Gunnedah’s U13s suffered another landslide defeat in the representative cricket scene, as Tamworth Blue romped home by 10 wickets at Riverside last Sunday.
The visiting side was all out for 104 in 29 overs, before the host team raced to the target in just 12.3 overs.
Gunnedah’s total was its highest of the season so far, having been dismissed for 81 in an 86-run loss to Tamworth Gold before being all out for 40 in a 121-run loss to Armidale.
Last Sunday’s total would have been well below 100 had the bowling been a little more accurate, with Tamworth Blue conceding 20 runs in wides, four in no-balls and six in byes.
Joe Swain was Gunnedah’s standout with 34 off 56 balls at number five, while opener Reuben West scored a gritty if sluggish 14 off 57.
Gunnedah began brightly as Nate Partridge struck the final two balls of the first over to the boundary, but they were his only two scoring strokes before he was the first wicket to fall.
Jack Ware hit the stumps with successive balls in the seventh over as Gunnedah fell to 3-23, before Joe and Reuben added 27 runs.
The partnership was broken in the 17th over, before a 16-run stand ended with the first ball of the 24th over.
The following delivery was a wide before Tommy Sheridan hit two consecutive boundaries, but then wickets from the following two deliveries left Gunnedah in tatters at 7-75.
Joe hammered the first two balls of the 25th over to the boundary, only for Arthur Graham to depart from the first ball of the following over. The remainder of the 26th over contained 11 runs, including a six from Joe.
A couple of illegal deliveries soon lifted the total to triple figures but then Joe was run out, and another two runs were added before the final wicket fell.
George Ingall had unusual figures of 3-1-20-4 while Jack’s four overs cost only three runs.
Hamish Blackman and Elijah Skilton gave the hosts a flying start to the run chase, with Hamish clubbing a four and a six in the first over before the third over yielded 11 runs.
The openers retired after nine overs after they faced 28 balls each, with Hamish scoring 40 and Elijah 30.
Koby Byrne finished undefeated on nine while Hunter Slack-Smith made 13 not out, with both having a strike rate of 100 when a hit for three runs from Hunter took Tamworth Blue to the target.
In second-last place with a win on forfeit, Gunnedah will face the bottom-placed Moree at Donnelly Fields on December 14.
Tamworth Blue 0-105 (Hamish Blackman 40 retired, Elijah Skilton 30 retired) defeated Gunnedah 104 (Joe Swain 34; George Ingall 4-20, Jack Ware 2-3) by 10 wickets.
