Both teams bowled out of their skin in a low-scoring game where Tamworth Blue won by just three runs.

Tamworth batted first and gave Armidale a "slightly competitive" score of 88 to chase, Tamworth coach Peter Holmes said.

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"We probably didn't score enough runs and Armidale bowled very well," he said.

"They bowled full and straight which meant we couldn't score as freely as we were used to."

Co-captain Coby Single was the standout for Tamworth with the bat as he made 41.

For Armidale, William Hall (4-13) topped the wicket-taking efforts.

Tamworth then came out and did the same as Armidale - bowl full and straight.

"There really wasn't much between the two teams. We were fortunate to also bowl well and bowl at the stumps often enough to get wickets," Holmes said.

Hall backed up his bowling effort to top score for Armidale with 22 during his innings which included an important partnership of 36 runs alongside Charlie Foster (13).

Six separate bowlers took wickets for Tamworth with Charles Hill (3-10) leading the way as Armidale were bowled out for 85.

"Everyone contributes. Opening bowlers, first or second change - they all come on and try to do the same thing. It doesn't always happen but we try and keep it as simple as possible - bowl full and at the stumps. Do that often enough and we give ourselves the best chance," Holmes said.

For Holmes, a win was a bonus. It's more about seeing the improvement from the kids.

"Just watching the kids on both sides play a competitive game of cricket is the most pleasing thing to me," he said.

"At this age it's all about learning the game. If they can put themselves in a position where they can win, they learn something and if the other team wins, they'll still learn something.

"You can also see by the smiles how well they get on. They're having a good time. Most of them will have fond memories of their junior cricket days."

Tamworth will now play Maitland Maroon in the final next weekend.