Gunnedah overcame some batting wobbles to put themselves firmly in the frame for a Connolly Cup semi-finals berth.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Chasing just 60 for victory against Quirindi yesterday, the home side looked to be cruising at 0-22 but lost 4-1 at one stage before scrambling their way to the runs with one wicket to spare.
The win saw them leapfrog Moree (who had the bye) and Quirindi to go top of the western conference.
They were the only game to go ahead with the other three fixtures washed out.
Gunnedah skipper Blake Small admitted he was "very worried" that they might not get there as they wickets tumbled. When he departed for a second-equal top nine they still needed five with only two wickets in hand.
But Ash White got them home, the quick coming in and playing "a very stable innings".
He finished unbeaten on six while Hayden Baker went hard at the Quirindi bowlers early and top-scored with 13.
Elliot Tourle was the main destroyer claiming 5-19. Nick Hird also made life tough for the batsmen with his nine overs only going for 15.
READ ALSO:
Small had earlier sent Quirindi in.
"I thought there would be a fair bit in the wicket. I knew it would be hard batting first," he said.
It was, Charlie Simkin (16) and Todd Burgess (10) the only Quirindi batsmen to make double figures as they were bowled out in the 21st over.
At one point they were 5-9.
"It was a great performance with the ball," Small said.
Garry Briggs (2-19) started them off picking up two wickets in his second over.
Troy Sands struck the next over and proceeded to claim 4-6. Hayden Baker (2-20), Ash White (1-13) and Vinnie Winsor then mopped up the tail, the latter striking with just his second ball to wrap up the innings.
Small said he was hoping for anything under 100.
"It was good to get them out for 59," he said.
Still he knew it wasn't going to be easy.
"With that wicket anything could happen," he said.
"And they had a very strong bowling attack."
He said he told them at the change of innings it doesn't matter how they get the runs, as long as they got them.
A loss would have made it tough for them to make the finals.
