THE Belmore Bulls have moved within half a per cent of the top four after results went their way at the weekend.
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After defeating Brook Blue by seven wickets, they learnt Belltrees had suffered a shock loss to crosstown rivals Bushrangers, which meant the sides are now tied on 54 points with just five games to go.
To make the situation even more interesting, they are set to play each other next week in what could be a crucial 12 point match heading into the pointy end of the season.
The Bulls season has been a rollercoaster ride they’re not keen on getting off, after not claiming victory until round four, they’ve gone on an incredible run having only lost one of their past six matches.
Will King and Tim Carter starred in the latest victory, which was over Brook Blue at Weeraman Fields, with the former smashing an unbeaten 57 and the latter using his lightning pace to rip through the opposition batting order with stats of 4 for 13 from 6.5 overs.
Belltrees, however, gave up a reasonable score of 182 with the bat to suffer a 5 wicket loss to Bushrangers, who sit in seventh place.
Matthew French top scored for the pre-match favourites with 32, but with Joshua Adams (62) and Nicholas Johnson (46) combining for an unbeaten 108 runs between them, the underdogs came home to claim an impressive win.
Luckily for the losing side, they didn’t lose ground on third place Rouchel who received what can only be described as a hiding by Merriwa, who ran home 139 run victors following an innings which included five scores of over 25.
However, Murrurundi managed to top that winning margin with a whopping 175 run dismantling of Bunnan, piling on 269 batting first and dismissing the away side for just 94.
Ben Crowe managed an untarnished century while Jake Chapple chipped in with an impressive 62 to go with his 3 for 23 with the ball.
Matt Langlan (2-42 from 8) and Edward Roser (28 runs) contributed for Bunnan but it was always an uphill battle for the eighth placed side, who will have an important match against Brook Silver when play resumes on February 3.
In the other match this week, Aberdeen breezed by Brook Silver with an eight wicket victory at home, which puts them only two points out of the top four given their superior percentage to both the Bulls and Belltrees.