TAMWORTH Colts will be competing against Albury Wodonga Colts, Robertson Burrawang and Clarence for the McDonalds Country Shield silverware when the finals hit the Tamworth pitches later this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The final four was decided on Sunday, along with the Country Plate finalists.
Defending champions Cootamundra, The Rail, Blue Mountains and Wauchope RSL, who knocked out Inverell, will fight it out for the honours in that.
Tamworth earned its place in the semi-finals with a 75-run win over Cessnock Branxton.
The batsmen again set the wheels in motion compiling 4-307 with Ben Middlebrook and Matt Everett both cracking centuries.
Everett was there from the first ball to the last to finish unbeaten on 108.
It was his first ton for the season and first in districts for a couple of seasons.
“My job was pretty easy. Just rotate the strike,” he said.
“We’ve got blokes like Benny Middlebrook that hit the ball clean.”
He said having Middlebrook up the other end took the pressure off.
The skipper was in devastating touch blasting 114 off just 79 balls before succumbing to a hamstring injury.
He got it going for a run.
The two had delivered the blow by then adding 172 for the second wicket.
“It was good to get a bit of time in the middle,” Everett said.
“Good to get all the way through.”
He also shared a good partnership with Simon Toyer (20) and then Joey Holt at the end.
They put on 66 to lift Tamworth above 300 with Holt chipping in with 27 from 23.
“We bat right down,” Everett said.
“They’re all pretty aggressive players (too).”
The finals will be played December 28 and 29.
Everett can’t wait. If anything, he’s more excited about that than Christmas.
“It’ll be good, especially playing at home,” he said.
“If we win that first game we’re into the final.”
Sunday’s win capped off a great weekend for Everett.
It started on Friday night when his Halpin’s Plumbing Twenty20 side came from nowhere to steal a spot in the final.
Everett then top-scored with a crucial 39 as Bective-East beat City United.
He said he felt like he’d been hitting the ball well.
He just hadn’t been able to go on and get that big score.
And if three days of cricket wasn’t enough, Everett was back padding up again on Monday.
He and James Psarakis went out to Burren Junction to play in a special game to commemorate the opening of the school’s new synthetic pitch.
This weekend things won’t be slowing down.
He’s got the Twenty20 final on Friday night, grade cricket on Saturday and then the Connolly Cup with Tamworth on Sunday.
Tamworth head out to Narrabri for a clash that will decide first and second in the western conference.
