An improved batting performance proved a false dawn for Gunnedah’s first grade cricketers at Wolseley Park last Saturday, as they fell to another horror defeat in the Tamworth competition.
Having been rolled for a paltry 50 during a five-wicket defeat at the same venue a week earlier, the hosts totalled 100 last Saturday on their way to an eight-wicket loss.
Gunnedah batted out its 40 overs and still had two wickets in hand, but the total proved miserably inadequate as City United bolted past it in just 17 overs.
Jack McVey wrecked Gunnedah’s top order with 4-8 in his first seven overs, before his final over cost 14 runs.
McVey dismissed the openers without scoring and followed up with the dismissal of Gunnedah captain Andy Mack for two, before Richard
O’Halloran’s sixth delivery accounted for Sam Doubleday.
In his return from injury, Doubleday scored six runs from O’Halloran’s first two deliveries before hitting a full-toss to deep mid-wicket.
McVey dismissed another player without scoring, leaving Gunnedah 5-21 in the 13th over before Nick Millar crunched three successive fours in the 15th over.
McVey missed out on a five-wicket haul as a catch was dropped from the fourth ball of the 15th over.
The total passed 50 before Millar departed, and then Ash White and Jack Hayes provided resistance while the run rate remained slow.
White grafted his way to 26 off 71 balls before his departure made the score 7-79 in the 33rd over, and the eighth wicket fell from the first ball of the 36th over.
The final over contained one run from each delivery, including three sundries.
City United was 1-11 as captain Tait Jordan was needlessly run out, before fellow opener Samuel Davis hit the ball around while battling a quad injury.
The score was 2-51 when Doubleday’s third delivery accounted for Davis, after O’Halloran was dropped from the previous delivery.
Having earlier taken 2-20 off eight overs, O’Halloran went on to score 21 not out from 35 balls.
Callum Henry clobbered 14 runs from the final five balls of the 17th over to reach 35 not out from 23 balls.
A drive for four took the total to 2-98, before the next delivery was dispatched to the square leg boundary to end proceedings.
City United 2-102 (Callum Henry 35 not out; Sam Doubleday 1-17) defeated Gunnedah 8-100 (Ash White 26; Jack McVey 4-22, Richard O’Halloran 2-20) by eight wickets.
Gunnedah’s Nick Millar goes on the attack during his innings of 19.
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