Gloucester Bushmen moved to equal first on the Manning District second grade cricket competition ladder by defeating a short staffed Taree West in the match played at Gloucester.
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The Bushmen now share the lead with Great Lakes.
A second wicket partnership of 82 between Harry Clarke and Matt Higgins set up the victory.
Clarke, the team's skipper, looked in particularly good touch. He came to the crease with the score on 1/26 after Johny Cornelius produced a quickfire innings of 22. Cornelius only faced 20 balls and hit two boundaries before be was bowled.
Fellow opener James McLeod made a defiant and patient seven but was dismissed with the tally on 40. Higgins then joined Clarke and they produced some attractive batting, Clarke top scoring with 67 from 77 deliveries.
He hit seven boundaries.
Higgins was in an aggressive mood. He only faced 40 deliveries and smashed five boundaries in making 41 before he was bowled. However, Higgins' dismissal sparked a collapse, the Bushmen slumping from 3/132 to all out for 187. No other batsman made it to double figures.
Gloucester looked to be heading to a comfortable win when Taree West crashed to be 3/38 after Jye Barkwill claimed two early wickets.
However, Taree West captain JJ Burton had other ideas and he played a patient knock of 36, to hold the innings together. He was joined by the swashbuckling Sean Carr, who flayed the Gloucester bowling.
Carr belted 78 off just 45 deliveries, hitting five boundaries and five sixes to put Taree West in sight of victory. Taree West only had nine players for the match and they eventually ran out of batsmen, their run chase ending at 7/155 after 28.4 overs, to give Gloucester the important points in a tight competition.
Barkwill was by far the best of the Bushmen bowlers, taking 4/12, with Carr in particular dealing out some punishment to a couple of the other trundlers.
In the other game Wingham fell just short in the run chase against Old Bar at Harrington. Old Bar made 141 and dismissed Wingham for 137.
The table reads Great Lakes 24, Gloucester 24, Old Bar 21, Wingham 18, Taree West 15.
Gloucester has the bye this Saturday.
This will be the final round before the Christmas break. Play resumes on Saturday January 18 when Gloucester will host Great Lakes in the game of the season.
There's no play on Australia Day.
Age did not weary in T20 fixture
Old and cunning will beat young and ...well, whatever. For the last T20 cricket game of the year, the teams were chosen by age, with the Old Codgers batting first for a total of 136 with Sam Murray scoring 32 not out. Travis Sansom was the best of the bowler with 1/14. The Young Guns in reply, were their own worst enemies as they went too hard too early to lose vital wickets for a total of 117. Travis Sansom batted very well in a 'man of the match' performance with 54 not out. Ashley Hollingsworth with 2/12, the best bowler.
