Perhaps the most telling measure of City United’s metamorphosis’ came at Dick Edwards Oval on Saturday afternoon and with one powerful swing of Troy Hearfield’s blade.
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Hearfield’s boundary to secure City the outright points against West Tamworth, also elevated them to an unfamiliar position – the top of the table.
Nobody could readily recollect afterwards when City last occupied top spot beyond the first round. Suffice to say it was a long time ago – over a decade at least.
It was a momentous day for the club with all four grades winning outright.
First grade’s success came a round after they defeated Old Boys for the first time in a long while to earn a spot in the one-day final.
“We’re excited,” skipper Brad Smith.
“There’s a really good culture in the group.”
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Wests though made them work for the points.
Resuming at 4-46 in reply to City’s 304, Wests dug in and scrapped their way to 175 with skipper Shaun Stevenson making 35, Dave Mudaliar 31, Azan Vhora 22 and Jake Whyler 16.
“The two boys that were the night watchmen (Vhora and Whyler) batted quite well. They made taking wickets quite hard,” Smith said.
Still, he had no hesitation enforcing the follow-on with Wests still 130 runs in arrears.
But wickets were hard to come by. Dan Collinson (29) and Heath Falkenmire (58) put on 67 for the first wicket and for a while it looked like the outright points City so craved were going to evade them.
“I thought the deck was really good for batting,” Smith said.
“Credit to them they batted well, they weren’t going to roll over in the second dig.”
At drinks Stevenson wanted to call it, and Smith admitted the thought had started to enter his mind.
“But I thought 26 overs, there’s still some cricket to play,” he said.
“We got a bit of a sniff and started taking quick wickets.”
Joey Mead (3-15) provided the crucial breakthrough picking up Mudaliar (33) and from there it became the Scott Brennan show.
After going for 56 off his first 10 overs, Brennan nabbed 5-11 off his next three to finish with 6-67 as City wrapped up the Wests second innings for 159.
“The situation was tailor-made for him. He always steps up to the occasion,” Smith said.
“We just stayed patient all day – that was the key.”
He had heading into Saturday spoken about bowling good line and length and staying patient.
Requiring 31 off nine to claim their first outright in a long while, City only needed 5.4 with Hearfield clubbing five fours in an unbeaten 25.
