It was touted earlier in the week as possibly the year Gulgong finally got that unwanted monkey off their back and defeated Mudgee in the annual Australia Day Showdown.
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It didn’t happen.
Mudgee showed their class with both bat and ball and despite not always being at their best in periods, ran home comfortable 84-run winners.
Josh Edwards and Michael Ford got the visiting Mudgee side off to a flyer despite a damp outfield before Edwards was dismissed for a well made 30.
Ford continues to keep the runs ticking over but the run-rate slowed somewhat after the dismissal of Edwards, as Stu Fredericks looked to get his eye in coming in at number three.
When Fredericks was dismissed cheaply for seven, Michael Ford quickly followed suit, run out for a well made 54.
The score then reached 3-116 and Mudgee looked to be doing it comfortably, that was until captain Cameron Cox and James Gillham were both dismissed by Mark Hundy for seven and a duck respectively.
At 5-117, Gulgong had the chance to put their foot down, but they couldn’t take consecutive wickets from that point on, James Fisher (31), James Ford (13), Jamie Golden and Kurt Golden (16*) contributing to the respectable 202-run total.
In response Gulgong couldn’t have got off to a worse start, losing Mark Hundy (1) in the second over, before losing Mark Gorrie (7) and Dion Hollow (1) before the seventh over.
At 3-20 is was always going to be a tough task to chase down 202, and that task was made even tougher when star batsmen Stu Bromley (13) and Tom Cooney (1) were also removed with the score at just 47.
In contrast, Mudgee had scored 117 runs at the fall of their fifth wicket.
Enter Jared Clulow and Nathan Lane who began to steady the ship.
It looked like the two might put on a big partnership given their form in the local Gulgong competition this year, but when both players were dismissed in quick succession, the game was all but over at 7-76.
Steve Haney (11) and Peter Doherty (24) fought hard until the end, but Gulgong were eventual dismissed for 118.
Opener James Ford (3-14) and spinner Nathan Chapman (3-22) were the pick of the bowlers, ensuring Mudgee won the annual Australia Day Showdown for the tenth time in eleven years.
ANNUAL AUSTRALIA DAY SHOWDOWN
MUDGEE v GULGONG
SCORECARD
Innings of Mudgee
J EDWARDS caught b M Jarvis 30
M FORD run out 54
S FREDERICKS caught b S Hayne 12
C COX bowled S Hayne 7
J FISHER bowled M Hundy 31
H GILLHAM caught b M Hundy 0
K GOLDEN not out 16
J FORD c Jarvis b Gorrie 13
J GOLDEN c Bromley b Duce 26
N CHAPMAN not out 8
A CALLAGHAN dnb
Sundries 5
TOTAL 8/202
FOW: J Edwards (55); S Fredericks (95); M Ford (97); C Cox (116); J Gilham (117); J Fisher (138); J Ford (155); J Golden (188).
Bowling: M Jarvis 10-0-1-47; N Duce 6-0-1-28; P Doherty 10-1-0-23; S Hayne 10-2-2-28; M Hundy 4-0-1-34; M Gorrie 4-0-1-34.
Innings of Gulgong
M HUNDY c K Golden b Callaghan 1
M GORRIE st. Fredericks b Chapman 7
D HOLLOW c Fredericks b J Ford 1
S BROMLEY c Chapman b J Golden 12
J CLULOW c Fredericks b Chapman 28
T COONEY caught b Chapman 1
N LANE c Fredericks b Gillham 19
S HANEY bowled J Ford 11
P DOHERTY c Fredericks b Fisher 24
D DOHERTY not out 2
N DUCE caught b J Ford 6
Sundries 5
TOTAL 10/118
FOW: M Hundy (1); D Hollow (3); M Gorrie (20); S Bromley (37); T Cooney (47); J Clulow (76); N Lane (76); P Doherty (108); S Haney (112); N Duce (117).
Bowling: J Ford 6.1-1-3-14; A Callaghan 5-0-1-24; N Chapman 10-2-3-22; J Golden 5-0-1-33; J Gillham 5-0-1-33; J Fisher 3-1-1-8.
Mudgee won by 84 runs.
