Jake Brayshaw destroys Tourist Hotel to guide RSL first XI to fifth straight one day decider

Narrabri RSL Cricket Club’s first XI secured their spot in Narrabri District Cricket Association’s 2024/25 season one day competition grand final in style on Saturday as they demolished Tourist Hotel by 94 runs at Collins Park.

The preliminary final clash saw RSL return to form as they registered their first triple-digit total since round six in December last year and put two poor performances behind them.

They batted first after skipper Jarrett Tough won the toss and they made 149 runs in 39.4 overs before ripping through the Tourist Hotel batting lineup in 27.4 overs at the expense of just 55 runs.

RSL now get a chance to compete for a fifth consecutive premiership on Saturday when they take on the Wilga Hotel Razorbacks at Collins Park in the decider.

That grand final will be the second that the two sides have played in this year, the first of which saw RSL defeat the Razorbacks by five wickets to be crowned T20 champions early last month.

Despite a disappointing showing in that match, the Razorbacks have been on a roll in the 40-over arena and they ended the season as the undefeated minor premiers. They now pose the biggest threat that RSL will face in their pursuit of premiership glory in five years.

One area RSL will be determined to improve on as they head into the final will be their first- and second-wicket partnerships, which were 12.7 and 14.1, respectively, during the regular season and then contributed a combined four runs in Saturday’s preliminary final.

Tourist Hotel quick Dylan Segundo knocked over Jordan Doolan for a six-ball duck during a first-over wicket-maiden and then dismissed Doolan’s replacement Max Hunter (2) in the third over, as Kaleb Mowle and Luke Meppem took catches to make the score 2-4.

Those wickets left RSL’s top-scoring batsmen in the 2024/25 season at the crease together as Brayshaw brothers Jake and Cooper were tasked with getting their side’s innings on track. They were up to the challenge and combined for 70 runs before Cooper was caught by Chase Harrington for 24 off 57 deliveries during the Luke Meppem-bowled 24th over.

Those two Tourist men combined again in the 32nd over when Meppem took the big wicket of Jake Brayshaw, who departed for 48 runs off 101 deliveries as the score became 4-112.

Danny Laws then produced a double-wicket-maiden during the following over to remove Shane Murphy for 16 and Bailey Keeler for a golden duck as the score became 6-112.

RSL lost four more batsmen as Laws, Segundo and Hamish Duncan went through the middle and lower order to bowl out the defending champs for 149 runs in 39.4 overs, with Will Ford (15) the only other RSL batsman to reach double figures.

Laws (4-26 from 4.4 overs) was Tourist’s best with the ball and his teammates Segundo (3-19 from eight overs) and Duncan (1-17 from eight overs) were outstanding economically.

Meppem finished with 2-41 from seven overs, and his two wickets were the crucial ones as he dismissed Cooper and Jake Brayshaw.

The second innings saw Nathan Trindall and Cooper Brayshaw open the bowling for RSL, and facing up first for Tourist Hotel were Meppem and Jason Paull. The bowlers won the early battle as the chasing side found themselves at 0-2 after three overs and did not score their first run off the bat until the fourth when Meppem scored a single off Tough, who had come on to replace Brayshaw.

Brayshaw was re-introduced back into the attack in the seventh over and he struck in the ninth as he bowled Meppem (7) to make the score 1-21.

It then became 2-22 in the 10th over as another bowling change paid off when Keeler knocked over Paul (6) with the assistance of a Trindall catch.

The two openers faced a combined 58 balls, which left Tourist behind the required run rate at the completion of the 16th over as they found themselves on 2-39.

However, they were still well and truly in the game with Duncan and Nick Tomlinson at the crease and Josh Trindall and Segundo to come.

The next 10 overs were crucial for Tourist Hotel but it was RSL who got on top as Jake Brayshaw and Will Ford ripped through the Tourist batting lineup. Brayshaw claimed five scalps and Ford took two as Tourist lost 7-8 to find themselves clinging on at 9-48 after Brayshaw produced a double-wicket-maiden in the 25th over.

Harrington (4) and Laws (2*) then survived until the 28th over when Max Hunter took the winning wicket of Harrington with the assistance of a catch from fellow youngster Gabe O’Connor to bring the match to an end.

After top-scoring with 48 in the first innings, Jake Brayshaw ended the game with 5-12 from seven overs as he produced yet another man-of-the-match performance in what has been a memorable season for the RSL spin bowler and opening batsman.

Ford ended up with 2-8 from six overs, while Cooper Brayshaw (1-8 from five overs), Keeler (1-10 from three overs) and Hunter (1-2 from 0.4 overs) chipped in with the other three scalps.