TAMWORTH have claimed their first win of the War Veterans Cup season after a nail-biting two-wicket win against Gunnedah on Sunday.
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Battling it out on a challenging Wolseley Oval wicket, Gunnedah stumbled with the bat to be all out for 114.
Troy Sands (22 not out) at number 10, was Gunnedah's best with the bat as the top order struggled to get themselves in.
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In reply, Tamworth got off to a shaky start, losing their first three wickets with just three runs on the board.
Jack Hamilton (36) helped rebuild the innings for the visitors, with support from Ben Middlebrook (15) and Brad Redshaw (23 not out).
Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, Tamworth were able to hold their nerve and pass the total with two wickets, and 12 overs to spare.
Tamworth captain Jye Paterson said his side "made it hard for ourselves".
"We started really well with the ball, but probably didn't finish too well or take our chances at the end of the innings," Paterson told the Leader.
"We bowled a lot of wides and their last partnership was worth about 20 runs, which made it harder for us than it probably had to be.
"I think we were also a bit shaky with the bat and turned it into more of a cliffhanger than it had to be, but luckily our tail wagged and we got the win."
Paterson said he was impressed with the younger members of his side.
"I think the younger fellas really stood up," he said.
"Jack batted really well and was timing the ball when it didn't look anyone was going to be able to.
"It was a low and slow pitch, so for him to bat like that and get us out of trouble was very impressive."
Despite the victory, Paterson said his side was yet "to play a good game."
"In patches today [Sunday] we were better, but we still haven't played a really good game yet," he said.
"We certainly haven't played to the standard we should be setting for ourselves.
"Putting together a full game will be our focus in our next game against Inverell and hopefully we can get into the final."
Gunnedah captain Mitchell Swain said he was disappointed with the effort of his side's top order.
"We batted extremely poorly," Swain said.
"I think we made Tamworth look a lot better than they were.
"Some of our shot selections, including myself, were very poor, we weren't patient enough with the bat and it was bitterly disappointing."
Swain praised the bowling efforts of a returning Ben Irwin (2-28).
"I thought in patches we were pretty good with the ball, but just didn't get a lot of luck," he said.
"I thought Benny was outstanding.
"He didn't get a lot of luck or many rewards, but he did a super job for us."
Gunnedah will now turn their attention to a final-round clash against Narrabri on December 8.
"We will most certainly be looking to improve our batting," Swain said.
"Narrabri are a very good side and will make you pay if you're not up to the standard.
"Hopefully, we should have a few players back for that game, which will make a difference."
In the round's other clash, Jaidon Tasker (71 not out) and Jakob Haines (63) helped guide Inverell to a five-wicket win over Narrabri.
Billy Jupp
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
