Tamworth won the War Veterans Cup with a comprehensive 155-run win over Gunnedah in yesterday’s War Veterans Cup Final at No 1 Oval.

Tamworth compiled 9-299 in its 50 overs and then dismissed Gunnedah for 144.

Across the Peel River the Tamworth Colts won the MA Connolly Cup (second XI competition) with a 72-run win over Glen Innes. 

Tamworth Colts made 182 and then routed Glen Innes for 110.

Ben Semmler was the man of the match in the Connolly Cup Final.

Tamworth skipper Tom Groth’s WVC Final win was heightened by his naming as the Northern Inland Zone Player of the Year.

Groth had helped NSW Country win a 10th Australian Country Cricket Championship in Bundaberg last month.

West Tamworth’s Harrison Kelly, who is in Darwin with the NSW Imparja Cup team (also containing Tamworth’s Kris Halloran and Jeff Cook), was named Northern Inland Colt of the Year.

Kelly represented NSW at the Australian Under 19 Championships in Adelaide and represented the Northern Inland and CNZ Under 19s.

Tamworth asserted its dominance early in the WVC final, with openers Simon Norvill (42) and Michael Rixon (74) smacking 97 for the first wicket.

That set the tone and at one stage it looked like 350 mightn’t be unrealistic, with Nick Pearson (47 off 59) taking over where Norvill (42 off 45) left off.

He and Rixon pummelled 80 for the second wicket off just 12 overs.

“We pretty much batted them out of the game,” Groth said.

It was brilliant to watch. 

Rixon batted superbly and was adjudged the player of the final for his 80-ball 74.

Tamworth then took a  stranglehold on the game when Jack McVey trapped Ben Haire in front in his first over and from there Gunnedah never looked like getting the runs.

They lost a steady stream of wickets and it was only some lower-order resistance that delayed the inevitable.

Mitchell Swain was their top-scorer with 24 while McVey finished with 4-27.