There is a three-way logjam at the top of Narrabri District Cricket Association’s 2025/26 campaign second grade competition ladder heading into the first bye weekend after Tatts and RSL were both victorious in round three on Saturday.
Those two teams both entered the weekend a win behind the Sign Print Stitch Narrabri Colts, but the defending champs lost their first game of the season when they were outscored by 42 runs against Tatts at Cooma Oval.
Tatts batted first after captain Jesse Packer won the toss, and they made 164 runs before losing their final wicket with three deliveries remaining in the innings. They then knocked over the Colts for 122 in 33 overs to join them on 15 competition points.
RSL also finished the weekend on 15 points as they cruised past an undermanned Tourist Hotel outfit to prevail by 46 runs at Leitch Oval.
RSL batted first in that game after skipper Beau Tomlinson won the toss, and they made 137 runs in 36.1 overs before bowling out a seven-player Tourist batting lineup for 91 runs in 18.1 overs.
That result left Tourist winless on three points after three rounds.
Despite playing on a losing team on Saturday, Sign Print Stitch Narrabri Colts’ Gus Ford was named player of the match after taking a five-wicket haul for the second week in a row.
Tatts’ openers Robert Packer (21) and Hugh Lennon (37) provided a platform for a successful innings for their side, but the Colts youngsters led by Ford fired up to put Tatts on the ropes at 6-92 in the 23rd over.
Ford eventually finished the innings with 5-21 from eight overs, while Blair Lennox (2-26 from five overs), Fletcher Whan (1-23 from five overs) and Bentley Myers (1-16 from three overs) also took wickets.
One man they could not get out was Tatts’ wicketkeeper/batsman Michael Hewett, who entered at number six and scored an unbeaten 55 runs from 64 deliveries to guide his side to a defendable total.
The Colts’ top order failed to fire, but the middle order gave them hope as Gareth Lamond (47), Lachlan Baker (20*), Jakson Dowdell (16), Lucas Dowdell (11) and Blair Lennox (12) all made key contributions.
However, Tatts’ bowlers were too good as all five of them took wickets, led by Jarrod Gould’s 8-25 from eight overs and his fellow opener Jake Cooper’s 3-13 from eight overs. Hugh Lennon and Robert and Jesse Packer all took one each as they helped limit the Colts to 122 runs to win by 42.
At Leitch Oval, RSL’s skipper Beau Tomlinson opened the batting and top-scored with 32 runs.
Fellow top-order batsmen Josh Buckthought (21) and Allan Whitmore (22) helped set up a successful first innings before Alin Chhantyal (23) and Andrew Harvey (12) solidified the score towards the end.
Scott Smith (3-32 from eight overs) was Tourist Hotel’s most successful bowler in that innings.
Chhantyal then starred in the second innings as he took 5-5 from 4.1 overs with the ball to earn the three NDCA best and fairest points.
Harvey (1-25 from seven overs) took the only other wicket, while Chris Smith (38) and skipper Aaronn Baker (31) were Tourist Hotel’s best with the bat.
The NDCA’s second grade season will resume on Saturday, November 15, following this weekend’s full competition bye.
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