Defending champs bounce back from round one loss with a win at Cooma Oval

Narrabri District Cricket Association’s second grade defending champs RSL returned to winning ways on Saturday when they took down SignPrintStitch Colts by six wickets in their round two match.

The game was initially scheduled to be contested at Hogan Oval but was moved to a synthetic pitch at Cooma Oval after the three town fields were washed out following last week’s rain.

The Colts batted first after being sent in by RSL skipper Justin Saunders and they saw out the 20 overs to finish on 9-68. The defending champs then chased down the required total in 13.5 overs, having lost just four wickets, to put an opening-round loss against Tourist Hotel behind them by scoring their first win of the 2024/25 season.

The loss was the Colts’ first following a round one victory against Tatts, and they finished the day locked on eight points alongside RSL.

Tourist Hotel are ranked first on 14 points following their second win of the campaign on Saturday when they downed Tatts by 70 runs, a result that left Tatts winless on two points.

George Barton and Matt Tubner opened the batting for the Colts against RSL in the round two clash and their partnership reached eight runs when Tubner struck a four in the Max Hunter-bowled second over. Hunter recovered well, and with the final delivery of the over, took the first wicket of the match to dismiss Tubner (5) with the assistance of a Tyson Gilmore catch.

Hunter bowled the first maiden of the game in the fourth over before his opening bowling partner Rowan Keeler produced a wicket-maiden in the fifth when he bowled Gus Ford for a duck to make the score 2-11.

That became 3-23 in the ninth over when Bailey Keeler took the wicket of Barton (7) just five deliveries after being introduced into the attack, and it was a Hunter catch that sent the opener on his way.

Saunders and Keeler combined for three straight maidens as the Colts found themselves struggling at 3-23 after 12 overs, and they had scored just six more before Tom Webster (3) was trapped in front LBW by Keeler in the 15th over as the score became 4-29.

That wicket brought Mick Dowdell to the crease and he led by example as he scored a team-best 22 runs to guide the side past 50, but not before Lachlan Baker (8) was caught by Beau Tomlinson in the Lucas Duff-bowled 18th over, which made the score 5-46.

Saunders bowled his fourth and final over in the 19th of the innings and he conceded 12 runs from three balls to Dowdell, but he dismissed his former teammate with the fourth as the Colts batsman was caught by Rowan Keeler.

Gareth Lamond (3) was then run out at the end of that over as the Colts found themselves on 7-61 with six deliveries remaining, and RSL took two more wickets in the final over as Tomlinson trapped Fletcher Whan (2) in front LBW and Jobe Ford (0) was run out.

RSL were unable to take the 10th wicket though as the Colts finished with 9-68.

The six RSL men who bowled in that innings all took at least one wicket. Bailey Keeler produced game-best figures of 2-6 from four overs and he also chipped in with a runout, openers Rowan Keeler (1-10 from four overs) and Hunter (1-7 from four overs plus a run out) were also both outstanding economically, and their teammates Duff (1-16 from three overs), Saunders (1-22 from four overs) and Tomlinson (1-5 from one over) all took a wicket each.

Rowan Keeler and Kyle McIlrick opened the batting for RSL in the second innings and they put on a 38-run first-wicket partnership, which was broken in the seventh over when Keeler (27) was bowled by Steve Ford from the final delivery of the Colts opener’s four-over spell. The RSL batsman smashed a six and three fours on his way to the game-best score.

Whan took the ball for the eighth over and with his second delivery of the day knocked over McIlrick (4), who was stumped by Barton as RSL found themselves on 2-38.

Whan struck again in the 10th over when he trapped Gilmore (2) in front LBW during a wicket-maiden to make the score 3-50 and give his team a fighting chance.

However, RSL went on to get the job done comfortably. Duff impressed in his second match for RSL as he struck three fours on his way to 19 runs before he was bowled during a Mick Dowdell wicket-maiden in the 14th over, which made the score 4-64.

Hunter (5*) and Bailey Keeler (4*) finished it off for the chasing side as the defending champions prevailed by six wickets to earn their first win of the season.

The Colts will get a chance to bounce back from their first loss this Saturday when they challenge Tourist Hotel at Hogan Oval, while RSL look to score a second straight win when they meet Tatts at Leitch Oval.