OF all the things that can determine the result of a Twenty20 match, running between wickets proved decisive in Friday night’s Royal Hotel Cup semi-final between Bathurst City and Orange CYMS.
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Sadly for CYMS, four calamitous run outs in their pursuit of the Bathurst outfit’s 7-151 was too big an obstacle to overcome as they were dismissed for just 117 in the 18th over at Wade Park.
CYMS skipper Hamish Finlayson, Grant Koch, Michael Hannelly and Peter Gott were the quartet caught short of the crease in the green and gold’s failed chase.
And while Bathurst City’s judgement of a run was hardly faultless – they suffered three run outs themselves – Finlayson conceded the visiting batsmen’s energy between the wickets and his own side’s confusion both told a tale in terms of the game’s outcome.
“They ran really well between wickets,” he said of Bathurst City.
“They probably put on an extra 30 runs with good running, turning ones into twos and twos into threes.”
“Our running between the wickets was pretty average and that put us on the back foot a little bit.”
The green and golds started their run chase well and truly on the front foot, motoring along 1-65 after five overs courtesy of some strong hitting from openers Andrew Henry (39) and Tom Belmonte (21), ably supported by first drop Koch (20)
However from that point the wheels fell off, CYMS losing 9-50 in a tick over 11 overs, taking with them the last chance of Orange District Cricket Association fielding a side in Friday’s decider.
Finlayson admitted his side showed a lack of composure as their innings progressed, a statement underscored by his side’s four run out victims.
“It really fell apart in the middle. We tried to continue on the way the same way the guys at the top were doing and we didn’t really need to,” the skipper said.
“We probably didn’t need to play as many big shots or attempt crazy runs in that middle stage, but there was a little bit of panic.
“Even at the end there we needed a little bit over a run a ball with five or so overs to go and we had four or five wickets in hand, and we just weren’t as composed as we could have been.”
City all-rounder Greg Adams made the most of the hosts’ lack of composure, taking the scalps of danger men Michael Delaney and Sam Dwyer on his way to figures of 3-19 off four overs.
Earlier he combined with opener Joey Coughlan (59) to salvage City’s innings, the pair adding 47 invaluable runs in the space of six overs to steer their side to what Finalyson labelled a “par score”.
It was a more than decent rescue mission by the pair after CYMS spearhead Gott (3-27 off four overs) reduced their vaunted top order to 3-55 after eight overs, including the valuable wicket of number three batsman Trent Hemsworth for a duck.
Hemsworth got his revenge with the ball though, conceding fewer than five runs an over and combining with Adams and regular second-grader Troy Grimshaw (1-7 off two overs) to curtail CYMS’ bright start to their chase.
City’s victory sets up an all-Bathurst decider – the first under the competition’s T20 format – with Centennials Bulls earning their passage into the final via Wednesday night’s demolition of defending champions Lithgow Lightning.