Victory slips away from first graders in T20

A late onslaught from Ben Taylor enabled Bective East to steal victory on the final ball against Gunnedah in a first grade T20 contest at Bicentennial Park last Friday night.

A maiden win in the Tamworth District Cricket Association (TDCA) appeared within reach as Gunnedah made 4-150 in its 20 overs, before Bective East was 6-136 with one over remaining.

After choosing to bat, the visitors enjoyed a 49-run opening stand before Sam Doubleday departed for 18.

Doubleday found the boundary from the first two balls of the sixth over before being bowled next ball, and then skipper Andy Mack struck his first delivery to the boundary.

Kyle Gallen smashed six sixes and a four in his 46 off 28 balls. He hammered 16 runs in the seventh over, but the next three overs yielded only five runs for the loss of Gallen to leave Gunnedah 2-74 after 10 overs.

Mack and vice-captain Izaak Merlehan moved the score along, with Mack departing in the 18th over which yielded 15 runs.

Merlehan fell in the final over after hitting one four and three sixes in his 42 off 32 balls, and the remaining three balls yielded only a single.

Taylor was the standout bowler with 1-9 from four overs.

Merlehan took the first wicket in the run chase, before Ateeq-ur Rahman struck twice in the sixth over as the hosts slid to 3-36.

The pendulum swung back-and-forth, with 13 runs in the 11th over followed by a wicket in the 14th.

The next wicket left Bective East needing 32 runs from 17 balls, before Taylor struck the first ball of the 19th over for six.

A wicket fell two balls later, before Taylor hammered 10 runs from the first two balls of the final over to reduce the task to five runs from four balls. Two runs from the fifth ball brought the scores level, before Taylor belted a loose ball for six to seal the result in resounding style.

As it turned out, Gunnedah had less than 24 hours to wait before notching its first victory in the TDCA.

Bective East 6-156 (Ben Taylor 77 not out; Ateeq-ur Rahman 2-26, Izaak Merlehan 2-31) defeated Gunnedah 4-150 (Kyle Gallen 46, Izaak Merlehan 42; Ben Taylor 1-9) by four wickets.