Old Boys second grader takes wickets by the dozen

A 12-wicket haul from Brendan Bridges helped Old Boys to an innings victory against Gunnedah in the second grade cricket clash at Kitchener Park.

Gunnedah collapsed for 73 and 112 last Saturday, having lost 19 wickets on the day after Old Boys made 7-221 a week earlier.

Gunnedah’s batters had no answer to the gentle medium-pace of Bridges, who bowled an immaculate line and length. Only two catches were held off his bowling, while he won three lbw appeals and hit the stumps seven times.

The result was extra disappointing for the hosts considering they had the visitors in trouble at 5-44 and 7-103 on day one, before the hosts finished the day at 1-18 from 13 overs.

Only three runs were added to Gunnedah’s total from day one when the second wicket of the innings fell in the sixth over of day two.

Having bowled Gunnedah’s openers, Bridges also captured the third wicket of the innings when Mitchell Small held a catch.

The run-out of Josh Langdon left Gunnedah 4-27, before Bridges bowled Gunnedah skipper Braith Winsor with the total on 38.

Having nabbed 2-1 in his first six overs, Bridges had scarcely believable figures of 4-3 after 12 overs before Jayden Winsor struck the first ball of his 13th over for four.

Bridges soon trapped Jayden Winsor and Lachlan King lbw as Gunnedah went from 5-44 to 7-44, before Ken Walters dented Bridges’s figures marginally. Eight runs came from a series of twos in the bowler’s final over, leaving him with 6-15 from 15 overs before he was replaced.

Prasanth Yadav claimed an lbw, and then 16 runs were added before Yadav polished off the tail with two wickets in two balls.

Ken Walters was the only Gunnedah player to reach double figures as he made 19 not out.

Having faced 47.4 overs in their first innings, the hosts lasted only 28 in their second innings as the game finished with more than half an hour to spare.

Small captured the first wicket in the sixth over as Josh Beard held a catch, before Ken Walters hit 20 runs in fine style.

Bridges’s first delivery in Gunnedah’s second innings rattled Ken Walters’s stumps, and then 12 runs came in the following over before Bridges had Josh Green lbw.

Keaton Walters scored 19 runs with gusto before falling to a splendid catch by Beard at mid-off from a hard-hit drive, leaving Gunnedah 4-59.

Braith Winsor popped a catch to short mid-wicket off Bridges, before Jayden Winsor produced a brief scoring spurt. He hit three consecutive fours off Alasdair Hewitt, whose first six overs cost only eight runs before his remaining five yielded 1-47.

Bridges yorked Lachlan King, and soon Gunnedah was 7-91 as Jayden Winsor lofted Yadav to Beard who held another fine catch.

The total passed 100 before Tom Swain also lofted a catch off Yadav, and then Bridges bowled Lachlan Swain.

Will Hicks clubbed Yadav and Bridges to the boundary, before the latter finished the match as he bowled Hicks.

Bridges’s second-innings haul of 6-20 from nine overs gave him match figures of 12-35 from 24 overs.

Old Boys 7-221 declared (Prasanth Yadav 63 not out, Hafi Khan 53 not out; Keaton Walters 2-36) defeated Gunnedah 73 (Ken Walters 19 not out; Brendan Bridges 6-15, Prasanth Yadav 3-13) and 112 (Jayden Winsor 24; Brendan Bridges 6-20, Prasanth Yadav 2-10) by an innings and 36 runs.

Jayden Winsor strikes the ball through the off side for Gunnedah.