THE top two sides in the Kelly Cup were both beaten on Saturday, meaning Rugby Red and Newtown Black remain locked at the top of the ladder.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Rugby Red went down in a thriller on Saturday, with Newtown Gold reaching the target of 181 with just two wickets in hand.
Batting first, Rugby Red looked set for a huge platform when Brett Paul and Campbell Rose took the score past 100 without loss.
When Rose departed for 56 the score was 112 in the 26th over and the platform had been set.
Paul departed shortly after for 52 and from there Rugby Red were never able to put together any meaningful partnerships as the Newtown Gold bowlers fought back.
Rugby Red finished at 8-180 after their 40 overs with Gold bowlers Eric Woolnough, Sam Whalan and Elliot Diamond all picking up two scalps each.
Kevin Newbold (53) and Malachi Dutschke (53 not out) starred in the run chase as the Tigers got home with 16 balls to spare.
o o o
Fellow frontrunner Newtown Black also lost on the weekend, going down by an emphatic 54 runs to Rugby Blue.
Third-placed Rugby Blue won the toss and batted at John McGrath 2 and while Ayrton Holland impressed with 54 not out, no other batsman could get going.
Rugby Blue, with only 10 men, were dismissed for 117 with Warren Dodd Snr (3-11) and Mitch Lincoln (3-12) doing the bulk of the damage.
While the target wasn't a hugely imposing one, Newtown Black struggled in the run chase and lost wickets at regular intervals.
John Hausia (3-22), Swade Dunn (2-8) and Adam Stone (2-16) tore through the Newtown Black line up to dismiss them for just 64.
o o o
CYMS' finals hopes may be slim but they returned to winning ways on Saturday with a six-wicket win over Macquarie.
Both sides sit towards the bottom of the ladder and the Blues' batsmen struggled on Saturday and they could only manage 91 after winning the toss and batting.
Captain Ray Cusack top scored with 29 while CYMS youngster Sam Knaggs was the pick of the bowlers and finished with 4-19 while Scott Duffy (3-31) and Brian Carroll (2-18) also contributed.
The Cougars run chase was a straightforward affair with Joe Jackson (28) and Mat Sharp (23) getting off to a good start.
Gilbert Chaseling's 24 not out guided the side home while captain Paul Suckling came to the crease and ensured the game finished quickly with a pair of sixes.
Vinay Kapila took 3-38 in a losing effort.
o o o
RSL-Colts took bragging rights in the Colts derby, defeating the Youth Development (YD) side by eight wickets.
Colts YD batted first and could only manage 90, with Glenn Armstrong's top score 36 the best from number three after he came in following the father and son opening pair of Mick and Marcello Davis.
Adam Cuskelly's 3-22 was the best with the ball while Zarak Yousufzai (2-4) and Ben Bruce (2-29) also did their part.
Colts reached the target with ease, losing only two wickets and passing the score inside 11 overs.
Wayne Cole top-scored with a hard-hitting 54.
o o o
The South Dubbo derby was also a lopsided match with South Dubbo Green scoring a big win.
South Gold won the toss and batted and Scott Russell (17) and Tom Stimpson (11) took the score to 59 before things went pear-shaped.
No other batsmen made double figures as Billy Murray's 4-11 tore through the lineup and helped knock over the Gold Hornets for just 59.
South Green lost three wickets in the run chase but each batsman made double figures and did their part as they reached the target in the 14th over.