Six wickets from Angus Johns and an invaluable batting contribution from his dad Andrew were the cornerstone of a tense two-wicket triumph for Gunnedah’s third grade cricketers at McAndrew Park last Saturday.

South Tamworth was soundly placed before plunging to 124 all out amid the young Johns’s bag of wickets, before the elder Johns held the run chase together when the hosts desperately needed it.

Bruce Hockings and son Julian also made crucial contributions, while other father-and-son combinations were Tom and Lachlan Swain, and Paddy and Harry Paul.

With just one run on the board, Julian Hockings broke through with the final ball of the first over when Lachlan Swain held a catch in the covers.

Nat Young and Kevin Attard guided South Tamworth to 1-83 at the 20-over mark, before Angus Johns began his spell in the first over after drinks.

Young struck the second legitimate ball of the 21st over for four, but lofted a catch to mid-on next ball to trigger a collapse of six wickets for nine runs.

Harry Paul bowled Attard with the final delivery of the 22nd over, before a catch off the same bowler was followed by a run out.

A catch was held off Angus Johns, who then rattled James Shirdon’s stumps with a delivery which kept low.

Thirteen runs were added for the eighth wicket before Shane McKenzie was caught in the deep off Angus Johns, who also claimed the final two wickets with successful lbw appeals.

The total would have been smaller had there not been 18 runs in wides, 11 in byes and five from no-balls, in addition to a last-wicket stand of 11.

Jakob Vearing pulled the second ball of the run chase for four, before Lachlan Hills benefited from a dropped catch and had a couple of other anxious moments.

Gunnedah flopped from 0-19 to 5-29, with McKenzie and fellow opening bowler Ali Murtaza doing the damage.

Vearing was bowled as he chanced his arm, before Hills pulled a catch to mid-on.

Murtaza bowled Paddy Paul and then had Lachlan Swain caught behind first ball, but he missed out on a hat-trick when Charlie Haire riskily lofted the ball over mid-wicket.

A yorker from McKenzie rattled Haire’s stumps, before Tom Swain and Harry Paul put together a potentially match-turning partnership.

Young’s first over cost 13 runs including a four and a six from Tom Swain, as Gunnedah reached 5-66 after 14 overs.

Young’s third over yielded two wickets as the hosts went from 5-74 to 7-75, leaving left-handers Andrew Johns and Julian Hockings with plenty of work to do.

The captain, Andrew Johns, whacked three successive fours in the 21st over, with a pull over square leg followed by a slash through point and a slog-sweep to deep mid-wicket.

Julian Hockings edged a streaky boundary, and then the 23rd over had back-to-back wides and a series of legside strokes including a sweep to the boundary.

Victory was only five runs away when a quicker ball from Chris Skilton breached Julian Hockings’s defence, and then the next ball yielded two byes.

Bruce Hockings scored a single, before facing three dot balls from Murtaza under pressure.

The match ended from the fourth ball of the 27th over as two leg-byes to fine leg produced the winning runs.

Andrew Johns said it was particularly pleasing to see how the team came back after the first drinks break.

“We just stuck in there and kept trying and we didn’t drop any catches,” he said.

“Fielding was exceptional, bowling was good, so it gave us a decent target to chase.”

With South Tamworth having won the toss, Gunnedah’s captain said the pitch was doing a bit after some recent rain while with the benefit of hindsight it was probably good that he lost the toss.

Andrew Johns said a couple of batters were moved up the order because they needed to leave early, while it was also about giving the young players a go.

“That middle partnership (between Tom Swain and Harry Paul) really set us up and made it quite easy for Jules, Bruce and I to finish it off,” he said.

As for his son’s prolific wicket-taking, the captain said, “He tries hard and has been practicing.

“There have been some good guys in the club getting around him and giving him advice.”

Gunnedah will contest Bective East at Riverside this Saturday, after Bective East began its season with a four-wicket win against City United.

Gunnedah 8-125 (Tom Swain 33, Andrew Johns 22 not out; Ali Murtaza 3-27) defeated South Tamworth 124 (Nat Young 44; Angus Johns 6-21, Harry Paul 2-11) by 2 wickets.

Andrew Johns helped guide Gunnedah’s third graders to victory at McAndrew Park.