BATHURST timed their chase to perfection on Sunday to knock Forbes out of the Western Zone Plate and book a place in the competition's semi-finals.
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The visiting Bathurst men caught the Forbes target of 191 on the first ball of the final over, with Mark Day's 66 and strong supporting knocks from Andrew Brown (37), Ben Cant (26) and Sam Macpherson (23) paving the way for the win.
Bathurst caught the total with three wickets in hand and have booked a semi-final meeting with Blue Mountains on December 1.
Bathurst captain Brown said the team's chase rarely looked shaky, despite it coming down to the final over of the innings.
"We did a good job with the chase. We only needed to go at four an over and we were able to keep that up pretty much the whole way through," he said.
"We've got a young team with a few experienced guys in it, and a lot of those younger guys are real quality players."
Bathurst timed their chase to perfection last Sunday to knock Forbes out of the Western Zone Plate and book a place in the competition's semi-finals.
The visiting Bathurst men caught the Forbes target of 191 on the first ball of the final over to book a semi-final meeting with Blue Mountains on December 1.
Forbes openers Justin Middleton and Matt Roylance laid a solid foundation and first drop batsman Mitch Bayley (53) helped take his team past the 150 mark.
He spent nearly 30 overs at the crease before he was dismissed by Bathurst's leading bowler Kurt Toole.
Jayme Sherritt also did well and Forbes was still able to add a useful 34 runs after his wicket to apply some pressure on the visiting squad.
Jacob Reid opened the bowling for the hosts and had Bathurst under pressure early. Bailey Brien (6) lasted until the fifth over and Rory Daburger (0) went back to the pavilion after seven deliveries.
Day arrived at the crease in good form and together, he and Brown put on a vital 64 runs for the third wicket.
Brown's dismissal didn't put the brakes on Bathurst's momentum as Cant and Day added another 66 to the score.
Day was removed in the 39th over to make it 4-155, giving Bathurst a required run rate of 3.6 an over for victory.
Bathurst stuck to the run rate but set themselves up for a nervous finish when Hugh Parsons was dismissed for a duck during a wicket maiden over.
With the scores level at the start of the final over, Ollie Simpson (11 not out) stepped up to hit a winning boundary on the first ball of the Adam Hall over.
Alexander Grant
Part of the Western Advocate's sports desk in Bathurst.
Part of the Western Advocate's sports desk in Bathurst.
