Gunnedah strengthened its finals prospects in the Tamworth District Cricket Association (TDCA) first grade competition, having defeated City United by 10 runs in a T20 match at Kitchener Park last Saturday.

City appeared well-placed to overhaul Gunnedah’s competitive but not daunting total of 6-139, before the hosts took regular wickets and applied the brakes.

The visitors remained in contention almost until the end, but they never looked likely to reach 140 after losing their ninth wicket when 31 runs shy of the target.

Izaak Merlehan and Ash White made vital contributions with bat and ball for Gunnedah while a brilliant run-out from Merlehan also proved match-turning, after City had dropped numerous catches which could easily have changed the outcome.

There was brotherly rivalry, as Gunnedah duo Lachlan and Aidan King opposed their sibling Oscar.

Oscar King held a sharp catch in the third over to account for Keaton Walters, and Merlehan exited in the ninth over following several reprieves.

Gunnedah skipper Kyle Gallen survived chances in the fourth and fifth overs, before Merlehan rubbed salt into the wound with a four and a six later in the fifth over.

Gallen had another reprieve when he was caught off a no-ball, before Merlehan cleverly ramped the ensuing free hit to the boundary.

Gallen whacked a six in the eighth over but was unluckily ruled caught behind from the following delivery, after the ball flicked his back pad.

Merlehan reached 47 with his second six, but his luck ended with the following delivery when he holed out to deep mid-wicket from a full-toss to leave Gunnedah 3-72.

City’s scrappy fielding continued, with White surviving a chance in the deep before Justin Carter recorded a boundary when a very tough catch was missed.

The run rate slowed following Carter’s dismissal, before White hit a six.

White later clouted two sixes in three balls, with 15 runs in the over raising the total to 4-127 before the final two overs cost just six runs each.

The last over also featured two wickets, with White caught in the deep from the third ball before Matthew Heit was run out from the final ball when seeking a bye.

Oscar King lofted the first ball of the run chase over cover for four, before swinging the fifth ball through the legside for another boundary.

The same player hit a catch to Walters at deep mid-wicket in the second over, before the next over cost 14 runs.

An outfield catch was spilled in the fourth over, before Gallen dived to his right in the next over for a fine wicketkeeper’s catch to dismiss the dangerous Tom Fitzgerald for 12.

Samuel Davis and Callum Henry kept the runs flowing, until Davis lofted a catch to Heit at deep cover.

With City scoring at eight runs per over after eight overs, Gunnedah needed to keep taking wickets and was able to do so at crucial times.

In the 11th over, Richard O’Halloran chanced his arm and edged White to the wicketkeeper before an attempted short single backfired when Merlehan’s throw hit the stumps at the bowler’s end.

Ensuing risky singles resulted in failed run-out attempts, but the wickets still kept tumbling. A top-edged pull from Henry found Jonah Cameron at deep backward square leg, before City went from 6-91 to 8-95 in Peter McCormack’s first over as Brad Jordan was bowled before Aidan King held a diving catch at mid-on.

McCormack bowled several wides, before an lbw to Merlehan left City’s last-wicket pair needing 31 runs from the final 16 balls.

The equation boiled down to 20 runs from four balls, with Charlie Pickens subsequently hammering a six before the final three balls comprised only a single each with Merlehan bowling.

Meanwhile, North Tamworth made 4-142 and then restricted Old Boys to 6-76 at Wolseley Park.

City subsequently beat Old Boys by six wickets after the latter made 4-132 at Wolseley Park, while Bective East had a 10-wicket win against Norths which made 7-102 at Kitchener Park.

City remained third, with Gunnedah fourth and Old Boys last on the five-team ladder.

All teams have a bye this weekend.

Gunnedah 6-139 (Izaak Merlehan 47, Ash White 39; William Davis 2-21) defeated City United 9-129 (Samuel Davis 27; Izaak Merlehan 2-18, Peter McCormack 2-20, Ash White 2-22) by 10 runs.