Tourist Hotel first XI score a crucial win to climb into second place on NDCA’s T20 ladder

Tourist Hotel Cricket Club struck a major blow in the three-horse race to join RSL in the 2024/25 season first grade T20 final when they beat Tatts by 59 runs at Leitch Oval on Saturday night.

Tourist Hotel batted first in the round five contest after their skipper Hamish Duncan won they toss, and they reached triple digits for the first time in the short format campaign as they made 4-141 in 20 overs.

They then bowled Tatts out for 82 runs with two deliveries to spare to score a six-wicket win.

Tourist Hotel had entered the round locked on 13 points with Tatts and the Wilga Hotel Razorbacks, and the win saw them move into outright second on the table after the Razorbacks lost by 15 runs against top-ranked RSL at Hogan Oval.

The Tourist men now have 20 points, 12 behind RSL and six ahead of Tatts and the Razorbacks heading into the sixth and final round.

They will meet the Razorbacks at Collins Park in that game, which will be played on Saturday, February 1, after this weekend’s Australia Day long weekend break.

Tourist Hotel’s club captain and T20 vice-captain Luke Meppem told The Courier that his side’s performance was their best so far this season in all competitions.

“That would have to be the best game we’ve played this season so far,” Meppem said.

“Our batters played really smart this week. Nick Tomlinson did his job by batting the innings and rotating the strike while the likes of Tricky (Josh Trindall) and Chuck (Dylan Segundo) teed off to get us to a good total.

“I think 141 is definitely chaseable on number three, but Josh (Trindall) bowled really well to start us off strong. He bowled a good one day line and length and they couldn’t hit him.

“We actually bowled well all round.

“I can’t say we took our catches but because we didn’t. We put two or three down, but didn’t drop as many as the week before, which was good.”

Tomlinson opened the batting for Tourist Hotel and anchored the side’s innings with an unbeaten 39 runs off 47 deliveries. He only found the boundary twice but batted patiently and maturely as he found the gaps to run between the wickets rather than throw his wicket away.

Tatts did manage an early breakthrough when Rod Kirk knocked over Aaronn Baker for a duck in the first over of the game. Baker was caught by Brodie Heron, who then bowled five wides in the second over but shook that off to bounce back and bowl Duncan (2) in the fourth to make the score 2-9.

Tomlinson then put on a 52-run partnership with Josh Trindall, who scored 27 from 24 deliveries before he was caught by Tatts’ skipper Jakeb Nipperess in the Karl Hatfield-bowled 11th over.

That made the score 2-65 after the Tourist men were 2-57 at the halfway mark, and Segundo then came out and blasted a game-best 47 runs from 34 deliveries, which included three fours and two sixes. He was run out by Heron in the 19th over and was replaced by Ed Pavey, who smashed two fours in the final over to end up unbeaten on eight runs as Tourist made 4-141.

Tatts then had wickets in hand at the halfway point of their innings but they needed to up the run rate as they had only scored 3-48.

Trindall had bowled all four of his overs in one spell and had produced 2-8, and Nipperess was unlucky to be dismissed hit wicket in the Pavey bowled 10th over.

Tatts reached 58 runs before losing their fourth wicket in the 14th over when Connor Duncan removed Chris Hartnett (3) with the assistance of a Trindall catch.

That started a batting collapse, with the chasing side losing 7-24 as Luke Meppem (3-9 from two overs) and Chase Harrington (2-6 from two overs and a runout) ripped through the rest of the middle and lower order.

Harrington’s runout brought the game to an end with two balls to spare as Tourist Hotel won by 59 runs.

Segundo earned the three NDCA best and fairest points, Trindall was awarded two and Nipperess polled one.