New champions will be crowned when Narrabri District Cricket Association’s 2023/24 season Coates Hire Namoi Super Slog T20 competition decider is contested at Hogan Oval on Saturday night as NKT Excavations and WTC Group go head-to-head.
Neither of those two sides have won the NDCA’s premier T20 competition premiership before and they are both focused on making the fourth edition of the campaign theirs.
This season is WTC Group’s third after they joined the competition in 2020/21. They reached the grand final in that season but went down against the Priag Patriots, who then went on to beat inaugural champs Specialised Civil Services in the 2022/23 final to claim back-to-back crowns.
However, Priag opted not to re-enter a team in the 2023/24 campaign and were replaced by NKT Excavations, who have been intent on making their debut season a winning one from the get-go.
The two finalists have been the two form teams of the competition, but both are going into Saturday’s game coming off a loss.
WTC Group placed first on the four-team ladder with 36 points following five wins and just one loss. That loss came during the sixth and final round last Saturday when they went down to NKT Excavations by two wickets.
NKT Excavations played a second match that day and lost by 21 runs under lights against J and D Weed Management to finish second with 30 points following a total of four wins and two losses across the six rounds.
J and D Weed Management placed third with 18 points following two wins and four losses, and Specialised Civil Services finished fourth with 12 points after one win and five losses.
It was WTC Group who won the first battle between the two grand finalists when they met in round three back in December. NKT Excavations batted first and were bowled out for 103 in 19.3 overs, and WTC won comfortably by six wickets as they ended the 16th over of the second innings on 4-104.
When they met again last Saturday, WTC Group batted first and reached 6-96 in 20 overs, and NKT Excavations passed the required total in 18 overs with just two wickets in hand.
With players like NKT Excavations captain Cooper Brayshaw, the WTC Group captain and the competition’s top wicket-taker Nathan Trindall, the competition’s top run-scorer Matt Conroy, and others like Cody Kember, Dylan Smith, Jake Brayshaw and Will Ford to line up in the final, the game is expected to be a top-quality one.
The two skippers told The Courier during the week that they were proud of the way their teams had gelled and performed during the campaign and added that they were pumped to get the chance to compete for the title on Saturday night.
WTC Group captain Nathan Trindall was especially delighted that he and his men were able to claim top spot on the regular season ladder.
“It was very good to finish first and be five from six,” Trindall said.
“But at the end of the day, we’re one from two against NKT. We’ve both got a win when we’ve played each other, but hopefully we can get another one against them when it matters.
“All of our boys have been putting in a lot of work this season. It’s been really good.
“A good thing about the Super Slog is that you get to play with people you don’t normally get to play with.
“Our team has been great. They’ve never complained and everyone has really gotten along. That has made it really easy to captain the side, and I think their enthusiasm makes the job really enjoyable. They’ve been really good and made my job a lot easier throughout the season.
“Grand finals are always good to play in. It’s just good to get there for a start.
“I think it’ll mean a lot to Will (Childs) and WTC Group because he hasn’t won one yet. We’re going to try and win it for him and make sure he gets to enjoy that winning spirit.
“(NKT Excavations) are a strong side, and they’re the sort of side that will make us pay if we don’t take chances early, but I believe that we have what it takes. Cricket is a funny game, so it’s going to come down to whoever takes their chances on the night.”
NKT Excavations captain Cooper Brayshaw knows a thing or two about Super Slog grand finals, having been in all of the past three. He was part of the losing Carla Baxter Real Estate team during the inaugural campaign before winning two premierships as a Priag Patriot, the most recent of which he captained.
The entertaining all-rounder told The Courier that he was excited to be back in the big dance with the comp’s newest franchise and alongside a great bunch of teammates.
“We started off very good and then in the middle of the season there we probably weren’t as good as we could be. But the scary thing is everyone is starting to gel together now and there’s chemistry there,” he said.
“I thought we had a pretty good campaign and it’s been really good to captain the side.
“All of our guys are really nice blokes. I can’t thank them enough for how they’ve handled themselves. They’ve understood why decisions have been made and we have all enjoyed each other’s’ company.
“It’s going to be a big game come 7pm on Saturday night.
“I think WTC’s biggest strength is their bowling. They’ve bowled a few teams out for not much. But I think that if we can get them on the back foot straight away and put pressure on their bowlers, than we definitely can win it.”
The match is a special one for the two captains who are great mates and have won the past two NDCA Coates Hire Namoi Super Slog T20 premierships as Priag Patriots teammates.
They have played on the same teams across numerous sports for as long as they can remember, and they both said it would be a special occasion to line up opposite one another as captains in the big dance.
“We always seem to be on the same team no matter what sport we play,” Trindall said of he and Brayshaw.
“We don’t usually come up against each other whether it’s a final or not. It’s going to make it a good contest and there will be bragging rights there for a while.”
“It’s not every day that you get to go up against one of your best mates in the grand final,” Brayshaw added.
“It’s something to be excited about. I think it’ll be the first time I’ve ever faced him in a grand final.
“There’s lots of respect there between me and him.”
Brayshaw and Trindall both said they would prefer to bat first in the decider and get runs on the board, however, they both backed their sides to get the job done if they bowled first, especially after the chasing side won in both of their previous encounters.
Both franchises have full squads to choose from with everyone from NKT Excavations and WTC Group available for Saturday night’s decider at Hogan Oval, meaning both sides will have to omit three players for the match.
Kicking off proceedings on Saturday will be the NDCA’s second grade T20 final between RSL and the defending champions Tatts from 3.30pm.
There will be a crowd catch prize money on offer in both games, and Greg ‘The Hat’ Henry will be on the decks providing live entertainment for the main game.
Chef B Woodfired Pizza will be at the ground cooking pizza and there will also be a sponsors’ marquee set up with cold beverages.
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