Sport
20 December, 2025
Bulls take T20 box seat
A BLISTERING opening partnership between Tom McKinley and Toby Naughton has put Bridgewater Bulls in the box seat to make the final of Upper Loddon’s T20 competition.
The pair put on 143 against Arnold Redbacks, with McKinley belting 87 from just 46 balls as the Bulls compiled 7-188 in their 20 overs.
When the Redbacks tumbled to 3-5 in response, the clash was all but over. Arnold eventually batted through 15.3 overs to make 67 all out, with only Ryan Metelmann (21) and Michael Dale (16) reaching double figures.
Bridgewater won the toss and batted, with McKinley and Naughton untroubled against a struggling Redbacks attack.
McKinley was first out, having hit nine fours and two sixes in his quickfire innings.
Naughton made 49 from 40 balls before being dismissed with the score at 3-151.
The innings fell away in the last few overs, but the Bulls total was always going to be difficult to beat.
All Arnold bowlers copped some stick, with Cameron Dale taking two wickets but conceding 43 runs from his four overs.
Fraser Fidock’s 1-6 from his single over was the tightest the Redbacks bowlers managed.
Bridgewater’s opening bowlers Lewis Lonsdale and Seth Hewett-Scull were excellent, each taking two wickets from three overs.
From their disastrous 3-5, the Redbacks recovered somewhat to 4-26 and then 5-53, but once Metelmann was out the innings collapsed.
The last six wickets fell for 14, with Ben Power (3-20), Hunter Daldy (1-2) and Naughton (1-4) cleaning up the tail.
The Bulls are now second on the T20 ladder and have moved up to fourth on the overall ladder entering the Christmas break.