South Tamworth will be out to give their bowlers something to bowl at when they resume their first innings in the Tamworth first grade grand final on Sunday morning.
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Souths are 4-60 overnight after Old Boys claimed 3-17 in the final hour, with skipper Tom Groth again holding down the fort and unbeaten on seven.
Mitch Smith is four after joining Groth with around 12 minutes of the first day’s play remaining.
After the wet weather during the week there was some doubt whether they would get on on Saturday, but they did around 4pm with the first innings reduced from 80 to 68 overs a side.
Batting first, Souths negotiated some tricky conditions early and showed they had learnt their lesson from two weeks ago when they were rolled by Old Boys for 55, with openers James Maltby and Josh Crowe putting on 34 for the first wicket.
Their best opening stand for a few weeks, Maltby made 13 while Crowe hit 24 before becoming the first of major semi-final destroyer Aaron Hazlewood’s three scalps.
Maltby followed him three runs later in Hazlewood’s next over.
Bowling with a cast on his left arm courtesy of an injured thumb from the semi-final, Hazlewood again bowled brilliantly, picking up Chris Massey not long after to have Souths 3-47.
He bowled out the day from the nets end and finished with 3-31 from his 18.
Jack Richards is the other wicket-taker and after coming on to replace Will Gell (0-15) was tidy going for only 14 runs from his 12 overs.
