Narrabri Touch’s second campaign of the 2022 season got underway on Monday night as round one of the men’s and women’s competitions were played.

It was a welcome return to the field for local touch players, just six-and-a-half weeks after this year’s mixed competition wrapped up in style with an entertaining grand final night at Dangar Park on Friday, June 17.

While that competition saw male and female players play alongside each other, the second competition of the year includes separate men’s and women’s divisions.

Nine teams will contest the men’s competition and eight have signed up for the women’s.

A 16-round regular season will be contested, at the end of which all teams will have played against each other twice. Teams will then be graded and will go straight into the finals.

Games will be played at Hogan Oval and Leitch Oval (otherwise known as Number Two Oval and Number Three Oval), until the October long weekend when daylight saving starts. After that, games will be played at Cooma Oval.

The grand final date has been set for Friday, December 9, and the Narrabri Touch committee is eager for it to be held at Dangar Park after the success of the mixed comp grand finals.

The nine men’s competition teams include Grumley Builders, Lations, Gee Bangers, Ballbusters, Win Or Booze, Wilga Pelicans, DTA Treated Lumberjacks, Cougars and NFC, and the eight women’s competition teams include Hounddogs, SPA Redbacks, Agies Ladies, Specialised Quarries and Concrete, BlueBirds, CBRE, Wilga Westies and Touch ‘n’ Go.

There were three men’s matches contested on Monday in round one.

Gee Bangers edged out Lations 4-2, Grumley Builders scored a 10-2 win over Ballbusters, and Wilga Pelicans beat DTA Treated Lumberjacks 4-1. There was a fourth match scheduled to be played, however, Win Or Booze prevailed by forfeit against Cougars.

There were only three women’s matches scheduled to be played on Monday in round one because only seven teams had entered when the draw was released.

One then joined late, so two teams had a bye in the opening round. However, there will be no byes moving forward and there will be four ladies’ games each week.

On Monday, Agies Ladies outscored Specialised Quarries and Concrete 6-2, and Wilga Westies downed CBRE 4-2. The other match saw Bluebirds forfeit to SPA Redbacks, while both Hounddogs and Touch ‘n’ Go sat out with byes.

The draw for round two is as follows:

6pm: Desk duty – Joan O’Neill; field one – Specialised Quarries and Concrete v Hounddogs (referees – Clayton Pursche and Kristie Toomey); field two – Gee Bangers v Grumley Builders (referees – Matt Roberts and Nathan Dicks); ield three – Lations v Cougars (referees – Jonty Schwager and Brett Allison); field four – Agies Ladies v SPA Redbacks v (referees – Craig Gleeson, Emily Flood).

6.35pm: Desk duty – Linton Grumley; field one – DTA Treated Timber Lumberjacks v NFC (referees – Todd Nichols and Corey Dixon); field two – Wilga Pelicans v Win or Booze (referees – Matt Roberts and Jydon Hill); field three – BlueBirds v CBRE (referees – Jessie Magner and Emily McFetridge); field four – Wilga Westies v Touch ‘n’ Go (referees – Tianne Parker and Cathy Conomos).

Bye – BallBusters.

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