Gunnedah moved further away from the foot of the third grade cricket ladder, as the hosts recorded a nervous three-wicket triumph against the bottom-placed South Tamworth last Saturday.

The Souths innings was characterised by a lack of urgency as only 109 runs were scored in 39.4 overs, before Gunnedah won with 14-and-a-half overs to spare despite several setbacks.

For the second week in a row Harry Paul bagged five wickets in a Gunnedah victory at Kitchener Park.

Paul’s figures of 5-16 from eight overs last Saturday came seven days after his 5-18 from seven overs helped the hosts defeat Wests by nine runs when the target was 174.

Last Saturday’s contest had a lively start as the first over yielded 10 runs and a wicket, with Angus Johns bowling.

Brendon Rakus struck two fours in the first five balls, before hitting a catch to square leg.

Another catch to square leg in the following over left Souths 2-12, before Darren Hammond took the initiative in a 40-run third wicket partnership.

The total went from 2-43 to 2-52 following a single and successive fours in Paul’s first over, before five wickets fell for seven runs to leave Souths in disarray at 7-59 after 18 overs.

Coincidentally, Paul captured 5-7 in his final seven overs.

Jack Hayes broke the third wicket partnership when Kevin Attard scooped a catch to Gunnedah skipper Nick Herring in the covers, before Paul’s first two victims were caught by Shayne Riordan in the gully.

Having hit six fours in his 35, Hammond was ruled lbw before the situation worsened two balls later when the bowler’s dad Paddy held a slips catch.

Harry Paul was desperately unlucky not to finish his six-over spell with five wickets, as his dad spilled the next catch which came his way. The teen had to wait 12 overs to bowl again, and fortunately the chance arose due to some lower order resistance.

Twenty runs were added for the eighth wicket before a sharp catch by Lachie Straney produced Adam Veli-Gold’s second wicket.

The tail continued to wag, with Stephen Rake hitting a couple of fours and a six during a 28-run ninth wicket partnership.

Harry Paul belatedly claimed his fifth scalp when Stephen Rake skied a catch to Shiran Ranasinghe, and then Johns finished off the innings when he rattled Gordon Guyer’s stumps.

While Harry Paul was the standout bowler, spinner Jack Canham bowled without luck while his economy was outstanding.

Canham bowled three consecutive maiden overs, before finishing with 0-7 from eight overs.

Gunnedah lost its first wicket without a run scored, when Lachlan Hills holed out to mid-off from the fifth ball of the innings.

Riordan and Canham made steady progress before Kyle Cullen dismissed the pair, and then a wicket to Shane McKenzie left Gunnedah in trouble at 4-22.

Brad Gander and Lachie Straney scored the bulk of their runs in boundaries, and both batters cleared the fence.

Straney sought his second six, only for Rakus to hold a fine catch in the deep to leave Gunnedah shakily placed at 5-60.

Gander and Herring steered the hosts towards victory but there was another stutter, as Cameron Rake bagged two wickets from successive balls with the total on 99.

Gander was bowled for 44, before Paddy Paul was adjudged lbw.

Herring finished unbeaten on 21 when he brought up the winning runs with his third boundary.

This Saturday, the seventh-placed Gunnedah takes on the fifth-placed Old Boys at McAndrew Park.

Gunnedah 7-110 (Brad Gander 44, Nick Herring 21 not out; Kyle Cullen 3-27, Cameron Rake 2-12) defeated South Tamworth 109 (Darren Hammond 35, Stephen Rake 25; Harry Paul 5-16, Adam Veli-Gold 2-20, Angus Johns 2-21) by three wickets.