Narrabri Touch Inc hosted the fifth round of the 2020-21 summer season on Monday as the local teams battled the heat on a 38 degree evening.
It was a memorable round of touch footy for one of the ladies’ competition newest sides, OneDay Gals, which scored its first tries of the season.
OneDay Gals went down 5-2 against competition regulars Hounddogs but were all smiles after the match.
The side was unable to find the tryline in its first four matches, but April Squire broke that drought in round five before Madeline Zotter scored the team’s second. For April, it was her first try ever in a game of touch footy in what is her first season playing the sport.
The duo told The Courier that the side was improving and its first win was not too far away.
At the other end of the table, Agies Ladies, Specialised Civil and Xtra all extended their respective winning streaks to five games with round five wins which saw them all remain unbeaten.
In the men’s competition, Grumley Builders were also able to achieve that with another dominant victory.
In the round five ladies’ matches, Hounddogs outscored OneDay Gals 5-2, Xtra downed Phoenix2390 3-1, Blue Birds beat The Rippers 11-0, Agies Ladies defeated Redbacks 8-3, Specialised Civil kept BPR – Tourist Hotel scoreless in a 7-0 victory, and The Emasculators forfeited its match against RSL Roulettes.
In the men’s competition, Gee Bangers outscored Stylies 11-1, Grumley Builders beat DTA Lumberjacks 8-2, Ballbusters downed Cougars 6-4, Platform X Studio edged out Win Or Booze 5-4, and Damien Chiplin Plumbing forfeited to Mowley’s Maniacs.
Hounddogs’ win was its third in as many weeks following two straight losses to start the season. Carly Baxter bagged a double in the team’s 5-2 victory against OneDay Gals, while teammates Caitlyn Dewar, Meckenzie Gordon and Emma Redfern crossed for a try each.
Xtra was one of three ladies’ sides which continued its undefeated streak in round five. On Monday evening, it downed Phoenix Two390 3-1 to start the season with five wins from as many games. Emma Cain bagged a double for Xtra, and teammate Mereka Gleeson scored the other try. Cassidy Staines went over for Phoenix Two390’s try.
Blue Birds won back-to-back games for the second time this season on Monday when it defeated The Rippers 11-0. The side has now won four games, two either side of a round three loss. Clariese Ryman was impressive in Blue Birds’ win with five tries, while Anni Wenner and Lara Richardson both bagged doubles and Taylah Fogarty and Georgia Hardman claimed a try each.
Competition leaders Agies Ladies became the second team in the ladies’ competition to extend its unbeaten run. It won its fifth consecutive game when it defeated Redbacks 8-3. Martha Harvey and Tashanny Clark both scored hat-tricks for Agies Ladies, and the other two tries were scored by Alisha Conomos and Jamilah Kidd. Redbacks’ three tries were shared between Zoe Campbell, Brooke Field and Tianne Parker.
The third of the three ladies teams to extend its winning streak to five matches on Monday evening was Specialised Civil, which kept BPR – Tourist Hotel scoreless while piling on seven tries. Alex Hall scored a hat-trick for Specialised Civil, Clare Larkin crossed twice and Katrina Duncan and Natalia Smith scored a try each.
RSL Roulettes secured its first win of the season in round five without having to take the field. It was scheduled to play The Emasculators in the other ladies’ match but won by forfeit.
In one of the first men’s matches played in round five on Monday, the only unbeaten team in that competition stretched its winning streak to five games.
That was top-ranked Grumley Builders which outscored DTA Lumberjacks 8-2. Tom Nolan crossed for four of the Grumley Builders’ eight tries, while the other four were shared between Nick Anderson, Jacob Booby, Hamish Duncan and Jydon Hill. DTA Lumberjacks’ tries were scored by Matt McDonnell and Clayton Pursche.
Gee Bangers secured back-to-back victories for the second time this season when it beat Stylies 11-1 on Monday. It has now won four games, two either side of a two-point round three loss against the Grumley Builders. In round five, eight tryscorers combined for Gee Bangers’ 11 tries.
Hayden Bell, Damon Gleeson and Jason Yeeles all bagged doubles, and Michael Cain, Mitchell Carrigan, Todd Nichols, Nathan Nott and Peter Quirk all crossed once each. Stylies try was scored by Jeremy Saunders.
Ballbusters recorded consecutive wins for the first time in the 2020-21 campaign when it downed Cougars 6-4. Ballbusters lost its first three games of the season, but has since won two from two. On Monday evening, Jimmy Ward bagged a double for Ballbusters and teammates Toby Knight, Lachlan Osborne, Connor Parkes and Murray Scott shared the other four. Cougars’ Kurt Wallace crossed twice for his team, and teammates Chris Clark and Daniel Jobson scored a try each.
The closest game of the round was won by Platform X Studio which edged out Win Or Booze 5-4. That victory saw Platform X Studio extend its winning streak to four games following a one-point round one loss against Gee Bangers. Platform X Studio’s Gus Macrae bagged a double on Monday evening, and teammates James Baker, Alistair Hillard and Jacob Nichols each crossed for a try. Win Or Booze’s four tries were shared between Connor Hill, Jess O’Neil, Harry Pattison and Lachlan Trindall.
Mowley’s Maniacs entered round five as the only winless side in the men’s competition following four straight losses. It won via forfeit against Damien Chiplin Plumbing to secure its first points of the season.
Draw for round six of the Narrabri Touch In’s 2020-21 summer season on Monday, November 23, is as follows:
6pm: Canteen duty – Joan O’Neill.
Field one – Platform X Studio v Damien Chiplin Plumbing (Scott Purcell, Linton Grumley), field two – Specialised Civil Services v The Rippers (Makayla Elford, Zara Foley), field three – Cougars v Gee Bangers (Sam Carberry, Connor Duncan), field four – Redbacks v Hounddogs (Jess Craig, Alice Woodhill), field five – Ballbusters v Win or Booze (Kaleb Mowle, Luke Flood), field six – Agies Ladies v BPR-Tourist Hotel (Kristie Toomey, Amy Baguley).
6.45pm: Canteen duty – Shannon Rily.
Field one – One Day Gals v RSL Roulettes (Tianne Parker, Colby Davies), field two – Stylies v DTA Lumberjacks (Dean Hancock, Terry Hynch), field three – Bluebirds v Phoenix 2390 (Alisha Conomos, Emily McFetridge), ield four – Mowley’s Maniacs v Grumley Builders (Brendan Warnock, Cameron Yates), field five – The Emasculators v Xtra (Mary Fielder, Sophie McFarland).
