Pink Slugs demolish Gwydir to begin the 2023/24 MA Connolly Cup campaign on the front foot

Narrabri District Cricket Association’s first XI have kicked off the 2023/24 MA Connolly Cup season in stunning style with one of their most dominant victories ever as they took down Gwydir by 287 runs at Leitch Oval on Sunday.

Narrabri welcomed the defending champions to town for the opening round of the campaign, and the Pink Slugs’ skipper Matt Conroy elected to bat first after winning the toss. His side piled on 6-302 in 50 overs before ripping apart Gwydir for just 15 runs in 11.3 overs to start the new campaign on the front foot.

Young gun Bernard O’Connor produced a classy man-of-the-match performance for the NDCA outfit as he celebrated his maiden senior representative century before he was eventually dismissed for 114. It was a sensational performance by the 17-year-old that his Pink Slugs teammates described as a “batting masterclass” and a “great display”.

Hamish Duncan and Greg Melton also starred with the bat for the Pink Slugs with half-centuries as both men scored 54 runs each, and opening bowlers Dylan Smith (5-5 off 5.3 overs) and Cooper Brayshaw (5-10 off six overs) completely dominated with the ball.

It was not all one-way traffic early on for the NDCA XI as the Gwydir men came out firing and took two early wickets. The visitors’ opening bowler Carter McIlveen knocked over Nick Tomlinson (4) and Brayshaw (0) to make the score 2-15 after seven overs.

That left O’Connor and Duncan at the crease, and they combined for a remarkable 135-run partnership that got the Pink Slugs back on track and was the catalyst for a large total for the home side.

After Duncan was trapped in front for 54, he was replaced by Melton, who also scored 54 before departing following a 98-run partnership with O’Connor. That made the score 4-248, which became 5-250 soon after as O’Connor departed for a match-best score of 114 after he was stumped by Gwydir wicketkeeper and captain Tom Groth.

Middle-order trio Matt Bradshaw (12), Adam Gordon (12*) and Jakeb Nipperess (23*) all chipped in late to combine for 47 runs, which, when added with a few sundries, helped the hosts finish on 6-302 after the final delivery had been bowled.

After being one of the NDCA first XI’s best with the bat in recent years, all-rounder Cooper Brayshaw was looking to make amends with the ball after missing out in the first innings as he departed for a duck. He certainly managed to do that as he produced a dominant double-wicket maiden in the opening over to remove Andrew Weber for a golden duck and then his replacement Luke Smith for a second-ball duck.

Brayshaw continued his dominance during his second over as he bowled Gwydir’s other opener Dylan Butler for a duck to make the score 3-3, and at the other end, Smith continued the pressure with a maiden in the fourth over to ensure the score remained that way.

Brayshaw’s brilliance continued in the fifth over when he claimed his fourth and fifth scalps during his second double-wicket maiden of the match to remove Stephen Pleffer and McIlveen for ducks to make the score 5-3. Those wickets left Groth and Jelany Chilia in the middle for Gwydir, and they managed to survive the next two overs before Smith bowled Chilia (0) in the eighth over and then bowled Tony Chilia for a second ball duck to make the score 7-9.

Groth attempted to provide some resistance and managed to score five runs in the Brayshaw-bowled ninth over to move to 14 of the Gwydir side’s 15 runs. However, he departed one ball into the following over as Bradshaw held onto the catch at Gully, and Smith went on to bowl another maiden over to make the score 8-15 after 12 overs.

Brayshaw’s sixth over then saw him produce his fourth maiden of the match before Smith wrapped up the match just three balls into his sixth over as he took the final two wickets to help Narrabri knock over Gwydir for just 15.

Only Groth (14) and Butler (1) scored runs for the visitors, with eight of their teammates dismissed for ducks as the NDCA Pink Slugs produced a ruthless bowling and fielding performance, during which they did not concede any sundries.

The Narrabri men have now turned their attention to their second-round contest against Moree, which will be played away from home next month on Sunday, November 5. That will be Moree’s first game of the season after they sat out with the bye in round one.