Civeo wins top-of-the-table battle at Hogan Oval

Saturday’s 2020-21 Narrabri District Cricket Association first grade one day top-of-the-table round nine clash was won by Civeo, which downed RSL by 59 runs.

The two sides entered the last game of the calendar year locked on 41 points on top of the ladder, which meant the winner would move into outright first position heading into the Christmas/new year break.

Civeo skipper Lachlan Cameron elected to bat after winning the toss and his side made 177 runs before losing its final wicket from the last ball of the innings. It then knocked over RSL for 118 in 42 overs to secure its sixth consecutive victory.

The win saw Civeo finish the ninth round on 48 points, a win clear of second-placed RSL (42 points), three wins clear of the Western Razorbacks (30 points) and four wins clear of defending champions Tatts (24 points).

A 92-run opening wicket partnership between Nick Smart and Nick Tomlinson was the catalyst for Civeo’s dominant victory. The two openers took Civeo into the 15-over drinks break at 0-63, and their partnership lasted more than 21 overs in total. It was finally broken in the Jake Brayshaw-bowled 22nd over when the RSL spinner took a catch from his own bowling to dismiss Smart (47).

Riley Jenkins (2) departed in the 30th over which made the score 2-116 at the last drinks break, then Tomlinson was finally dismissed in the 34th over for a game-best 58 which made the score 3-131. Jenkins and Tomlinson were both knocked over by RSL leg spinner Matt Tubner.

Civeo lost its final seven wickets while adding just 46 runs to its total.

Cameron (12), Jake Thurston (11) and Chris Sargent (13) completed the list of five Civeo players to post double digit scores.

The final four wickets of the Civeo innings fell in a thrilling final over which was bowled by Nathan Trindall.

Trindall took two of those wickets, while the other two were runouts which were both thrown by RSL wicketkeeper Craig Summers.

Tubner (3-35 from eight overs) was RSL’s best with the ball, Brayshaw (2-31 from eight overs) and Trindall (2-38 from eight overs) took two each and Will Ford (1-13 from six overs) claimed one.

RSL’s chase suffered an early setback when opener Hamish Duncan (2) departed in the fifth over, then by the 10th the score was 4-25.

Duncan was bowled by Smart, then the following over RSL skipper Jarrett Tough (3) was caught at first slip by Sargent from the bowling of Sam Bullen.

That made the score 2-14, which became 3-22 in the seventh over when Cody Kember (7) was caught on the boundary by Mitch Clifton to become Smart’s second victim.

Jade Lees then got in on the action in the 10th over, dismissing Cooper Brayshaw (0) who was caught at first slip by Sargent.

Those wickets left Zaac Brayshaw at the crease with Mick Dowdell and the pair combined for RSL’s biggest partnership of the match. Their 37-run stand saw the chasing side reach 4-62 after 26 overs.

However, Civeo’s Sargent then took over the game, taking the next five wickets to leave RSL reeling at 9-105. He dismissed Dowdell (13), and Jake Brayshaw (0) in the 27th over, Will Ford (5) in the 33rd, and Trindall in the 35th, before taking the big wicket of Zaac Brayshaw in the 37th over. The competition’s leading runscorer departed for a team-best 43 which took his season tally to 245 in eight games.

Summers (8*) and Tubner (3) provided some resistance late in the innings before Tubner was bowled by Bullen in the 42nd over which brought the game to a close.

Three spinners in that game – Lees, Tubner and Brayshaw – finished the round as the competition’s leading wicket takers with 14 apiece. Sargent’s five-wicket haul saw him finish one behind that trio on 13 alongside Tatts’ Brock Schwager.

In the other round nine match, Tatts beat the Western Razorbacks by 48 runs at Collins Park.

The next round of the NDCA one day first grade competition will be contested on Saturday, January 16, 2021. RSL will take on the Western Razorbacks at Leitch Oval, while Civeo and Tatts meet at Hogan Oval.