The disappointment of the 2013 NSW Over 60 State Cricket Championships is now well in the rear view mirror for Armidale after terrific performances in both divisions last week.
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Armidale took home the wooden spoon in the top division last year, but were only one win away from contesting Friday’s division one final.
They ended up finishing fourth after a 36-run loss to Lismore Emerging Greys in the third and fourth placed play-off on Friday.
Last year’s champions Lismore blasted 7-237 from their 40 overs.
Dick Hodgson (2-42) and Phil Allen (2-36) were the pick of the bowlers for Armidale.
Garry Clark (30) and Russ Wilde (35 not out) again got Armidale off to a brilliant start.
Andrew Hunt (30) and Dennis Cameron (25 not out) tried their best to steer Armidale to victory, but Lismore’s target proved too big as Armidale finished at 7-201 from their 40 overs.
Sydney 1 took out the division one title, smashing Mid North Coast Sharks by nine wickets in the final.
Mid North Coast made 5-178 from their 40 overs, but it proved nowhere near enough as Sydney cruised to 1-179 in 36 overs.
The ex-UNE and Armidale combined side in division two emerged from the round robin competition as champions.
They cemented their win with a thrilling win over Tamworth Gold on Friday.
Tamworth made 6-180 batting first, with Tom Vincent (2-33) and Mike Muldoon (2-29) doing the majority of the damage for the UNEX Armidale side. UNEX Armidale’s run chase got off to a disastrous start with both openers departing before the score could reach 10.
Gus Stevens (36 not out), Tony Buchan (37 not out), Tony Corcoran (35 not out) and Rowan Chandler (35 not out) steadied the ship for UNEX Armidale.
In a nail biting finish, UNEX Armidale hit the winning runs in the final over.
Tournament organiser Graeme Andrews said it was again a successful event.
“We had some trouble with the weather earlier in the week, but we got through the full program,” he said.
“Feedback has again been very positive.”
Andrews said he would also like to thank the Armidale District Cricket Association and Mike Porter in particular for their assistance in running the carnival.
“We couldn’t have held the carnival without them,” he said.
Armidale will now turn its attention to hosting the NSW versus Queensland over 60s in March.
