BECTIVE are coming into the Tamworth District cricket finals as smokies and are happy to keep flying under the radar as underdogs after taking plenty of positives out of their win against premiers Old Boys on Saturday.
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The Bulls finished the regular season in clear third, a position they occupied for most of the season after strengthening their bowling attack in the off season.
The addition of Col Smyth has given the Bective attack a new dimension and, once again, he proved he has the tools to win big games, taking six wickets against Old Boys on Saturday.
He will line up against his former club South Tamworth in a minor semi-final at Riverside on Saturday that is sure to have plenty of feeling and banter in the middle.
This time last year Smyth played an integral role in South’s win over Bective in the preliminary final, but now the shoe is on the other foot.
Bective have beaten South in two two-day games, although South won the one- dayer.
“It is all going well at the moment at Bective,” Smyth said.
“We want to go in as underdogs but we are confident we can go all the way.”
It has been over seven years since the Bulls last made a grand final appearance after winning the title in 2003-04.
“We came out today with a job to do and we did it,” Smyth said on Saturday.
“Our semis started today and we proved we are no easy -beats.”
Meanwhile, North Tamworth captain Michael Rixon is very happy with the way the side is performing after a dominating outright victory over City at Chaffey Park put them in the driver’s seat for the finals and handed them back the minor premiership after they lost it with one round to go.
English import Jack Beaumont was supposed to be the bloke that came for the ride with Adam Mansfield but has proven to be one of the best slow bowlers in town this season.
Beaumont took four in the second innings to cement the victory but has also proven handy with the bat.
The Redbacks’ batting has been the backbone of the side this season, with Rixon, Kris Halloran and Mansfield all in good form at the back end of the year.
“Halloran really set up the win for us last week with the bat,” Rixon said.
“It was an interesting game and a good win to take us into the finals.”
North will take on Old Boys in the major semi and resume the ongoing battle that these two sides have waged against each other in big games this season.
Norths beat them in the one-day final after Old Boys beat Norths in the War Veterans Cup final.
With Ben Middlebrook in top form and leading from the front, and with Tamworth best and fairest winner Aaron Hazlewood in town, the premiers versus minor premiers clash could be one of the games of the year so far.
That game will be played at No 1 Oval and the minor semi at Riverside 1 on Saturday and Sunday starting at 1pm.
