Tourist Hotel first XI keep their minor premiership hopes alive with a win against the Razorbacks

One of the lowest-scoring games of Narrabri District Cricket Association’s 2023/24 first grade one day season was contested at Collins Park on Saturday as Tourist Hotel downed the Western Razorbacks by 17 runs in the eighth round of the campaign.

The Razorbacks looked set to earn their first win and keep their finals hopes alive after they bowled Tourist Hotel out for just 83 runs in 30.4 overs. However, they fell 18 runs short of victory as the Tourist men knocked them over for 66 runs in 28.2 overs.

That loss saw the Wee Waa-based side finish round eight more than four wins behind second and third-placed duo Tatts and Tourist Hotel on 10 points. Even if the Razorbacks win all four of their games when the one day comp resumes in February next year after the mid-season break, and either Tatts or Tourist lose all of theirs, the Wee Waa men would still finish one point behind.

Tatts and Tourist are locked on 35 points and both sides still have a chance to win the minor premiership.

At the top of the table after round eight sitting two wins clear on 47 points are RSL following their three-wicket victory against Tatts at Leitch Oval. Tatts batted first after winning the toss and they made 142 runs in 37.1 overs before RSL reached the required total in 34 overs, having lost seven wickets.

At Collins Park, the Razorbacks got on the front foot early as they claimed a huge scalp when Matt Bradshaw bowled Tourist Hotel’s leading run-scorer in the 2023/24 campaign, Nick Tomlinson, for just six runs to make the score 1-18 after four overs.

That became 2-27 in the eighth over when Razorbacks skipper Dylan Smith replaced Bradshaw and took a wicket with his second ball of the game as he dismissed Tourist’s other opener Hamish Duncan (9), who was caught behind by Angus Galagher.

Jay Hall lined up for his first game of the season and made an early impact when he took a wicket with his fifth ball after he had come on to replace Greg Melton in the 13th over. He claimed the big wicket of Matt Conroy (6) with the assistance of a Bradshaw catch, and he took a catch during the next over as Smith dismissed Lachlan Woolford (7) during a wicket-maiden.

That made the score 4-43, which had become 6-51 at the completion of 20 overs after Hall had dismissed Mark Page (2) in the 17th over as Josh Schwager held onto the catch before Smith bowled Chris Smith (5) in the 20th.

Smith bowled his ninth and final over in the 24th of the innings and he delivered another wicket-maiden as he bowled Jason Paull (3) to finish with remarkable figures of 4-15 from nine overs.

The score was 7-57 at that stage and it became 8-57 during the following over when Schwager bowled Danny Laws (1).

Not one of Tourist Hotel’s top eight batsmen were able to reach double figures, however, their skipper Luke Meppem (10) and fellow tail-ender Dylan Segundo (11) made handy contributions late and combined for a 17-run partnership that went a long way towards winning their side the contest. They were both caught late in the innings though as Harry Pattison was left unbeaten on zero runs when the innings reached its conclusion.

Smith (4-15 from nine overs) was the Western Razorbacks’ best with the ball, Hall (2-6 from four overs) and Schwager (2-11 from 6.4 overs) took two each, and Dustyn Allen (1-17 from three overs) and Bradshaw (1-18 from three overs) claimed one each.

Entertaining Tourist Hotel quick Jye Manton lined up in just his second game of the season and he made a positive early impact as he dismissed both Western Razorbacks openers inside the first eight overs to make the score 2-15 as Ben Sevil (5) and Galagher (3) fell cheaply.

The in-form Segundo and Duncan then combined for six wickets to put the Razorbacks on the ropes at 8-50 after 23 overs.

Only Schwager, who scored a game-high 24 runs, and Smith (14) were able to reach double figures for the chasing side. Schwager lost his fourth partner in the 28th over when Kyne Allen (1) was bowled by Page as the score became 9-66, and then Duncan dismissed Schwager with the second delivery of the 29th over to bring the contest to a close. That was his fourth wicket of the game as he finished with match-best figures of 4-9 from 5.2 overs, including a double-wicket-maiden and a wicket maiden.

Segundo ended the game with 3-21 from nine overs, which included a wicket-maiden and another maiden, Manton claimed 2-17 from his nine overs, including a wicket-maiden and two more maidens, and Page chipped in with 1-19 from five overs.

Four of NDCA’s six best and fairest points went to players on the losing side as Schwager was awarded three and Smith picked up one, while the two were awarded to Duncan.

The one day comp now breaks for the T20 campaign, with the NDCA’s Coates Hire Namoi Super Slog season beginning this Friday night at Hogan Oval.

Red ball cricket will make its return on Saturday, February 3, when the Western Razorbacks challenge RSL at Collins Park while Tourist Hotel meet Tatts at Leitch Oval.

The remaining four regular season games will be played in February ahead of the second versus third preliminary final on Saturday, March 2, and the grand final on Saturday, March 9, which will feature the minor premiers and the preliminary final winners.