North Tamworth skipper Brendan Rixon ignited his side to a much-needed win on Saturday.
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Rixon hit 60 to guide the Redbacks to 6-146 in reply to City United’s 145.
They just missed out on the bonus point with Brad Redshaw hitting the winning runs second ball of the 31st over.
“It was a good win,” Rixon said.
“We had three debutants today and they all contributed.”
Alex Roseby, Harrison Hague and Daniel Redshaw were all playing their first first grade games.
They had City on the ropes early with Brad Redshaw and Tim Unwin tearing through the top order to have them 3-23 after nine overs.
Adam Greentree then chimed in on the action as City stuttered to 5-37.
Josh Bennie (23) and Chris Dempsey (19) briefly halted the flow of wickets with a 40 run stand before Daniel Lawrence produced some late fireworks to lift City over 140.
He smashed four sixes and three fours on his way to 56, Norths regretting giving him an early life.
“Daniel Lawrence hit the ball clean at the end,” Rixon said.
“He was the difference between them getting 90 and 140.”
Redshaw, Tim Unwin, Greentree and Michael Rixon all finished with two wickets.
“I thought the bowlers for first game back after a month did well,” Rixon said.
They then lost Lincoln Peters early, and were 2-31 before he and brother Michael joined forces.
Norths looked in control with them at the crease, the pair working the gaps well for the ones and twos and putting the ball away when it was there to be put away.
Michael’s dismissal for 27, and Tom Maloney’s not long after gave City a flicker of hope, but they were doused by a 61 run stand between (Brendan) Rixon and Lachlan Fauchon (18) to take them within nine of victory.
“We were probably looking at a bonus point when Michael and I were batting and going along quite well,” Rixon conceded.
Tait Jordan got the breakthrough and bowled quite well at times, he said.
He finished with 3-51, and apart from the extras, City skipper Brad Smith said, bowled good lines.
The extras were what killed them.
They “bowled far too many”. The count was 31 for the innings, 23 of them wides.
The early breakthroughs had put them right in it.
“Brendan to his credit batted really well. He probably took the game away from us,” Smith said.
“But full credit to my boys they could have given up but kept fighting.”
He attributed the early wickets to a combination of “a few rash shots” and “a few good balls”.
