Gunnedah’s first grade cricketers will take to the field for the last time this season when they complete their two-day contest with Bective East at Wolseley Park this Saturday.

The visitors had the better of play on day one last Saturday as they dismissed the hosts for 121 in 51.4 overs, before reaching 3-70 in 25 overs.

Left-handed all-rounder Ben Taylor continued his habit of doing well against Gunnedah, as he captured 6-39 in 15.4 overs with his orthodox spinners before scoring 30 not out.

Gunnedah was 1-49 after 20 overs before the dismissal of captain Kyle Gallen proved a huge blow, as the hosts were unable to build a decent partnership afterwards.

After Gallen won the toss, opener Justin Carter scored the only two runs in the first 25 balls before Keaton Walters was bowled from the next delivery.

The score was merely 1-14 after 14 overs following three straight maidens, before Gallen drove a six over cover and played a similar shot for four in the next over.

Gallen was dropped behind the stumps with the total on 25, before finding the boundary a few more times.

Taylor’s second delivery produced the turning point as Gallen pulled it to backward square leg where Cooper Jones took a good reflex catch.

Gallen faced 56 balls for his 38, before Carter finished with the same score off 149 balls.

Aidan King scored a single before surviving a confident stumping appeal, but he didn’t add to his score when Jake Everett rattled his stumps.

Carter finally reached double figures in the 24th over, before Izaak Merlehan was adjudged lbw in the 27th over to leave Gunnedah 4-57.

Ash White reached 17 when a dropped catch at deep mid-wicket went for six, but he fell next ball as a cut shot was edged to the wicketkeeper.

Gunnedah was 6-80 when Blake Randahl was caught at short leg, before Carter registered his sole boundary from his 104th delivery to reach 21.

The seventh wicket fell at 91 when Braith Winsor presented Adam Jones a simple return catch.

Ben Irwin thumped a four before luckily scoring a two when a catch was spilled. After slog-sweeping Taylor to the boundary to take the score past 100, Irwin was bowled next ball as he sought another big hit.

Following the dismissal of Lachlan King to a skied catch, Carter finally opened his shoulders during a last-wicket stand of seven.

Carter’s chance of carrying his bat was dashed when he left his crease and was stumped.

Gunnedah was a player short for the first 22 overs of Bective East’s innings due to Aidan King leaving early, before being two players short for the final three overs when Walters left for the Men’s A grade oztag grand final.

Bective East was 1-7 when Chris Paterson skied an Ash White delivery towards cover where the bowler held the catch.

Only three more runs were added when White struck again, with Bective East captain Matthew Everett edging a catch behind.

Nick Willoughby played a few thumping pull shots, before he was well caught by a diving Gallen at mid-off with the total on 49.

Taylor’s innings included two fours and a six, with the six coming in the 21st over when he whipped a Peter McCormack delivery behind square leg.

The final two overs of the day were maidens as the batting duo focused on survival, rather than capitalising on the absence of two fielders.

Gunnedah 121 (Kyle Gallen and Justin Carter 38; Ben Taylor 6-39, Jake Everett 2-34) leads Bective East 3-70 (Ben Taylor 30 not out; Ash White 2-16, Izaak Merlehan 1-5) by 51 runs on the first innings.