RSL and Civeo score massive first grade wins in round eight

The RSL Cricket Club and Civeo Tourist Cricket Club first XIs both scored massive victories in round eight of the Narrabri District Cricket Association’s 2020-21 first grade one day competition on Saturday to finish two wins clear of their nearest rival with less than half of the season left to play.

RSL took on Tatts at Collins Park where it dominated from start to finish in a 143-run win against the defending champions. RSL batted first after skipper Jarrett Tough won the toss and finished on 9-193 before rolling Tatts for just 50 runs in 19.3 overs.

In the other first grade game, Civeo batted first in its match against the Western Razorbacks at Hogan Oval and made 189 runs in 44.2 overs after Civeo co-captain Luke Meppem won the toss. Civeo then knocked over the Razorbacks for 105 runs in 33.5 overs.

Those wins saw Civeo and RSL finish round eight level on 41 points, two wins clear of third-placed Razorbacks (29 points) and four wins clear of last-placed Tatts (17 points) with just seven rounds remaining.

In RSL’s win against Tatts, the victorious side was clinical with both bat and ball.

After winning the toss, Tough opened the batting with Hamish Duncan and scored seven runs before he was run out by Jesse Nancarrow in the third over which made the score 1-9.

The next four batsmen did the damage for RSL. Hamish Duncan (29), Zaac Brayshaw (31), Shane Murphy (31), and Cody Kember (24) combined for 115 runs, with Murphy acting as the innings’ anchor from the 18th over to the 41st.

When Brayshaw reached 29, he became the first batsman from all four clubs to score 200 runs in the 2020-21 first grade one day season.

The side’s next five batsmen included Cooper Brayshaw (3), Jock Tomlinson (13), Craig Summers (3), Will Ford (3*) and Jake Brayshaw (13*) who combined to add 35 more runs to the team’s total as it finished seven short of the 200 mark after 45 overs.

Five Tatts bowlers took wickets on the day. Anthony Schwager (2-25 from six overs) and Jakeb Nipperess (2-24 from 3.3 overs) claimed two each while Brendon Ward (1-17 from four overs), Sid Harvey (1-29 from nine overs) and Jonty Schwager (1-32 from nine overs) took one each. There were also two runouts in that innings.

Tatts duo Craig Gleeson and Jake Packer opened the batting for their side and the two former captains combined for a 29-run opening wicket partnership. That was broken in the 11th over when Kember bowled a double wicket maiden to knock over Packer (17) as well as Nipperess (0).

That started an epic collapse as the chasing side lost all 10 wickets while adding just 21 more runs.

Gleeson eventually reached 15 before becoming the fourth batsman to fall. He was trapped in front by Kember in the 14th over which made the score 4-39 after Harvey (0) was run out by Cooper Brayshaw an over earlier.

Harvey was one of seven Tatts batsmen to fall for a duck on the day as just two of the team’s bottom nine scored runs.

Ward chipped in with six runs from number five and Luke Morgan added an unbeaten two as Tatts limped its way to 50 before losing its final wicket in the 20th over.

Kember (4-12 from nine overs) impressed with the ball for RSL with match-best figures, while Jake Brayshaw (3-2 from two overs) and Matt Tubner (1-0 from 0.3 overs) claimed the other four. There were also two runouts in that innings.

Kember received the three NDCA best and fairest points for his standout performance with bat and ball, while Murphy and Zaac Brayshaw polled the two and one points respectively

In the other round eight match, Civeo’s top six combined for 167 of its 189 runs.

Nick Tomlinson (8) was the first to fall but his opening partner Nick Smart top scored with a match-best 66. Number three Matt Conroy (22), number four Lachlan Cameron (30), number five Chris Sargent (22) and number six Jordyn Mowle (19) all made valuable contributions.

The team’s final five batsmen added just five runs between them before the last wicket fell in the 45th over.

Razorbacks skipper Justin Knight (4-39 from nine overs), and teammates Josh Trindall (3-40 from 8.2 overs), Nathan Hamblin (2-35 from nine overs) and Clay Hoffman (1-26 from six overs) took their side’s wickets.

The Razorbacks’ top six was outscored by Civeo’s by 139 on the day as Toby Reynolds (5), Knight (7), Trindall (7), Daniel Hamilton (2), Chris Smith (0) and Hadley Sevil (7) all failed to reach double digits.

Knight was dismissed in the Jock Small-bowled second over, starting a collapse which saw the score become 5-27 after six overs.

The four batsmen from seven to 10 were Tim Cameron (15), Hoffman (15), Hamblin (12) and Jay Hall (30*), who combined for 67 runs to take their side past 100 runs.

However, when Harry Pattison (0) was bowled by Smart in the 34th over of the chase, the innings came to an end and the Razorbacks fell 85 runs short of the required total.

Civeo’s Sargent (2-22 from nine overs), Mowle (2-22 from eight overs) and Small (2-24 from five overs) all took two wickets each, while teammates Smart (1-12 from 3.5 overs) and Jade Lees (1-24 from nine overs) claimed one each. There were also two runouts in that innings which were thrown by Cameron and Lees.

Smart received the three NDCA best and fairest points for his standout performance, while Cameron picked up two and Hall earned one.

This Saturday in round nine, Civeo and RSL will go head-to-head at Hogan Oval in a battle for first place. Tatts and the Razorbacks will meet at Collins Park in the other match.