Harry Pearce produces at the death for Bathurst Orange Inter-District Cricket big guns Cavaliers

Cavaliers posted a relatively modest total of all-out-for 145 - a contribution of poor batting and sensational bowling from Centrals' attack stunting what is normally a rampant batting line-up, one currently undefeated on top of the Bathurst Orange Inter-District Cricket competition.

Cameron Laird top scored with 36, but other than that no one else really got going. And from there, it was over to the bowlers.

Well in the hunt after fielding beautifully, Centrals lost wickets in clumps with the willow - dropping 3-8 mid-innings and then, after a stabilising sixth-wicket partnership of 26 between gloveman Kurt Gander (11) and Kyle Nonnenmacher, 4-21 to be reeling at 9-113 at the death.

But the game wasn't dead there.

Nonnenmacher (30 not out) and No.11 Zac Reimer (4 not out) put on 31 for the final wicket, unbeaten, to almost snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Centrals needed 10 off the final Harry Pearce over, and a boundary off the bat of Nonnenmacher on ball one was the best possible start to what loomed as a fairytale finish.

Doing his best Michael Bevan impersonation at Wade Park, Nonnenmacher then hit a single off the second ball to leave Reimer on strike, with five runs needed off the final four balls.

Pearce, though, says even at that stage of the contest he and the Cavs fielders had the belief they'd get the job done. And they willed that belief into a win.

Pearce produced a couple of jaffas at the death, giving Reimer - a more-than-handy tail-ender - nothing to hit. Centrals squeezed two more runs late and needed three off the final ball for victory but a Pearce yorker was the final nail in the coffin, the red and blacks ducking through for a single to lose by a run and finish their chase of 146 for victory at 9-144 at the end of 40 overs.

"The first ball 'Non' creamed one but it looked like it was going straight down long-on's throat ... then it went over his head and bounced for four. It wasn't the best start to the over," Pearce laughed.

"But even with them needing a run-a-ball, I was still happy. We'd always back us to field well enough.

"We should have scored more that 140-odd, but we've spoken all year about how our five bowlers, we back each other to defend low totals and it was good we could do that (on Saturday). We got away with one there."

Nonnenmacher, one of the most improved cricketers in the competition having started the summer in second grade before looming large as a valuable all-round contributor for Ed Dodds' side in the BOIDC, said Centrals' players were left devastated in the sheds post game.

"But the team will take a lot from a performance like that," Nonnenmacher said.

"We showed that we can match it with the best team in the league. Our bowling unit, every week, does an awesome job and that was on display on Saturday in holding those blokes to 140-odd."

It's the second tough loss for Centrals this summer, having also lost by two runs to ORC at the end of November.

A swing in those results would have the red and blacks in the BOIDC top five, but Nonnenmacher is still confident Centrals can make a run at the post-season. With six rounds left, Centrals sit in eighth, 13 points off fifth spot.

"We have the confidence ... once we get that win, we will be hard to beat," he added.

Centrals' veteran Daryl Kennewell was the pick of Centrals' bowlers in the first innings, snapping up 3-32 with the ball.

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