Pink Slugs lock in Collins Park as the venue for MA Connolly Cup decider

Narrabri District Cricket Association’s representative side will host Northern Inland Cricket Council’s 2021-22 MA Connolly Cup final against Quirindi at Collins Park on Sunday.

The two Namoi Conference teams were victorious in semi-finals on Sunday against Gwydir Conference opposition.

The Pink Slugs defeated Gwydir at Collins Park to become the first team to advance to the decider. The NDCA men fielded first after Gwydir won the toss, and the hosts knocked over the visitors for just 54 runs in 18.5 overs. The Pink Slugs chased down the required total in 15.2 overs, having lost four wickets, to claim a sensational six-wicket victory.

The Narrabri men were forced to wait for the completion of the other semi-final to find out whether they would host the final or travel to play in it.

If top-ranked Gwydir Conference side Armidale had beaten Quirindi, then Armidale would have hosted the decider. But it was Quirindi which got the job done, much to the delight of the Narrabri men.

Quirindi batted first and made 97 runs before losing its final wicket at the end of the 31st over. It then defended that total as it bowled the Armidale Bushrangers out for 55 in 28.1 overs to join the Pink Slugs in Sunday’s decider.

The NDCA’s representative captain Luke Meppem told The Courier that he was extremely pleased with his side’s semi-final performance and that it had done enough to book a home final.

“Our bowlers set it up well for us with some good early wickets,” he said.

“It was really good to get Luke Smith and Grothy (Gwydir captain Tom Groth) early. They were the two key wickets.

“Those two wickets really set us up to roll through them.

“With the bat, we lost a few wickets but we did the job.

“Small totals are hard to really get your mindset right to go out there and bat properly.

“We were only chasing 55 so it was hard for our batsmen to knuckle down, but we got the job done.

“I also thought our fielding was fantastic. It was good to look around and see so much youth and athleticism in the field, especially with the likes of Cooper (Brayshaw), Sid (Harvey) and Bernard (O’Connor).

“It worked well having them out there patrolling the key areas.

“Sid in particular, he took a great catch on the fence, which most of us older fellas definitely wouldn’t have gotten to. He also took a nice catch at square leg too.”

NDCA quicks Nathan Trindall and Dylan Smith opened the bowling for the Pink Slugs on Sunday and got the hosts off to a flying start.

Smith took 3-17 in seven overs, and Trindall claimed 3-14 in six overs as they put Narrabri on the front foot early.

The score was 6-34 after those two bowlers finished their spells before their replacements continued that momentum as they took the final four wickets as Gwydir could only add 20 more runs to the total.

Chris Sargent finished with 3-12 from 2.5 overs and Will Ford took 1-7 from three overs.

The NDCA side lost four wickets during its chase. However, a victory never looked in doubt for the Pink Slugs as they eventually reached the required total in the 16th over to win by six wickets.

Shane Murphy top-scored for the hosts with 19, while Meppem (12*) and teammate Sid Harvey (6*) both remained unbeaten.

Sunday’s decider will be the third representative final hosted at Collins Park in the past four years after the NDCA first XI won the 2017-18 War Veterans Cup against Inverell in 2018 on February 18, and then won the 2019-20 War Veterans Cup against Tamworth in 2019 on December 15.