Tourist Hotel sets up top-of-the-table clash with dominant seven-wicket victory

Tourist Hotel Cricket Club produced their most dominant performance of the 2023/24 season on Saturday when they downed Tatts by seven wickets at Leitch Oval in the third round of Narrabri District Cricket Association’s first grade one day campaign.

It was a Matt Conroy-inspired win as the talented all-rounder produced a man-of-the-match effort in the first innings as he ripped through the Tatts batting lineup to finish with 6-23 from 7.2 overs and help restrict them to 137 runs in 33.2 overs. In reply, Tourist Hotel cruised to the required total in the 24th over of their chase having lost just three wickets to remain a win behind ladder leaders RSL in second place.

RSL won their round three match against Western Razorbacks by 251 runs to remain undefeated and move to 21 points. Tourist Hotel are six behind them on 15 as they now sit a win clear of Tatts (nine points) and two wins clear of the Razorbacks (three points).

Tourist Hotel captain Luke Meppem told The Courier that his side played quite well on Saturday and were now starting to find their feet with back-to-back victories following an opening-round loss against RSL.

“It was a good team effort,” Meppem said.

“It was great to chase 138 in less than 24 overs and for everyone to get a start.

“We dropped a couple of catches, but (Matt) Conroy bowled really well after his first couple of overs were a bit scratchy.

“It was a good clinical performance all round.”

Meppem said he thought that his side was beginning to find form as the one-month mark approaches this weekend, and said that he and his side were relishing another chance to have a crack at RSL.

“We’re starting to put it together a bit better now,” Meppem said.

“The first game was a bit scratchy. I think everyone was just a bit slow out of the blocks.

“Our top order is really firing, and we just need the middle to fire now and we’ll be right.

“Hopefully we get a few blokes back for this weekend, but we have a big out with Conroy away on holidays. He’s a huge loss with the way he has been bowling.

“But I think we just need runs from our middle order. If we do that, we’ll be competitive against them.”

Tatts started Saturday’s round three match at Leitch Oval positively as skipper Jakeb Nipperess opened the batting alongside Craig Gleeson after winning the toss, and the duo put on a 35-run partnership to get the ball rolling. However, it came to an end in the eighth over when Hamish Duncan made the breakthrough for Tourist as Nipperess (5) was caught behind by Lachlan Woolford.

That made the score 1-35, which had become 4-55 by the 15-over drinks break after one of Tourist Hotel’s new recruits ripped through the rest of the Tatts side’s top order. That was Adam Gordon, who continued his brilliant start at the club with his sixth, seventh and eighth wickets of the campaign as he knocked over Gleeson (21) in the 11th over with the assistance of a Conroy catch, bowled Sid Harvey (4) in the 13th, and then trapped Josh Campbell (4) in front during the 15th.

Gordon eventually finished the match with impressive figures of 3-17 from seven overs.

Conroy then did the remainder of the damage for Tourist as he took the final six wickets of the innings.

Tom Craig was Tatts’ best with the bat as he finished with 27 runs before being bowled by Conroy in the 32nd over. Craig had entered at number four and lost five partners earlier in the innings, with none of his teammates able to stick around long enough to help create the dominant partnership that the side desperately needed.

Travis Tilse (17) and Karl Hatfield (15) did provide some resistance in the middle order, and then Bill Wood scored an unbeaten 11 before Conroy finished the innings on a hat-trick when he removed Jonty Schwager and Jake Cooper for ducks in the 34th over.

Tatts needed an early wicket when the sides returned to the field after the innings break, and they managed to get one through Harvey in the seventh over when Duncan (13) was caught by Nipperess to make the score 1-27.

However, that left fellow opener Nick Tomlinson at the crease with Woolford, and the duo combined for a solid 68-run partnership that put the chasing side in the box seat. That duo eventually departed in quick succession as Tomlinson (39) was caught by Harvey in the Hatfield-bowled 18th over and then Woolford (38) was trapped in front by Campbell in the 19th.

That made the score 3-100, but Tatts were unable to claim another wicket as Chris Smith (24*) and Meppem (10*) remained unbeaten after they guided the chasing side to a dominant seven-wicket win.

Conroy finished the round as the competition’s leading wicket-taker with 12 scalps in three matches, and he picked up the three NDCA best and fairest points for his dominant display in the big win.

His teammate Woolford claimed two points and the one went to Craig for his resilient effort with the bat for Tatts.

Nipperess’ men will now be hoping to overcome back-to-back losses and return to winning ways this Saturday when they challenge the Razorbacks at Collins Park in round four, while Tourist Hotel are looking to make it three on the trot when they meet RSL at Leitch Oval.