NDCA crushes Quirindi

The Narrabri District Cricket Association second XI started its 2019-20 MA Connolly Cup campaign on the front foot with a big win against Quirindi on Sunday at Collins Park.

The NDCA team batted first in its Western Conference round one clash after skipper Ty Baker won the toss.

The hosts went on to make 201 runs before losing their last wicket with two balls remaining in the innings.

Narrabri then needed just 33.1 overs to get the job done, knocking over Quirindi for just 84 runs to score a 117-run victory.

NDCA second XI skipper Ty Baker told The Courier that he was extremely impressed with the team’s performance and said that he believed the Narrabri men had what it took to win the 2019-20 MA Connolly Cup.

“The guys were unreal,” Baker said.

“It’s always good to get a win to kick off, it sort of sets up your season.

“If we continue to perform like that over the next few games we should do alright.

“I think we are definitely good enough to win the MA Connolly Cup, if we stick with that side I think we would go fairly close.”

Baker said that he was impressed with his side’s batting and bowling as well as its fielding.

“Both batting and bowling were pretty awesome,” he said.

“Our batting from the word go was great, our top four blokes which was myself, Nicko (Nick Tomlinson), Coop (Cooper Brayshaw) and Toughy (Jarrett Tough) gave us a pretty good start.

“Then Phelpsy (Steve Phelps) did a real good job for us at the end.

“Then our bowling was great, the boys gave nothing away, they bowled really tight.

“In the field we backed each other up, it was a really good performance.”

Baker said that the side would most likely lose Jake Brayshaw to the NDCA War Vets team for the rest of the season, but added that he expected the remainder of the side to retain their spots ahead of their next match which will be played in round three.

The NDCA second XI has a bye in the second round of the MA Connolly Cup campaign and will then line up in a match away from home against Moree on Sunday, December 8.

Moree was victorious in the other Western Conference round one game on Sunday, defeating Gunnedah by two wickets in Gunnedah.

Gunnedah batted first in that match and made 134 runs before Moree reached 135 for the loss of eight wickets.

On Sunday at Collins Park the Narrabri top order got the side off to a positive start with the top four batsmen all scoring double figures to take the home side past 100 runs in the 22nd over for the loss of just two wickets.

Openers Nick Tomlinson (14) and Baker (22) and third batsman Jarrett Tough (23) all had handy contributions while number four batsman Cooper Brayshaw top scored with 33 runs.

However it was the side’s seventh batsman Steve Phelps who played the most significant role, scoring a patient 31 runs from 63 deliveries in his near 24 overs and 105 minutes at the crease, combining with the home side’s tail order to help take Narrabri past 200.

After Tough was dismissed in the 24th over, making the score 4-104, Narrabri’s fifth batsman Cody Kember (3) and sixth batsman Toby Reynolds (6) were dismissed cheaply which made the score 6-120 in the 29th over.

That left Phelps at the crease with Western Imperial Razorbacks teammate Josh Trindall.

Trindall got off the mark in style with a brilliant cut shot which found the boundary, but he fell for just four runs which made the score 7-131 in the 35th over and brought Joel Hogan to the crease.

Hogan scored 13 runs before being runout, making the score 8-145 in the 39th over.

Jake Brayshaw entered at 10 and chipped in with four runs before being bowled in the 42nd over to make the score 9-158.

That left Phelps in the middle with Narrabri’s last batsman Hamish Duncan, and the pair combined for a 43-run partnership to take the home side past 200.

In the last over Phelps (31) was stumped which ended the innings with two balls remaining, with Duncan finishing on an unbeaten 17.

With the ball Narrabri was impressive, with all six bowlers used taking at least one wicket.

Jake Brayshaw finished with a game-best 3-14 from seven overs.

Hogan (2-11 from six overs) and Chris Watkins (2-11 from four overs) were the Narrabri side’s other multiple wicket takers, while Duncan (1-7 from four overs), Trindall (1-11 from five overs)NDCA skipper Baker opted to open the bowling with Trindall and Hogan, a decision which paid dividends.

Trindall made an early breakthrough in his third over, the fifth of the innings, trapping Quirindi opener Tom McVicar (4) to make the score 1-13 after five overs which then became 2-14 after six when Hogan struck the following over, bowling the visiting side’s third batsman Kurt Heath (1).

In the ninth over of the innings Trindall continued to pile on the pressure with a maiden, before Hogan capitalised in the 10th over with a wicket-maiden, dismissing Aaron King (4) who was caught by Reynolds to make the score 3-21.

The next over was Kember’s first of the game and he made an almost instant impact, bowling Todd Burgess (7) to make the score 4-23, which became 5-26 in the 16th over when the home side then celebrated a second wicket-maiden which saw Andrew Cohen depart for a duck, caught by Reynolds from the bowling of Duncan to make the score 5-26.

The sixth wicket fell in the 22nd over in what was the NDCA team’s third wicket-maiden, this time delivered by Jake Brayshaw who trapped Hugh Ryan in front for a duck.

The next wicket was the big one for the home side which saw Watkins claim the scalp of Quirindi skipper Brendon Mathews who top-scored for the visitors with 24 before being caught by Cooper Brayshaw.

That wicket made the score 7-52 in the 26th over, which became 8-55 in the 27th when Jake Brayshaw claimed his second wicket by trapping Liam McCain in front for a duck.

Quirindi added just one run before losing its ninth wicket in the 28th over. That was claimed by Watkins who dismissed Charlie Simpkin (2) who was caught by Reynolds.

The visiting side made Narrabri work for the final wicket as number 10 batsman Jason Lobsey and last batsman Nick Bayliss combined for a 28-run partnership, their side’s largest on the day.

Lobsey struck four boundaries on his way to 19 runs but he became Jake Brayshaw’s third victim by LBW in the 33rd over as Quirindi fell for just 84 runs.