Creditable defeats for third grade cricketers in T20s

Gunnedah’s third graders were competitive without recording a win in their T20 fixtures at the Quirindi-based Longfield Park last Saturday.

The North Tamworth Redbacks registered a four-wicket win, before South Tamworth won by 23 runs.

Gunnedah was a wicket down after four balls in the first game, before Bev Flanagan and Lachlan King briefly lifted the tempo.

King raced to 25 before the loss of four wickets for 17 runs in the space of 18 balls left Gunnedah in trouble at 5-53.

Zafar Mukhtar hit 20 off 14 balls but the wickets kept tumbling, and Gunnedah was all out for 96 with eight balls remaining while George Bradford remained not out on 22.

North Tamworth began uncertainly as the third and fourth overs of the run chase were maidens, with the fourth over featuring the wicket of Mathew Rose.

The Redbacks were wobbling at 3-30 before a 23-run stand unfolded, and then the batting side slipped to 5-60.

Adam Miller made a match-turning 41 before he was dismissed with victory in sight.

Bowling first in the second game, Gunnedah began positively as the second over was a wicket-maiden before the momentum changed as Shane Mckenzie twice hit successive fours off Flanagan.

Mckenzie exited in the ninth over before opener Michael Cullen retired for 24 at the 10-over mark, and then Greg Lane hit three successive fours in the 11th over.

A run-out in the 13th over was followed by 13 runs in the next four balls, and then the dismissal of Lane in the subsequent over.

Eighteen runs came from the 15th over, and a brisk 58-run partnership ended in the 19th over before another 10 runs were followed by stumpings from the final two balls of the innings.

Gunnedah crashed to 4-4 in the first two overs before Lachlan Jones and Lachlan King added 44 runs, but the required run rate kept increasing.

The 16th over was a wicket-maiden as Gunnedah was 61 runs shy of the target, and the result was never in doubt although Thomas Swain made a worthy 36 not out from 19 balls.

North Tamworth Redbacks 6-97 (Adam Miller 41; Lachlan King 2-18, Bev Flanagan 2-20) defeated Gunnedah 9-96 (Lachlan King 25; Adam Miller 3-24, Mathew Rose 2-17) by four wickets.

South Tamworth 7-154 (Mitch Forrester 41, Shane Mckenzie 30; Josh Green 2-5) defeated Gunnedah 7-131 (Thomas Swain 36 not out; Michael Cullen 2-14, Shehbaz Ahmed 2-16) by 23 runs.