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NORTH Tamworth Redbacks and City United chase “long shot” chances when they resume the second day of their final round Tamworth first grade match at Chaffey Park on Saturday.
The Redbacks will be pushing for an outright win to try and sneak past reigning premiers and competition leaders Old Boys while City United will be trying to deflect that outright and post a win of their own to keep alive their faint semi-final hopes.
That City is 6-23 chasing North Tamworth’s 156 on a terrible wicket is forlorn enough, let alone the fact they are less than a point ahead of South Tamworth entering this final round and with South having already earned first innings points against West.
South are just a few wickets away from that outright win.
However, City skipper Simon Toyer is determined to give what seems an impossible position the best effort he and his side can muster.
“We’ll go down fighting,” he told The Leader after last Saturday’s first day.
“We were going along all right at tea, got Ricko (North skipper Michael Rixon) early after tea too.”
However, Redbacks batsman Kris Halloran (76) batted resolutely in a 165-ball stay to enable North to reach 156.
“Ben (Semmler) bowled well again and Tait (Jordan) bowled a great opening spell,” Toyer said.
After bowling Norths out for 156 the City batting crumbled in a final half hour where Adam Greentree, Brad Redshaw and Wayne Price struck.
Michael Rixon, who battled illness down the order, was delighted with Halloran’s display.
“He’s been batting so well since Christmas,” he said of a top order batsman who has posted “five or six” half centuries since Christmas.
“He hasn’t really missed out. He and Joey (Holt) held us together today too.
“And 150 is a good score on that wicket too. It’s hard to bat on.”
He will be pushing for early wickets Saturday with Peter Mead and Terry Kampe to resume and Simon Toyer one of the batsmen still to bat.
TAMWORTH FIRST GRADE TABLE: Old Boys 91.84, Norths 83.11, Bective 69.04, City 49.88, Souths 48.97, Wests 19.13. CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP Old Boys 939.41, Norths 791.46, Bective 720.55, City 517.12, Souths 448.97 Wests 315.42.