RSL starts off with a win against Tourist Hotel in the grand final rematch

An entertaining first grade grand final rematch kick-started Narrabri District Cricket Association’s 2023/24 season in style at Collins Park on Saturday as defending champions Narrabri RSL Cricket Club defeated Tourist Hotel Cricket Club by 33 runs to begin both their minor and major premiership defences in positive fashion.

The 10-man RSL team batted first after their stand-in skipper Nathan Trindall won the toss in the absence of Jarrett Tough, and the side scored 117 runs before losing their ninth and final wicket from the first ball of the 37th over.

Tourist Hotel could only manage 84 runs in reply before RSL claimed the match-winning wicket the ball before the 30-over drinks break.

The 2022/23 season’s player of the grand final and overall bowling average winner Cooper Brayshaw started right where he left off with another best-on-ground performance in the season opener at Collins Park.

He top-scored with a match-high 38 runs during the first innings, which included the first six of the season as well as four boundaries, and he backed that up in the game’s second innings with a match-best 5-15 from seven overs, which included the big wickets of both of Tourist Hotel’s opening batsmen as well as a pair of wicket maidens.

RSL slowly eased into the season as openers Zaac Brayshaw and Shane Murphy put on 24 runs during the first 10 overs. However, both of them were dismissed during the 11th as Tourist Hotel’s opening bowler Dylan Segundo bowled Brayshaw (3) and then knocked over Murphy (14), who was caught by Matt Conroy.

That left Cooper Brayshaw at the crease with Will Ford, and together they guided RSL to 64 runs before Ford (10) was caught by Conroy in the Adam Gordon-bowled 20th over.

Cody Kember (8) joined Brayshaw at the crease and helped RSL along to 84 runs before he became the first of three Matt Conroy victims during a devastating collapse that saw the defending champions lose 5-5 to go from 3-84 to 8-89.

After Kember had departed from the penultimate delivery of the 25th over, Conroy sent Rowan Keeler packing for a golden duck after the new man in was stumped by Lachlan Woolford.

Tourist Hotel then finally dismissed Brayshaw (38) in the 26th when he was bowled by Gordon, and then Conroy knocked over Trindall (0) in the 27th over, one ball after missing out on his hat-trick, as Luke Meppem held onto the catch.

RSL’s struggling innings went from bad to worse in the 29th over when Beau Tomlinson (2) was run out by Harry Pattison, leaving veterans Jason Trindall and Rod Tomlinson at the crease together for the final wicket stand. They took their side into drinks and then batted more than six overs after the break until Tomlinson (7) was caught by Gordon from the first ball of the Meppem-bowled 37th over.

The Tourist Hotel Cricket Club first grade side that lined up against RSL at Collins Park on Saturday – back, Luke Meppem, Harry Pattison, Matt Conroy, Matt Wall, Jason Paull, Brady Jenkins, front, Nick Tomlinson, Hamsih Duncan, Dylan Segundo, Lachlan Woolford and Adam Gordon. Photo: Supplied

Trindall remained unbeaten with a valuable 18 runs that helped guide RSL to a defendable 117.

Conroy (3-27 from nine overs) was Tourist Hotel’s best with the ball, while Segundo (2-21 from nine overs) and Gordon (2-37 from nine overs) snagged two each and Meppem (1-0 from 0.1 overs) finished with one.

Tourist’s run-chase looked in total control during the contest’s second innings as openers Hamish Duncan and Nick Tomlinson had guided the team to 0-35 after 11 overs. However, Cooper Brayshaw knocked them both over before drinks as Tomlinson (11) was caught by Ford in the 12th over, and then Duncan (23) was caught by Murphy in the 14th.

A Kember maiden in the 15th over saw Tourist Hotel go into drinks at 2-43, and they managed seven more runs after the break before Kember bowled Woolford (4) to make the score 3-50 in the 17th.

That started the second significant collapse of the game as Tourist Hotel lost 4-2, with Kember and Brayshaw combining to dismiss Meppem (1), Conroy (0) and Gordon (2) cheaply as the score became 6-52 in the 21st over.

Segundo and Matt Wall then dug in to tick the score over to 70, but Wall (6) eventually departed in the 26th over when he was bowled by Ford.

Tourist Hotel went into the 30th over at 7-82 and needed to survive just six more balls to get themselves into drinks, regroup, and come out in search of the victory.

However, Cooper Brayshaw took the ball for that over, and his brother Zaac chipped in with an assist as he caught Segundo (16) from the first ball before the quick bowled Brady Jenkins (2) with the fifth.

The final delivery before drinks saw Murphy run out Jason Paull (1) to bring the match to its finish as RSL claimed a 33-run victory.

Brayshaw finished that innings with a game-best 5-15 from seven overs, while Kember starred with 3-19 from nine overs and Ford finished up with 1-25 from eight overs.

The defending champions have now turned their attention to fellow round one winners Tatts Cricket Club, who they will face this Saturday in round two at Leitch Oval.

Tourist Hotel will go in search of their first win of the campaign on Saturday when they return to Collins Park to face the Western Razorbacks, who were also defeated in round one.