That feeling compounded when Horouta lost both their openers for ducks, before Situ single-handedly took control of the game for his team, leading by example.
Situ's innings cemented what he had been saying of his team all season; they have the talent and potential to challenge their opposition, they just hadn't shown it yet.
Bruno Judd (20) and Heyan Ranasinghe (24) chimed in well in the middle order as the game went down to the wire.
GBHS tried everything they could to dismiss the Horouta side, using eight bowlers. Ultimately it was to no avail, as Horouta squeezed home by the skin of their teeth.
It was a tense finish, with one mistake from either side having the potential to be match losing, but Horouta kept their cool heads and prevailed.
Despite not having an implication on the leaderboard, the belief in the Horouta side that they can chase down over 200 will be monumental going into their second game in two weeks against GBHS next weekend in the semi-finals.
Situ said it was the perfect time to have their best performance of the season, leading up to the semi-finals next week.
“It puts a lot of belief in the guys, knowing we can chase down a big total.”
Going into the second innings he said the mood was positive, knowing they had the time to score the runs — being given an extra five overs to chase them down.
“I told them ‘I don't care if we lose this game, I'd rather chase this total'.
“It was definitely very tense towards the end. I was talking to them, telling them it was definitely achievable.”
Horouta were expecting GBHS to post a big total, missing key “strike” bowlers like Keegan Martin and Tushar Balat, he said.
GBHS coach Mal Trowell said his team was pleased to get to 219, believing at the time they had done enough to constrict Horouta.
“The declaration with five overs left was great for us. We felt 220 would be enough, but still be tempting to have a go at with giving them the extra five overs.
“We wanted to play positive cricket, and I think the game reflects that with the tight finish.
“(It) was a great match, (we) won one the weekend before on the penultimate ball then lose this weekend on the last.
“We were a little disappointed for sure but that's cricket, I'm sure we will bounce back this weekend.”
HIGH School Old Boys weren't able to make ends meet in a tense back-and-forth battle against OBR in DJ Barry Cup cricket.
After Coastal Concrete OBR was dismissed for 195 in their first innings, Bollywood Stars HSOB failed to form a meaningful partnership and were bowled out for 134 in the 30th over.
It was a game of momentum swings, with HSOB looking like they would comfortably chase down the OBR total but failing to bat on after getting good starts.
Four of the first five HSOB batsmen scored double-digit runs but they lost their wickets at crucial moments, putting themselves on the backfoot.
OBR wasn't taking their opportunities, with several missed catches and fielding mistakes, but ultimately they were able to overcome their indecision in the field.
The spin combination of OBR's Ian Loffler (3/42/10) and captain Nick Greeks (4/36/8.5) proved decisive yet again, eroding the HSOB batting attack with good line and length.
The duo had a straight and accurate attack, catching two batsmen leg before wicket and bowling three others.
HSOB had moments where they looked like they were going to stabilise but lost their wickets at key moments, which drained the momentum they had been building.
Ryan Majstrovic (20), Sean Wills (38) and Pat Udall (26) all made strong starts but were dismissed before they could punish the OBR attack.
At times it looked like HSOB would cruise to victory, only to shortly thereafter lose a wicket.
One significant difference-maker was the accuracy with the ball. OBR's tight line only allowed nine extras in their innings, through wides, while HSOB gave away 30 wides and nine no balls.
While the extras weren't a defining moment in the HSOB defeat, it certainly cost them on the scoreboard as they would have been chasing a much more manageable total if they could have restricted their opponents' total with better bowling.
Greeks said his combination with Loffler was crucial to put HSOB on the backfoot and earn the victory after they were in trouble early in the second innings through Wills' and Udall's strong partnership.
“It was good to be put under some pressure and come out on top. It was a good rehearsal for next weekend's game.”
OBR was happy to have lost the toss and been put in to bat, with Joe Loffler providing a “well constructed” 53 not-out to hold the innings together, he said.
The win for OBR sees them hold on to second spot on the leaderboard, and only needing to come away with a draw next week, while HSOB will finish third on the leaderboard and require a win to advance to the final.
