Nandewar Motel claim first NDWCA premiership | PHOTOS

A new Narrabri District Women’s Cricket Association champion was crowned at Hogan Oval on Saturday night as Nandewar Motel completed a stunning turnaround from wooden spooners to premiers.

The addition of several new players to the side for the 2024/25 campaign boosted their chances going into the third NDWCA season, and the players who remained following the tough times in the 2023/24 campaign shone alongside them as they won seven of their nine games, including Saturday’s grand final.

Nandewar Motel took on two-time defending champs and this season’s minor premiers Wahgunyah Dreamtime Mirri in the big dance and they prevailed by 24 runs.

Winning skipper Tori-Ann Geraghty had elected to bat after winning the toss and her side made 7-88 in 20 overs before restricting Wahgunyah to 4-64 in the second innings.

Nandewar’s premiership victory was inspired by a monumental effort from Grace Farrer, who has been one of the side’s best this season since making the switch from GFS Engineering.  Farrer opened the batting in the first innings and scored an unbeaten 52 runs from 54 deliveries, and she then backed up her match-best score with team-best bowling figures of 2-6 from four overs in the second innings.

GFS Engineering’s Roz Solomon and Andrew Gale present Nandewar Motel captain Tori-Ann Geraghty with the Ian McGregor Perpetual Trophy following her side’s NDCWA grand final victory at Hogan Oval on Saturday night. Photo: NDWCA GFS Engineering’s Roz Solomon and Andrew Gale present Nandewar Motel captain Tori-Ann Geraghty with the Ian McGregor Perpetual Trophy following her side’s NDCWA grand final victory at Hogan Oval on Saturday night. Photo: NDWCA

GFS Engineering’s Roz Solomon and Andrew Gale present Nandewar Motel’s Grace Farrer with the player-of-the-final medal. Photo: NDWCA GFS Engineering’s Roz Solomon and Andrew Gale present Nandewar Motel’s Grace Farrer with the player-of-the-final medal. Photo: NDWCA

Nandewar Motel and Redfern Farming’s Holly Redfern and Lucy Redfern present Nandewar Motel’s Grace Farrer with the batting average trophy. Photo: NDWCA Nandewar Motel and Redfern Farming’s Holly Redfern and Lucy Redfern present Nandewar Motel’s Grace Farrer with the batting average trophy. Photo: NDWCA

Nandewar Motel and Redfern Farming’s Holly Redfern and Lucy Redfern present Nandewar Motel’s Jade Williams with the batting aggregate trophy. Photo: NDWCA Nandewar Motel and Redfern Farming’s Holly Redfern and Lucy Redfern present Nandewar Motel’s Jade Williams with the batting aggregate trophy. Photo: NDWCA

Nandewar Motel and Redfern Farming’s Holly Redfern and Lucy Redfern present Wilga Hotel’s Bridget Murphy with the bowling aggregate trophy. Photo: NDWCA Nandewar Motel and Redfern Farming’s Holly Redfern and Lucy Redfern present Wilga Hotel’s Bridget Murphy with the bowling aggregate trophy. Photo: NDWCA

Nandewar Motel and Redfern Farming’s Holly Redfern and Lucy Redfern present Wahgunyah’s Menzie Baker with the bowling average trophy. Photo: NDWCA Nandewar Motel and Redfern Farming’s Holly Redfern and Lucy Redfern present Wahgunyah’s Menzie Baker with the bowling average trophy. Photo: NDWCA

Nandewar Motel and Redfern Farming’s Holly Redfern and Lucy Redfern present Wahgunyah’s Velvet Craigie with a five-wicket-haul trophy. Photo: NDWCA Nandewar Motel and Redfern Farming’s Holly Redfern and Lucy Redfern present Wahgunyah’s Velvet Craigie with a five-wicket-haul trophy. Photo: NDWCA

Nandewar Motel and Redfern Farming’s Holly Redfern and Lucy Redfern present Nandewar Motel's Tori-Ann Geraghty with a five-wicket-haul trophy. Photo: NDWCA Nandewar Motel and Redfern Farming’s Holly Redfern and Lucy Redfern present Nandewar Motel's Tori-Ann Geraghty with a five-wicket-haul trophy. Photo: NDWCA

Narrabri District Women’s Cricket Association’s 2024/25 season grand final winners, Nandewar Hotel, at Hogan Oval on Saturday evening - back, Candice Stang, Tanya McDonald, Amanda Smith, Bec Cope, Sam Lubke-Wood, Grace Hardy, Grace Farrer, front, Kerri Atkin, Jade Williams, captain Tori-Ann Geraghty and Kristie Toomey. Photo: Leslie Hardman Narrabri District Women’s Cricket Association’s 2024/25 season grand final winners, Nandewar Hotel, at Hogan Oval on Saturday evening - back, Candice Stang, Tanya McDonald, Amanda Smith, Bec Cope, Sam Lubke-Wood, Grace Hardy, Grace Farrer, front, Kerri Atkin, Jade Williams, captain Tori-Ann Geraghty and Kristie Toomey. Photo: Leslie Hardman

Narrabri District Women’s Cricket Association’s 2024/25 season minor premiers and grand final runners-up, Wahgunyah Dreamtime Mirri, at Hogan Oval on Saturday evening - back, Brogan Morris, captain Angie Knox, Karen Baker, Telisha Hilderson, Kimberley Laurie, Carol Grant, Paula Trindall, Molly Welsh, Brielle Wales, front, Lidia McCauley, Velvet Craigie, Emmjay Baker, Dannielle Pokarier-Baker, Amy McCauley and Menzie Baker. Photo: Leslie Hardman Narrabri District Women’s Cricket Association’s 2024/25 season minor premiers and grand final runners-up, Wahgunyah Dreamtime Mirri, at Hogan Oval on Saturday evening - back, Brogan Morris, captain Angie Knox, Karen Baker, Telisha Hilderson, Kimberley Laurie, Carol Grant, Paula Trindall, Molly Welsh, Brielle Wales, front, Lidia McCauley, Velvet Craigie, Emmjay Baker, Dannielle Pokarier-Baker, Amy McCauley and Menzie Baker. Photo: Leslie Hardman

Back, Holly Redfern, Trina Derham, front, Lucy Redfern and Georgie and Darcy Derham. Photo: Leslie Hardman Back, Holly Redfern, Trina Derham, front, Lucy Redfern and Georgie and Darcy Derham. Photo: Leslie Hardman

Ash and Nev Eveleigh. Photo: Leslie Hardman Ash and Nev Eveleigh. Photo: Leslie Hardman

Brian Morgan and Brogan Morris. Photo: Leslie Hardman Brian Morgan and Brogan Morris. Photo: Leslie Hardman

Jorjia Briggs, Xanthe Richards and Amy McCauley. Photo: Leslie Hardman Jorjia Briggs, Xanthe Richards and Amy McCauley. Photo: Leslie Hardman

Michael Horne, Leon and Paganne Ryman, and John, Linda and Jack Hardy. Photo Leslie Hardman Michael Horne, Leon and Paganne Ryman, and John, Linda and Jack Hardy. Photo Leslie Hardman

Richard and Michel Trindall. Photo Leslie Hardman Richard and Michel Trindall. Photo Leslie Hardman

Emily and Nina Flood, Emerson and Sam Woolford, and Freddie and Louis Flood. Photo Leslie Hardman Emily and Nina Flood, Emerson and Sam Woolford, and Freddie and Louis Flood. Photo Leslie Hardman

Kristie Toomey. Photo: Bruce Malcolm Kristie Toomey. Photo: Bruce Malcolm

Dannielle Pokarier-Baker. Photo: Bruce Malcolm Dannielle Pokarier-Baker. Photo: Bruce Malcolm

Angie Knox. Photo: Bruce Malcolm Angie Knox. Photo: Bruce Malcolm

Menzie Baker. Photo: Bruce Malcolm Menzie Baker. Photo: Bruce Malcolm

Grace Farrer. Photo: Bruce Malcolm Grace Farrer. Photo: Bruce Malcolm

Jade Williams. Photo: Bruce Malcolm Jade Williams. Photo: Bruce Malcolm

Velvet Craigie. Photo: Bruce Malcolm Velvet Craigie. Photo: Bruce Malcolm

Bec Cope. Photo: Bruce Malcolm Bec Cope. Photo: Bruce Malcolm

Tori-Ann Geraghty. Photo: Bruce Malcolm Tori-Ann Geraghty. Photo: Bruce Malcolm

While Farrer was the standout on the night as she has been on many occasions throughout the campaign, it took a full team effort to get the job done, and Geraghty told The Courier she could not have been any prouder of the Nandewar ladies.

“I’m really proud of the efforts that all of the girls have put in this season,” she said.

“We played a few weeks with some girls down with injuries and some who could not play after Christmas and things like that. We got into a bit of a struggle there with numbers at some stages and we were just trying to make sure we got games played.

“The grand final showed just how far we’ve come as a team, considering not many of us had really met before the season started.

“I’m super proud of how the girls pulled it together and got us the win.

“I think the girls are keen to play again next season. The camaraderie in the group is great and it’s been so easy to hang out and play together and train. It’s pretty laid back between all of us and I hope we all rejoin for next season.

“It was a very enjoyable season. It’s a game we all enjoy getting out and playing and having a good crack.

“The fact we have so many women in Narrabri willing to give cricket a go and get out there is amazing. The fact that we have four teams and we can play week in and week out against talented opposition is just fantastic.

“For me, a big thing is the effort the committee have put in this year to get everything sorted. A huge shoutout to Mark Page (the NDWCA chairman). He goes above and beyond for our competition, and without him the comp wouldn’t get off the ground.”

Wahgunyah Dreamtime Mirri got off to a flying start to Saturday’s final when Karen Baker dismissed Kristie Toomey (2) in the second over with the assistance of a Menzie Baker catch to make the score 1-7.

That brought the competition’s leading run-scorer Jade Williams to the crease, and she scored nine runs before becoming the second batter to fall to a Menzie Baker catch when she departed in the Velvet Craigie-bowled seventh over.

Craigie then took another wicket in the 10th over when she bowled Bec Cope (3).

Nandewar Motel were 3-58 at the halfway mark of the innings but found themselves on 5-60 at the end of the 11th over after Molly Welsh dismissed Amy Trindall, who was caught behind by Dannielle Pokarier-Baker, and trapped Geraghty in front LBW, both for ducks.

Welsh struck again in the 15th over when she bowled Candice Stang (1) and her skipper Angie Knox then chipped in with a wicket in the 18th over as she bowled Grace Hardy (1).

As the wickets kept falling, Farrer kept on scoring, and she brought up her half-century in the 19th over and scored two more runs in the 20th to guide Nandewar to a defendable total of 7-88.

Welsh (3-11 from four overs) ended the innings with what would end up being match-best bowling figures, while Craigie took 2-15 from four overs, and the other two scalps were claimed by Knox (1-13 from four overs) and Karen Baker (1-21 from four overs).

Geraghty got Nandewar Motel off to a brilliant start to the second innings as she produced a maiden in the first over, and Farrer struck with the first wicket during the next over as she removed Knox (1) with the assistance of a Williams catch.

Kimberley Laurie then joined Lidia McCauley at the crease and they took the score from 1-4 from 1-15 after six overs, but Laurie was unwell and she retired not out on two runs.

Williams continued to pile on the pressure as she produced a maiden in the seventh over, but Wahgunyah regrouped and registered 12 in the eighth over, three in the ninth over and seven in the 10th over to make the score 1-37 at the halfway mark of the innings. They reached 49 before Craigie (18) was bowled by Cope from the final ball of the 13th over.

That left McCauley at the crease with Welsh and they took their side to 2-55 after 15 overs, which meant the chasing side required 34 runs to win off 30 deliveries during the final five overs of the match.

The following two overs went a long way to deciding the contest as Farrer produced a wicket-maiden in the 16th that saw her bowl McCauley (16) and Wahgunyah pick up two runs from byes before Williams bowled Welsh (3) with the first ball of the 17th before conceding just one run as the score became 4-58 with three overs left.

Farrer, Cope and Geraghty bowled the final three overs and combined for 14 dot balls to help Nandewar Motel secure the win as Wahgunyah finished 25 runs short on 4-64.

A monumental bowling effort from the champions saw Farrer lead the way with 2-6 from four overs, Williams (1-5 from four overs) and Cope (1-12 from three overs) take a wicket each, and Geraghty (0-5 from three overs) and Hardy (0-3 from one over) also produce economical efforts.

NDWCA chairman Mark Page told The Courier that he was impressed with the final and the entire season, and he commended all players involved.

He also thanked grand final umpires Pat Mowle and John Lawlor for officiating the contest.

The NDWCA hosted an awards presentation after the grand final had ended, during which the champions were congratulated and individual brilliance throughout the 2024/25 campaign was recognised.

Award recipients were as follows:

Batting aggregate – Jade Williams (Nandewar Motel) with 195 runs, batting average – Grace Farrer (Nandewar Motel) with 117 runs at 117, bowling aggregate – Bridget Murphy (Wilga Hotel) with 12 wickets, Menzie Baker (Wahgunyah Dreamtime Mirri) with 10 wickets at 5.1, player of the grand final – Grace Farrer (52 off 54 deliveries with the bat and 2-6 from four overs with the ball).