The Centennials Bulls player strolled to the crease with his side 6-86 in pursuit of Bathurst City's 184 during the Bathurst Orange Inter District Cricket clash at Morse Park 1.

It's not exactly the friendliest scenario for a number eight batsman to be wandering into, especially with his team desperately chasing their first win of the season.

But Horton thrived under the pressure, and was supported well by Mick Hutchinson (39) and captain Kurt Toole (20), adding 61 vital runs across those two partnerships.

Redbacks were still in prime position to win the contest at Morse Park after the dismissals of Hutchinson and Toole, which took the score to 8-147.

Ehsan Ahmad (6) rotated strike well before his dismissal left Bulls with 13 runs to get over the final wicket but Horton was able to pass the target under serious pressure.

Bulls captain Kurt Toole said the never-say-die attitude of Horton was great to see.

"Over the last couple of seasons against Redbacks all the games against them have been decided in very close encounters. It's gone their way in the past so it went our way this time," he said.

"In a team there's the boys who sometimes haven't stood up but they stand up in a time of need and Tyler did just that. He hasn't got off to the greatest of starts this year but in this game he really stood up.

"He looked great early on. Every time he's batted this season I've thought 'Gee, he could go on and make a hundred here' and then he's been unlucky to get out to a good ball or a good catch. I knew some runs weren't too far away for him."

Toole was happy to play a part, even a small one, in the team's first win for 2020-21 and said the result is a welcome confidence booster for Bulls ahead of a tough clash with Orange City.

"For me personally I was a bit disappointed not to go on with it, but the 20 ended up contributing to the total in the end," he said.

"There are a few of us who have been there or thereabouts in the last four games that we've lost. We lost by six runs in the Bonnor Cup, and then 20 runs and 30 runs so we knew a win was close.

"It definitely lifts the spirits and I know the boys are excited now for Orange City. They're one of the best teams and I think coming off a win playing against a team like that makes a big difference."

In a winning result for Redbacks the talk would have been focused on Jarrod Urza's haul of 4-45, an impressive effort on a day where City had just three bowlers on a regular rotation.