An Old Boys team with a distinct Gunnedah flavour was too strong for the home side in last Saturday’s first grade T20 contest at Kitchener Park, as the Tamworth team romped to a landslide victory.
Gunnedah’s total of 118 proved inadequate as Old Boys surpassed it for the loss of only one wicket with 7.4 overs to spare.
Old Boys fielded former Gunnedah-based cricketers Hayden Baker, Adam McGuirk, Mitchell Swain, Rhyce Kliendienst and Ben Middlebrook, all of whom made worthy contributions while Swain’s cousin Bradley was less fortunate while playing for Gunnedah.
McGuirk skippered Old Boys while Izaak Merlehan led Gunnedah in the absence of first-choice captain Andy Mack.
After winning the toss, the hosts lost their first wicket at 39 as Jack Hamilton sent Kyle Gallen’s middle-stump flying in the eighth over.
Baker began with a full-toss which Will Ford clouted for six, but Ford departed three balls later as a miscued stroke was caught at point.
Henry Johns was disastrously run out in the following over after hitting the ball straight to Baker in the covers. It was the second time this season that Johns was run out while batting with Merlehan, who was lucky not to be ruled out on this occasion after the two batters had crossed.
Merlehan soon hit a four and a six off Baker, only to be dismissed as he sought three boundaries in a row. The first two hits went to the deep mid-wicket region, with the second one nearly caught on the boundary before the next ball was caught at long-on.
Bradley Swain hit a four and a six off Middlebrook, only to be stumped soon afterwards as he tried to hammer another delivery from one of the former Gunnedah-based players.
The total raced from 5-80 to 5-111 within three overs as Nick Millar went on the attack in his long-awaited return. He slog-swept Baker for six, before turning his attention to Kliendienst.
After slamming a six to cow corner and blazing a four through cover, Millar scored a two to accumulate 12 runs in three balls before skying a catch to Mitchell Swain at deep mid-off.
Another four runs were added before the final four wickets fell for only three runs in nine balls.
Jaycob Price was caught at cover by McGuirk off Kliendienst, before Lawson Shepherd claimed the final three wickets from the first four balls of the final over.
Ash White lobbed a catch to Middlebrook at mid-wicket, and then a leg-bye was followed by Ben Irwin skying a catch to a running Will Howard before Lachlan King was lbw from a full-toss.
The writing was on the wall for the hosts in the first over of the run chase as 17 runs were scored.
Paballo Mogoera guided the first ball behind point for two and then hooked a four and scored a single, before Hamilton edged a four wide of first slip.
Hamilton pulled the fifth ball over the square leg boundary, before a swing failed to connect.
A difficult catch went begging in the second over before the third over yielded two fours, including another from an edge which eluded the slips fielder.
Bradley Swain injured his knee in the fourth over and left the field with assistance from two team-mates, before his cousin aided him further.
Following the brief stoppage in play, Hamilton struck 14 runs in three balls to take the score to 0-51 from just four overs.
Ford subsequently conceded just 13 runs in his three overs, but the runs flowed freely at the other end.
Having scored the first seven runs for Old Boys, Mogoera made only nine of the next 58 runs before pulling Irwin’s third delivery to deep square leg where White held a low catch.
Hamilton whacked a huge six just two balls later, and then reached 50 with a single to take the total to 1-73 after eight overs.
A superb cover drive from McGuirk cleared the boundary, and a catch was dropped later in the over.
McGuirk registered two more fours to reach 21 not out, before Hamilton struck two successive sixes to seal the result.
Hamilton finished on 74 not out from 39 balls, with five fours and six sixes.
Old Boys 1-121 (Jack Hamilton 74 not out) defeated Gunnedah 118 (Nick Millar 28; Lawson Shepherd 3-11, Rhyce Kliendienst 2-27, Hayden Baker 2-31) by nine wickets.
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