The scenario proved eerily similar to the previous Sunday when Tamworth Gold teams competed on Gunnedah soil, as the visitors dominated in the two younger age groups while being heavily beaten in the oldest age group.

The under 12s played in quarters, and Gunnedah again struggled with the bat while there was also some erratic bowling.

Tamworth Blue received 47 sundries in a 148-run total, while Gunnedah’s total of 54 included 23 sundries.

Tamworth Blue’s Logan Spinks top-scored with 36, and Zac Craig made 26 while Gunnedah duo Lachlan Straney and Carter McIlveen took three wickets each.

McIlveen’s 18 was a standout with the bat for the hosts while Spinks had 2-6 and Sam Murphy 3-5.

Gunnedah’s 14s again suffered a sharp batting collapse, making 33 against Tamworth Blue after tallying 58 a week earlier.

The runs were shared around in Tamworth Blue’s total of 197 as eight players reached double figures while the top score was 25.

Lara Graham was the top-scorer as she opened with Luke Maher, who made 17 in a partnership of 31 before Mitchell Henderson made 19 in a 52-run second wicket stand.

Brayden Reid made 24 at number four, and four of the next five players scored between 11 and 16 runs each.

Kade Garrett and Jayden Winsor claimed three wickets each for Gunnedah while Braithen Winsor took two scalps.

Reid was in devastating form with the ball as he took 5-2 from five overs, with all of his victims bowled.

Opening bowler Will Burnett was also outstanding as he captured 3-4, also from five overs, with one of his victims caught while the other two were lbw.

The hosts scored only 17 runs off the bat in 20 overs.

Co-coach of the Tamworth Blue under 14s, Bede Maher, said his team would have bowled first had the visitors won the toss.

Maher said it was an “interesting pitch insofar as not knowing if it (the ball) would bounce low or high”, while the instructions were to play on the front foot when batting.

“Be wary of uneven bounce,” Maher said.

“All of our batsmen got starts. We were very impressed with how they handled the conditions.”

Speaking about Reid’s brilliant bowling, Maher said: “If you bowl full and bowl at the stumps, anything can happen.

“It paid dividends for him.”

Maher was also impressed with Burnett regarding “the work he put in”, as well as generating good pace and swing.

The visitors caused a collapse in the under 16 match, only to subsequently collapse even more sharply.

Tamworth Blue’s opening bowlers, Kyle Jennings and James Austin, were economical but didn’t break through before Mitchell Adams also didn’t strike.

Things changed after Alex Roseby and Lachlan Bradfield were introduced to the attack, as Bradfield claimed five wickets before Roseby bagged the remaining five.

Gunnedah’s openers put on 43 before being separated in the 15th over, and two wickets fell at 51 before the next two fell at 90.

To continue the pattern, two wickets fell at 118 and another two at 126, before the last wicket fell at 132 in the 36th over.

Adam McGuirk scored 37 as an opener for Gunnedah, while Hayden Baker scored 41 not out at number five.

Jono Crowe’s 19 included two fours and a six, before he claimed 1-2 from six overs after his last five overs were maidens.

The visiting team plunged to 4-9 and then had a 29-run partnership before crumbling to 55 all out.

Casey Baker (12) was the only Tamworth Blue player to score more than nine.

Will Maggs starred with 6-12 while Gunnedah team-mate Isaac Harris had 3-12.

A highlight was a brilliant catch by Kaleb McIlveen at deep square leg.