CRICKET
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TROY Osborne’s team-mates had virtually given up.
Tamworth was 8-144 when James Haling was stumped by Michael Dawson off Todd Francis and chasing Armidale’s 219 total.
Troy Osborne was 20 odd not out off 36 balls but the 37th he ignited. Bang over the midwicket fence.
Thirty two balls later and he had sent seven more over the pickets, a couple of them hitting the highest of the branches in the iconic plane trees.
He finished unconquered with 80. Scoring a four, two byes, two sixes and a single behind point off Steve Butler’s second and last over to win the game.
One of his teammates reckoned it was like playing monopoly and receiving a “a get out of jail card”.
Another just thought it a “special” innings.
Armidale had outplayed Tamworth for most of the day although its batsmen had failed to capitalise on some good starts.
“Michael Dawson (25), Brad Smith (49), skipper Matt Baillie (20), Todd Francis (44), Scott Brennan (20) and Ben Jackson (15) were the first six batsmen.
“It was a below par score we thought,” Baillie said. “We all got starts but didn’t capitalise. We have been batting well though. That’s been happening the last three games. We’d only six wickets all up and been setting a platform for our bowlers.
“Today we didn’t capitalise on those starts and were bowled out in the 47th over.
“Then we got rid of two of their star batsmen for golden ducks.”
Dropping four catches didn’t help Armidale’s cause but then again Troy Osborne’s special innings exploded and the whole game changed so quickly.
Ben Middlebrook was thinking about “retirement” more than anything.
“At 6-90 I was thinking I didn’t have to worry about any more of this,” Middlebrook said.
“Especially after getting a golden duck.”
He had players pulling out late from both the Tamworth and Tamworth Blue sides and ended up having to use manager/chief supporter Matt Zell and Josh Worpel in the Tamworth side while Abel Carney took a 10-man side to Narrabri for its WVC semi minus Shawn Mepham who had injured a shoulder playing for West Tamworth on Saturday.
“We were in a lot of trouble,” Middlebrook said.
But up steps Osborne.
In just 32 balls the game changes.
Osborne himself thought Adam Jones had a lot to do with his innings, as well as the short boundary on the eastern side of No. 1 Oval.
“Batting with Jonesie is easy,” he said.
“He gave me time to get my eye in and made it easier for me to take my time.”
Thirty seven balls in fact. And five sixes in 18 balls before three more in the final half dozen.
He hit three sixes off Sam Uphill’s 10th and last over, Uphill’s figures going from 3-41 to 3-63.