Gunnedah’s second grade cricketers tumbled to their fifth straight defeat of the season, as City United inflicted a 177-run beating at Riverside 5 last Saturday.

On a hard and flat pitch while the outfield was lightning fast, the hosts amassed 260 runs for the loss of nine wickets in their 40 overs before dismissing the visitors in only 24.3 overs.

Gunnedah was in a position to restrict City United to a sub-200 total, but the latter half of the Tamworth team’s innings featured some frustrating partnerships.

Gunnedah’s bowlers also let themselves down with 23 runs in wides, before City United’s bowlers gave away 14 runs in a similar manner.

Two wides were bowled in the first over of the game which cost 14 runs, with Sanchit Jagadeesan hitting two fours and two twos.

Braith Winsor claimed a wicket with the first ball of the second over, before four boundaries were hit in six balls.

When Jonah Cameron bowled Charley Pickens with the final ball of the third over, City United was 2-31.

Another 18 runs were quickly added before Braith Winsor struck again, but he was unlucky not to gain another breakthrough as a catch was dropped behind the wicket with the total on 57.

Sam Rodgers struck Beau Herbert for three fours in four balls to take the total beyond 100 in the 17th over, before the bowler trapped Rodgers lbw with the final ball of the over.

The next over was a wicket-maiden as Jagadeesan was stumped off Trent Winsor for 47, leaving City United 5-106.

The pendulum quickly changed as Joey and Peter Mead registered a series of boundaries in a brisk 70-run stand, before the latter departed in the 30th over which was another wicket-maiden.

The run flow resumed as 42 runs were quickly added, before three quick wickets left City United 9-224. Joey Mead’s 62 included 48 runs in boundaries.

The last pair added 36 runs in the final 3.1 overs, with the final over yielding 17 runs after Nicholas Weary struck the last three balls to the boundary.

Vinnie Winsor and his sons Braith and Trent bowled a maiden over each while the trio tallied four wickets, but all three of them were subsequently dismissed without scoring while Vinnie’s nephew Jayden Winsor also made a duck.

Weary bowled Matthew Heit and Jayden Winsor in the space of three balls to leave Gunnedah 2-5, before Josh Langdon was similarly dismissed with the total on 26.

Braith Winsor was caught as he spooned a cover drive in the 12th over, which subsequently cost 15 runs including seven from wides as well as two boundaries off the bat.

Gunnedah slid from 4-59 to 7-62, and the next victim was run out before Trent and Vinnie Winsor were bowled in successive overs.

The bottom-placed Gunnedah returns to Riverside this Saturday for T20 contests with Bective East and West Tamworth.

City United 9-260 (Joey Mead 62, Sanchit Jagadeesan 47; Braith Winsor 2-39, Beau Herbert 2-41) defeated Gunnedah 83 (Tom Swain 23; Nicholas Weary 3-9, Luke Walker 3-17) by 177 runs.