Wilga Razorbacks the only undefeated side remaining after two rounds of 40-over action

The Wilga Hotel Razorbacks achieved a four-year first on Saturday as they rolled RSL by 64 runs in round two of Narrabri District Cricket Association’s 2024/25 campaign first grade one day competition at Hogan Oval.

After beating Tatts by nine wickets in their season opener a week earlier, the latest win against the competition’s defending champions saw the Wilga men post back-to-back victories for the first time since October 2020 back when they began the 2020/21 season with three consecutive wins.

In fact, that season was the last time the Razorbacks had won more than once in a season after they produced just one victory across the three campaigns before this one.

The club was known as the Western Razorbacks during those years, and their new era is off to a flying start as the Wilga men showed they would be competitive during two hard-fought T20 losses to begin this season before going unbeaten across the first two weeks of the 40-over comp.

They batted first at Hogan Oval on Saturday and elected to do so after their skipper Matt Bradshaw won the toss. That gifted them the opportunity to bat out the 40 overs for the first time this season, and they managed to do so as they finished on 9-191.

That score was just two runs short of the season-high 193 that RSL had set in round one against Tourist Hotel, but the defending champs were not able to get near that on Saturday as the Razorbacks bowled them out for 127 runs in 29.5 overs.

Greg Melton opened the batting with Wilga debutant Ryan Howarth and the duo produced a 69-run first-wicket partnership that was boosted by an abundance of RSL wides.

Howarth (13) eventually departed in the 14th over just three deliveries after play restarted following the first drinks break when he was bowled by Will Ford.

That wicket was the first of a mini collapse as the Razorbacks lost 3-7 as Angus Galagher (1) and Melton (38) departed soon after.

Middle-order batsmen Jack Tate (18), Bradshaw (30), Dylan Smith (26) and Zack Doring (28) then guided their side to a defendable total as they produced some impressive batting during the second half of the innings.

RSL skipper Jarrett Tough (2-34 from eight overs) and Ford (2-36 from eight overs and a run out) were their side’s best with the ball, and their openers Nathan Trindall (2-41 from eight overs) and Cooper Brayshaw (1-30 from seven overs) both ended their second spells with wicket-maidens and they combined for three scalps in total. Bailey Keeler also took a wicket and finished with 1-12 from his two overs.

The Razorbacks threw Smith the ball for the opening over and it took him just five deliveries to get his side on the front foot as he bowled Ford for a duck. He then took two wickets in the third over when he removed Ford’s opening partner Jordan Doolan (2), who was caught by Bradshaw, before bowling Bailey Keeler for a duck to make the score 3-7.

Melton was also bowling well at the other end and was rewarded with a wicket in the eighth over when he trapped Shane Murphy (7) in front LBW as the score became 4-27, before Smith took his fourth in the ninth over as he bowled Max Hunter (9) to make it 5-31.

Brayshaw anchored the remainder of the innings but ran out of partners and eventually finished unbeaten on 36.

Rowan Keeler (19) and Jason Trindall (12) helped Brayshaw guide RSL to triple digits, but the chasing side fell 65 runs short of victory when Trindall was bowled by Tate in the 30th over.

Smith was awarded the three NDCA best and fairest points after finishing with 5-27 from his eight overs.

Melton (2-30 from eight overs), Tate (2-18 from five overs) and Doring (1-36 from seven overs) combined for their side’s other five wickets, and Melton was awarded two best and fairest points for his solid efforts with both ball and bat.

Brayshaw earned one point after top-scoring for RSL.

The Razorbacks will be determined to stretch their winning streak to three matches this Saturday when they take on fellow round two winners Tourist Hotel at Hogan Oval in another day/nighter.

RSL will look to bounce back from their first loss of the season as they challenge Tatts at Collins Park.