Senior cricketers got to shake off some of the winter cobwebs in the start of an over 40’s round robin competition which kicked off in Tenterfield on Sunday.
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One of two Armidale teams in the competition, Armidale’s Unex Bushies, along with the Armidale Townies, travelled to play at Shirley Park.
The competition also features a combined Inverell and Glen Innes team.
It was the first match of the season for both teams, who performed well under the circumstances according the Tenterfield team captain David Fowler.
Tenterfield won the toss and were left to chase 109 after getting the Unex Bushies all out in the 39th over of the 40-overs-a-side competition.
Top scorers for the Armidale team were Nick Endicott on 31 and captain Rowan Chandler on 20.
Chandler said it was a fairly relaxed competition, “old fellas having a bit of a hit”.
He said it was a pretty social atmosphere with more emphasis on players getting out on the field.
The over 40’s competition has been played in Armidale for a number of years and Chandler said it was great they have been able to expand the competition to include more teams from across the region this year.
“We have always had a local Armidale competition with one team or two teams and this is the first year we have expanded to the New England Seniors cricket and this is the first time we have ever expanded to include Tenterfield, Inverell and Glen Innes,” he said.
“Hopefully it leads to encouraging more old fellas to have a game of cricket and have a bit of fun.”
He especially appreciated what he described as the village atmosphere of the match, with wives coming along to watch and children playing around the boundary.
James Jerome bowled six overs for Tenterfield getting two out for nine runs. Shaun Merchant, Neville Koch and Mitch Ford each bowled five overs with Merchant two for six, Koch one for nine and Ford one for 20.
Tenterfield replied with a good run rate to reach their goal in the 20th over. Top batters were Koch (31), Scott Bates (30), Fowler and Allan Donges (17) and Jerome (16).
Tenterfield will go up against Inverell/Glen Innes on October 30, with the Unex Bushies meeting the Townies in Armidale on the same day.
Fowler said Tenterfield played well and it looks good for the coming season.
Armidale Townies’ match was postponed. In coming weeks, an over 60’s cricket team will travel to Tamworth for a representative competition.
