FIRST-day winners Newcastle and Central Coast will line up in what could be a Northern Country Championship- deciding game at Kitchener Park, Gunnedah today.
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Newcastle cruised to a six wicket win against Central North yesterday, rolling the host zone for 136 and then reaching the target 4-137 after skipper Mark Littlewood (46no) and Joe Price (48no) formed a 96-run fifth wicket partnership at Wolseley Park.
In contrast, Central Coast scored 155 and successfully defended the small total, dismissing North Coastal for 138, with Mitchell Coombs’ 3-24 a decisive late bowling attack.
North Coast had looked in control until skipper Justin Moore (23) was leg before to Matt Jones and the wickets started to tumble as Central Coast started to hold their catches and their bowlers hit the right lines.
Moore and Andrew Lindsay (42no) looked like they were forming a winning partnership until Central Coast turned around some sloppy catching and ground fielding.
Ryan Fenning was one of the stars for Central Coast, smacking a six and two fours in his 44 topscore.
Peter Galliachan (28) and Blair Lindsay (23) had rescued the innings at 3-12 with a 57-run fourth wicket partnership.
Caleb Ziebell claimed 3-18 off his 10 for North Coastal while Andrew Lindsay also took 1-14 and James Julius 1-33.
At Wolseley Park, Central North had a poor start where opener Simon Norvill excelled early but was out lbw just when he was starting to ramp up his innings.
He made 34 off 46 balls but his loss sent the batting into a spin, with Adam Jones (0), Ben Middlebrook (0), skipper Tom Groth (2) and Jacob Carey (15) all dismissed to leave the side 7-81.
Brendon Reynolds (26) and Matt Trappel (39no) put on 49 for the eighth wicket to take Central North past the ton and give it some sort of defendable target.
Jack McVey, who bowled Tamworth into a Country Cup Final last year, took 2-21 for Newcastle while Grant Stewart also took 2-21 with the new ball.
Joe Bryan Warren took 3-16 and Price started a good day by collecting 2-26 and then joining with his skipper to run down the small target with an unbeaten 48, which included five boundaries.
“We needed to get one of those two,” Groth said of Price and Littlewood.
Reynolds had given the side early hope by having Jason Sangha caught by Carey, then 17-year-old paceman Pat Magann grabbed two big wickets with his left-arm pace to dismiss Nathan Hudson and Jeff Goninan while Lincoln Mills trapped Greg Hunt leg before to have Newcastle 3-41.
Littlewood and Price shut Central North out with their near-century partnership.
The performances of Magann and young Narrabri off-spinner Ryan Meppem (0-18) were impressive, said Groth as his side prepares to play North Coast at Wolseley Park today.
