'It is pretty funny': Tamworth skipper sees funny side of century near miss

When Tamworth captain Callum Henry struck a two to reach what he thought was his century in their Connolly Cup clash against Moree on Sunday, he was a bit surprised when there was no reaction from his team-mates.

It is customary to applaud such a milestone.

Turns out it wasn't actually his century - he had been misinformed.

Rather than being on 97, as his father, Damian, had relayed when he ran some water out to him, he was in fact on 96 and so it only took him to 99.

The magical mark would unfortunately go on to elude him, falling the following ball.

"Dad just came out and said I needed three for a hundred, and I hit three and no-one clapped or said anything so I didn't know what was going on," Henry recalled.

"Next ball I just poked at a wide one and snicked off for 99."

What would have been his first century for the season, he has been into his dad about it, but concedes that he cost himself the century by, in his words, "being stupid".

He didn't need to play at it.

"But yeah it is pretty funny," he said of the whole incident.

The shot he got out on was about the only poor one he played as he guided Tamworth from a precarious 4-43 to an imposing 8-231.

It's the second successive game they have had to claw their way out of early trouble with the bat.

Against Narrabri the round before Christmas they were 4-18.

As he was in that game, Blake Scicluna was again instrumental in the recovery effort, making 28 and sharing a 60-run stand with Henry for the fifth wicket.

Henry and Will Doyle (17) followed up with a 68-run partnership before Jordan Lewington (25no) joined Henry and they added 43.

"I just knew if we hung around for long enough the runs would start coming," Henry said.

"It was pretty hot so the bowlers were going to get tired later on."

He said it "wasn't easy" batting, the Moree bowlers particularly early were good.

At the same time a few of the top order probably threw their wickets away.

"I just don't think we had enough patience early, sort of tried to take the game on too early," Henry said.

But, he always felt anything over 200 they'd be well in the game.

As it was they only needed half of those, coming out and rolling the home side for 100.

Scicluna backed up his efforts with the bat with three wickets. Aaron Baker also nabbed three, Michael Rixon two and Jordan Lewington and Ben Middlebrook one.

"The bowlers bowled really well and we took all our catches pretty well," Henry said.

The best part was that they took only 25 overs to do it, which meant an early finish.

The win also cemented Tamworth's position atop the Connolly Cup table with two rounds remaining, one of which they have the bye.