One of the Narrabri District Cricket Association’s two MA Connolly Cup teams was guaranteed to qualify for a semi-final spot in the 2020-21 Northern Inland Cricket Council representative competition, but until late yesterday afternoon, it was unclear which of the two it would be.
In the fifth and final round of the regular season, it was Narrabri Blue which got the job done to finish above its local rivals Narrabri Gold and clinch the second-placed spot on the Namoi Conference ladder.
Narrabri Blue entered the round a win behind Narrabri Gold in third place.
With a 65-run win on the road against Quirindi, the Nick Smart-captained side did all that it could to secure a spot in the semi-finals.
The Chris Sargent-captained Narrabri Gold lost its fifth round away game against Gunnedah by 24 runs, which meant both Narrabri sides finished on 20 points following three wins and two losses each.
But Narrabri Blue (0.8112) boasted a superior net run rate over Narrabri Gold (0.0327) which saw it progress to the finals series.
The NDCA side will now take on first-placed Gwydir Conference team Inverell in a semi-final on Sunday, February 14, in Inverell.
The other semi-final will be contested by first-placed Namoi Conference team Gunnedah and the second-placed Gwydir Conference side Moree in Gunnedah.
On Sunday, Narrabri Blue scored more than 200 runs for a second consecutive game when it totaled 7-229 in its 50 overs. Smart, who guided his side to a round four victory over Narrabri Gold with 134, continued with impressive 2020-21 form with another top score against Quirindi. The opening batsman scored a match-best 83 which included five fours and two sixes.
That knock saw him finish the season as the competition’s leading run-scorer with 271 in three matches at an average of 90.3.
He said that he was enjoying the 2020-21 MA Connolly Cup season.
“I always love playing rep cricket, you can never play with more pride than when you play for your home town,” Smart said.
“You always go out with that little bit extra when playing for Narrabri.
“It’s good when you’re scoring runs too.”
Smart was unluckily caught at slip after the ball hit the back of his bat and lobbed up while he was attempting a sweep, and the Narrabri Blue skipper said that he felt as though he left his second century of the competition out in the middle.
But his Civeo teammates Jordyn Mowle (64), Luke Meppem (21), and Kaleb Mowle (13*) helped get the job done with key contributions with the bat.
With the ball, five of the six bowlers claimed at least one wicket.
Meppem (3-25 from seven overs) and Smart (3-28 from seven overs) grabbed three each, Jason Trindall (2-18 from five overs) bagged two, and openers Nathan Trindall (1-19 from nine overs) and Jordyn Mowle (1-32 from 10 overs) claimed one each.
Smart said that Jason Trindall was the standout bowler in the side’s win.
“Jase just brought a nice fluent rhythm from one end,” he said.
“He got us two key wickets, middle-order batsman, he got a wicket with his third ball then another in his third over.
“He gave nothing away at his end and built scoreboard pressure which then created some loose shots from the other end as well.
“It was great to have his experience out there.”
Narrabri Blue discovered that Narrabri Gold had lost its game midway through the second innings of the match in Quirindi, which Smart said gave his men added motivation.
“We were lucky enough to know that Narrabri Gold had lost the other game midway through the second innings in our game so we knew what we were playing for,” Smart said.
“That gave the boys the motivation to go a little bit harder and give a little bit extra.
“We bowled pretty well, we just leaked a few too many runs, and we fielded pretty well too.
“With the bat it was a good team effort, a lot of guys chipped in, and Jordy’s 64 was extremely important, it turned out to be the difference in the game.”
In Gunnedah, the hosts batted first and made 146 in 34.3 overs before Narrabri Gold was bowled out for 122 in 45.1 overs.
To order photos from this page click here
