Gunnedah’s first grade cricketers had their first win of the Tamworth District Cricket Association (TDCA) season, as they defeated City United by eight wickets in a rain-affected contest at Riverside last Saturday.

The match was reduced from 40 to 20 overs per side, with City United batting for 20 overs before rain and lightning reduced Gunnedah’s innings.

The Tamworth team tallied 137 runs for the loss of six wickets, before Gunnedah’s revised target was 72 runs in 10 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern system.

Having reached the target in just seven overs following an onslaught from Izaak Merlehan, Gunnedah relished the victory which followed hefty defeats in the opening three rounds.

Gunnedah skipper Kyle Gallen opted to bowl first when he won the toss, with Josh Langdon and Braith Winsor promoted from second grade while Sam Doubleday was absent.

The first over was a maiden from Merlehan, before Tom Fitzgerald struck a four in the second over and a six in the third.

Simon Toyer was caught behind from the first ball of the fourth over, before Fitzgerald hit the fourth legitimate ball of the same over for four and then hammered the next two balls over the boundary.

Fitzgerald was caught behind from the next ball he faced for a whirlwind 29 off 14 balls.

Ash White’s second wicket left City United 3-43 in the sixth over, only for Gallen to concede five runs in wides before he bowled a legitimate delivery in the eighth over.

White held a catch at short fine leg later in the eighth over, before Callum Henry and Brad Jordan produced a 25-run stand.

City United slipped from 4-91 to 6-92 in the 13th over, as Merlehan held two catches at mid-wicket off Keaton Walters in the space of five balls.

Connor Lockyer and City United captain Tait Jordan put together an unbroken 45-run stand in the final seven overs, including 11 runs from the final over.

After facing four dot balls in the first over of the run chase, Merlehan opened his account with a two from the final ball of the same over.

The next over contained 17 runs, after Merlehan creamed the third and fourth balls for six.

Walters cleared the boundary in the fourth over and did likewise with the third ball of the fifth over, but he was caught from the following delivery with the total on 42.

Gallen departed in the fifth over with his team 19 runs shy of victory, before Gunnedah motored to the target as four successive fours to Merlehan were followed by a leg bye.

Merlehan finished with 47 not out from 23 balls, having also held two catches and delivered tidy figures of 4-1-18-0.

Gunnedah’s second graders had a bye while Gunnedah’s third and fourth grade fixtures against home side Quirindi were washed out.

Gunnedah’s first graders have a bye this Saturday, before the representative team hosts Tamworth at Wolseley Park in the MA Connolly Cup representative scene on Sunday.

Gunnedah’s second, third and fourth grade teams host Wests this Saturday, with the seconds at Kitchener Park and the thirds at McAndrew Park while the fourths are at Donnelly Fields.

Gunnedah 2-72 (Izaak Merlehan 47 not out, Keaton Walters 20; Samuel Davis 1-10) defeated City United 6-137 (Tom Fitzgerald 29; Keaton Walters 2-23, Ash White 2-37) by 8 wickets under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern system.