A blazing start from Gunnedah fourth grader Zafar Mukhtar was in vain, as the North Tamworth Redbacks cruised to a comfortable five-wicket triumph at Donnelly Fields last Saturday.
Mukhtar’s 42 retired and Zoe Fleming’s 35 were the backbone of the home side’s 20-over total of 5-121, before Norths overtook it with 16 balls to spare while youngsters Rhyse Frost and Marnee Walters were Gunnedah’s only wicket-takers.
Mukhtar blazed four fours and four sixes as he faced just 19 balls, before retiring in the seventh over with the total on 59.
Having held firm at the other end, Frost hit a four soon afterwards before he was first to depart.
The Norths bowlers pegged the run rate back for the remainder of the innings, as the scoring was mostly in singles and twos.
The dismissals of Ken Walters and daughter Marnee in successive overs left Gunnedah 3-90 in the 15th over, before Fleming finally found the boundary in the next over.
Tyler Small hit the final ball of the 17th over for four, before departing in the second-last over.
Fleming struck successive fours in the final over before being caught from the fourth ball, and only one more run was added.
The second over of the run chase yielded 12 runs, before Brendan Chaffey hammered a six and a four in the fifth over. Marnee Walters promptly hit back with a catch off her bowling to produce the first wicket with the score at 39.
Logan Chaffey was forced to retire hurt after a bullet-like straight drive from William Fahey cannoned into his toe at the bowler’s end.
Fahey lofted a catch to Mukhtar at deep mid-off in the 11th over, before 14 runs in the next over took the Redbacks to a comfortable 2-82.
An entertaining 13th over featured 10 runs as well as three missed catches and a wicket. A hot chance was spilled at mid-wicket, and a lofted shot was fumbled at deep mid-wicket before Ken Walters dived at long-on and nearly pulled off a blinder.
The unlucky bowler, Frost, was belatedly rewarded with the final ball of the over when he rattled Phillip Judd’s stumps.
Fleming held a catch from a skied shot with the total on 104, and the Redbacks were just six runs away from victory when Mukhtar held another catch.
Only three more balls were needed, with a boundary followed by a single and a wide.
Norths remained third while Gunnedah stayed in sixth place among the eight teams.
North Tamworth Redbacks 5-122 (Brendan Chaffey 25; Rhyse Frost 3-22, Marnee Walters 2-26) defeated Gunnedah 5-121 (Zafar Mukhtar 42 retired, Zoe Fleming 35; Brendan Chaffey 2-23) by five wickets.
