Gwydir’s Connolly Cup side are through to the grand final after a brilliant bowling performance against Armidale Second XI.
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The visitors tore through Armidale’s batting lineup in the semi-final clash to knock them over for 66 in 26 overs at the Sportsground on Sunday.
Tom Clear steered the side with 4-28 from seven overs.
Lachlan Butler and Nillson West took two each while Jack McCarthy and Sebastian West grabbed one.
Gwydir made easy work of chasing down the home side’s total, only losing two wickets in their 23 overs with the bat.
There were some nerves for Gwydir in their run chase after falling short in a similar situation last season.
"Just finishing off that low total,” captain Luke Smith said.
"Last year we got in the same situation against Glen Innes and nerves got to us and we blew it.
"Our bowling performance was unreal again.
Our bowling performance was unreal again.
- Luke Smith
"We had a few too many extras which we would like to get rid of but it was a great performance.”
They now face Tamworth in the final who had a bit of a scare in chasing down Gunnedah Second XI’s 181.
After seeming to have things well in hand at 1-51, the Blues lost 6-39 at the hands of Troy Sands and Vinnie Winsor.
They got there in the end with an over to spare and three wickets in hand.
Adam Lole was the star of the show with 91, after Jay Urquhart had made 48 and Farran Lamb 33no for the visitors.
Gwydir gave away 16 extras in the win over Armidale and Smith said it has to be sharper if they want to take out the title against Tamworth.
"We have the bowlers to take them on but we just want to bowl a bit more disciplined, not give away the extras,” he said.
"Hopefully we have a good enough batting lineup to set a good total.
"We haven't played them this year, we had it called off with the heat last week so we are not really sure what we will get with them or how they will be.”