Duncan demolition guides the Priag Patrots to first win of the season

Narrabri District Cricket Association’s Coates Hire Namoi Super Slog T20 competition defending champs Priag Patriots got their premiership defence back on track on Friday night with a comfortable win against Specialised Civil Services at Collins Park.

Six days after suffering a round one loss against WTC Group, the Patriots scored an eight-wicket victory to join the other three Super Slog teams on eight competition points going into the Christmas and New Year break.

The other second-round match saw J and D Weed Management beat WTC Group in a super over at Hogan Oval, meaning all four teams have now won a game and lost a game across the first two rounds.

Hamish Duncan justified exactly why he was the most expensive player in this season’s NDCA Coates Hire Namoi Super Slog T20 competition auction at Collins Park in round two on Friday as he ripped through the Specialised Civil Services top and middle order, finishing the night with 5-7 from three overs to help guide the Priag Patriots to their maiden 2022/23 campaign win.

Specialised Civil Services batted first after winning the toss and the side reached 76 before losing its final wicket in the 18th over.

Priag Patriots then chased downed the required total in just 15.1 overs to secure an eight-wicket victory.

The Patriots were on the front foot early in the contest when captain Cooper Brayshaw caught Hadley Sevil (0) in the Joel Hogan-bowled second over to make the score 1-3.

That became 2-15 after three overs when Nathan Trindall sent the ball crashing into Lachlan Woolford’s stumps to dismiss Specialised Civil Services’ skipper for nine runs.

Duncan replaced Trindall at the swimming pool end in the seventh over and he made an immediate impact when he produced a sensational one-handed catch to remove Jordan Doolan (6).

He was then on a hat-trick after he found the edge of Zac Doring’s bat and the ball flew into the gloves of wicketkeeper Josh Trindall, and the batsman departed for a golden duck.

Chris Smith survived the hat-trick ball, and Duncan finished that over with a double wicket-maiden to make the score 4-27 after seven overs.

He made that 6-40 after nine when he took two more wickets during his second over. He bowled Karl Hatfield (7) and then knocked over Jye Manton for a third-ball duck with the assist of a Cooper Brayshaw catch.

It was in the 11th over that Duncan completed a memorable five-wicket haul, which was his first in nine years, when he bowled Specialised Civil Services big-hitter Smith for a team-high score of 17.

Guy Gleeson was the next highest scorer in the first innings with an unbeaten 12, but he lost three more partners as Cooper Brayshaw and Luke Baker managed to rip through the Specialised Civil Services tail end and the batting side fell for just 76 runs in 17.4 overs.

Brayshaw bowled Jay Hall (3) in the 13th over and then caught Eben Botha (10) in the Baker-bowled 18th over.

Baker claimed his second wicket when he bowled Waldo Botha for a second ball duck to bring the innings to a close and to finish with 2-5 from 1.4 overs.

Alongside the player-of-the-match Duncan and Baker, Priag Patriots’ other wickets were taken by Trindall (1-10 from three overs), Brayshaw (1-13 from three overs) and Hogan (1-14 from three overs).

The Patriots’ innings got underway with a bang when Jakeb Nipperess dispatched a Jye Manton short ball for six from the first delivery.

Nipperess and his opening partner Jake Brayshaw combined for a 53-run first-wicket partnership before Nipperess (19) was caught by Waldo Botha in the Smith-bowled ninth over.

Brayshaw eventually reached a game-high 35 runs before he became Smith’s second scalp in the 11th over as he was caught by Doring.

That was the final wicket to fall in the match as Cooper Brayshaw (7*) and Duncan (3*) guided their side to an eight-wicket win in 15.1 overs.

The third round of the competition will be played on Friday, January 6, when the round two winners J and D Weed Management and Priag Patriots go head-to-head at Collins Park, and the round two losers WTC Group and Specialised Civil Services face off at Hogan Oval.