Gunnedah’s third grade cricketers held on to defeat West Tamworth by just nine runs in a tight cricket contest at Kitchener Park last Saturday.
The home side was dismissed for 173, before the visitors stuttered when in sight of the target.
Andrew Johns was the mainstay of Gunnedah’s batting as he scored a somewhat streaky 67, before Harry Paul and captain Nick Herring were the pick of the bowlers.
While it was Gunnedah’s fourth victory of the season, it was Herring’s first as skipper considering he missed the other three wins.
The home side began badly last Saturday, as Josh Green was dismissed from the fifth ball of the game without a run scored.
Shayne Riordan played a few confident strokes, before miscuing a pull to square leg with the total on 21.
Tom Swain’s 17 included four fours, with the last of them coming from the final ball of the 14th over which cost 20 runs to take the total to 2-72.
Andrew Johns struck the first two balls of the 14th over for four, and then hammered the third ball over mid-wicket for six.
Tom Swain fell in the next over when a drive lobbed to point, but Wests rued squandering several chances to dismiss the left-handed Johns.
A few times he could have been caught at mid-on or mid-off, only for the fielders to stand deeper than usual. A couple of other times he would have been run out had throws hit the stumps.
Andrew Johns had his luckiest reprieve when he hit a catch straight to deep mid-wicket, only for the fielder to juggle it about five times before spilling it.
Andrew Johns posted his 50 from the following delivery, and the fourth wicket partnership was worth 47 runs when he was finally dismissed.
Harry Paul made 15 before his dad Paddy went on to make 26, but then the lower order made little impact despite some useful runs from Adam Veli-Gold at number 10.
With the final four wickets falling for 17 runs, Gunnedah was all out with two overs remaining. The hosts could have made another 10 or 15 runs had they batted out their 40 overs, although the total could have been less than 150 had Andrew Johns been dismissed earlier and if Wests had not conceded 19 runs in wides.
Sundries subsequently top-scored for Wests, as Gunnedah’s bowlers gave away 20 runs in wides and six in no-balls.
Six Wests players made scores from 14 to 24, but wickets fell each time the visiting team threatened to gain the upper hand.
In the end, all 10 victims in the run chase were caught.
A series of boundaries and sundries took Wests to 0-25 in the first three overs, before Cooper Whitton held a catch in the covers.
A catch to Charlie Haire at backward point from Harry Paul’s first delivery left Wests 2-38, before a 40-run partnership changed the momentum.
Two wickets in two balls swung the pendulum the other way, during a brilliant spell of bowling from Herring who finished with 2-5 from five overs.
Green held a splendid catch just above the ground at point to remove Mark Forbes, before Jake Morris exited first ball when he lobbed a catch to Haire at cover.
Jason Livermore’s first two scoring strokes were boundaries, before his next seven runs came from singles.
A stumping chance went begging following a change of wicketkeeper, before Livermore belted a six over mid-wicket. He slogged the next ball in the same direction, only for Matt Whitton to hold a catch at the second attempt near the boundary.
The total quickly moved to 5-128, and then the return of Harry Paul paid off when he had Brad Withers snicking to Lachlan Swain who made no mistake behind the stumps this time.
The complexion changed again as Grant Popplewell smacked a couple of full-tosses for six, before falling to a sharp catch by Green at mid-off to leave Wests shakily placed at 7-144.
Another edged catch to Lachlan Swain off Harry Paul made it 8-147, before nine runs in an over included a cover driven four off another full-toss.
Harry Paul bagged his fifth wicket when Lachlan Swain held another catch, leaving the last-wicket pair needing 18 runs with 47 balls remaining while one of the batters was Mitch Rolinson who had played for Gunnedah last season.
Last batter Floyd Gillin whipped a low full-toss from Harry Paul to the mid-wicket boundary, before Angus Johns delivered the 34th over and didn’t get to finish it.
Having earlier taken 1-23 from eight overs as an opening bowler, Rolinson struck two runs from each of the first two balls of the 34th over before hoicking the third ball high towards mid-wicket.
The oldest player in the team, Riordan, wasn’t as nimble as he used to be but he moved into position and caught the ball above his head before mercifully clinging to it as he tumbled.
Gunnedah moved from last to second-last out of eight third grade teams, while Wests slipped from third to fourth.
Gunnedah hosts Souths at Kitchener Park this Saturday, with the losing team falling to outright last.
In fourth grade last Saturday, Gunnedah defeated Wests on forfeit.
This Saturday, Gunnedah’s fourth graders are scheduled to contest Souths at Donnelly Fields.
Gunnedah 173 (Andrew Johns 67, Paddy Paul 26; Shaquille Ervine 2-9, Jason Livermore 2-29) defeated West Tamworth 164 (Sundries 26, Brad Withers 24; Harry Paul 5-18, Nick Herring 2-5) by nine runs.
Harry Paul bagged five wickets.
