the Out of It Captain.”
“Yes, he certainly made good the saying “a Captain’s knock”. For even though he got somewhat bogged down after his firey start and he almost could not play the spin of Bracewell at all, he put early runs on the board and then, just by staying around he kept the Out of It innings together.”
“I couldn’t agree more Dennis and I don’t think I’ll ever forget those six sixes off Hadlee.”
“Oh, yes, splendid shots. In fact just about every ball he scored off could be a study-piece for all the small boys out there watching. He was at the crease for just over one and a half hours actual playing time and in that time he faced just forty-six balls off which he scored exactly eighty runs. A truly fine innings and whatever else may befall us on this extraordinary day’s cricket here at Eden Park, I’m sure that the fine innings by Te Rauparaha, the Out of It Captain will stay in the minds of all those who saw it for many years to come.”
“Thank you Dennis, and as the crowd show their appreciation with a standing ovation, the big Maori chief makes his way back to the dressing room. That walk can often be a very long and lonely one, and as we watch Te Rauparaha one