Tatts on a roll in NDCA’s second grade T20 competition

Tatts Cricket Club’s second XI has climbed to the top of Narrabri District Cricket Association’s 2022/23 season second grade T20 competition ladder following back-to-back wins to kick off the calendar year in style.

Tatts took on Tourist Hotel at Leitch Oval on Saturday and registered an eight-wicket win after chasing down 92 runs in 16.2 overs.

The Tourist side batted first and made 9-91 in 20 overs, and then Tatts reached the required total in the 17th over having lost just two wickets.

It was a win that saw Tatts become the first team to earn two victories so far this season after all three sides in the competition entered round four level on 15 points following a win, a loss and a bye during the opening half of the season in rounds one to three.

Tatts’ first win of the campaign came in round three on Saturday, January 7, when the season resumed following the Christmas and New Year break.

The side went head-to-head with ladder-leading RSL in that fixture and secured a three-run victory in a final-ball thriller. Tatts batted first in the match that was played at Collins Park and scored 107 runs in 19.5 overs.

Chris Hartnett (41) and skipper Craig Gleeson (25) did the damage with the bat for Tatts, and the duo combined for a 53-run fourth-wicket partnership.

Hartnett opened in that contest and was the anchor of the innings, unable to be dismissed until the 19th over.

For RSL, Karan Van Dhimeer starred with 4-13 from 3.5 overs with the ball, and after a slow start in the chasing innings, Mick Dowdell (45*) and Jordan Doolan (25) gave the defending champions a fighting chance.

RSL was struggling at 4-27 in the seventh over before Dowdell joined Doolan at the crease, and the duo put on a 66-run partnership. It was finally broken in the 19th over when Doolan was caught behind by Travis Tilse from the bowling of Jake Cooper.

RSL went into the final over needing 13 runs to win but could only manage to score nine of those as Tatts held on to prevail by three runs.

Cooper (3-17 from four overs) was Tatts’ best with the ball, and he took that form into Saturday’s round four match against Tourist Hotel.

The Tourist men batted first in the game at Leitch Oval and scored 9-91 in 20 overs. Cooper took a game-best 3-20 from four overs in that innings, while teammates Ben Keys (2-11 from four overs), Jonty Fowler (2-19 from four overs), James Keys (1-11 from two overs) and Darcy Gleeson (1-11 from two overs) combined to claim the other six.

Chris Smith top-scored for Tourist Hotel with 26 runs from number five, and number three batsman Lucas Hogan (13) was his only teammate to reach a double-figure score.

Tatts never looked troubled at any stage of their chase as Hartnett came out firing again. He top-scored with 31 runs and combined for a match-winning 66-run partnership with fellow opener Guy Gleeson (29).

Gleeson was finally dismissed in the 12th over and then Hartnett departed in the 14th, both victims of Tourist Hotel’s captain Kaleb Mowle (2-22 from three overs).

Young guns Fowler (18*) and Darcy Gleeson (7*) then got the job done with a 21-run unbeaten third-wicket partnership to guide their side to an eight-wicket win.

RSL had the round four bye, which meant that it picked up seven points and joined Tatts on 22, six clear of Tourist Hotel (16 points), which had the bye in round three.

The final two rounds of the NDCA’s 2022/23 season second grade T20 comp will be contested this Saturday when RSL plays back-to-back games in a highly-anticipated double header that will determine which two teams play in the grand final.

RSL will take on Tatts at 3.30pm in round five and will then back up to challenge Tourist Hotel from 7pm in round six. Those games are likely to be played at Hogan Oval, but that is yet to be confirmed.

The teams ranked first and second on the ladder at the completion of those two matches will meet in the grand final a week later on Saturday, January 28.