Kember brilliance guides Boggabri Colts into the top three

Boggabri Colts Cricket Club’s first grade captain Cody Kember enjoyed half a decade of complete dominance with his former club RSL, which included five one day premierships and a T20 title, but on Saturday he was the architect of the result that may just bring on the start of the defending champions’ downfall.

The Colts batted first in the round 10 clash at Leitch Oval after being sent in by RSL’s skipper Jarrett Tough, and they failed to register triple figures as they were bowled out for 92 runs in 26 overs.

In reply, RSL were cruising at 3-64 following a 34-run opening partnership before Kember came back to haunt his old side with the spell of the season.

The Boggabri skipper took 5-2 off three overs as he produced a devastating display of bowling, which was bookended by wickets taken by Nick Millar and Jack Hayes that saw RSL suffer an epic collapse of 7-9 to fall 20 runs short of the required total.

It was a result that saw the Boggabri Colts rise above Tatts into third spot on the ladder with five rounds remaining and left them just three points behind RSL.

The RSL men are now two wins behind the top-ranked Wilga Hotel Razorbacks, who won their round 10 clash against Tourist Hotel by 51 runs at Collins Park on Saturday night, meaning that the defending champions’ pursuit of the minor premiership is now almost certainly over.

They are currently just one win in front of the fourth-placed side, which is Tatts following the T20 champions’ bye on Saturday, meaning they need to find some form fast as the finals series approaches.

It was a day to forget with the bat for Boggabri after opener Jay Urquhart top scored with 41 runs and Nathan Miller was his only teammate to reach double digits with 11 after entering at number four.

Urquhart lost five teammates inside the first 17 overs, with Jake Brayshaw knocking over Nick Millar (7) during a wicket maiden to make the score 5-70, and the opener eventually fell in the 22nd over when he fell nine runs short of a half-century.

That wicket kick-started the first collapse of the contest as the colts lost 5-8 in five overs to end up all out on 92 runs after 26 overs.

Brayshaw (3-23 off three overs) and Andrew Harvey (3-15 off five overs) were their side’s best with the ball, while Nathan Trindall (2-13 off five overs), Bailey Keeler (1-14 off four overs) and Tough (wicket maiden off one over) combined for RSL’s other four scalps.

Brayshaw and Tough then produced a 34-run partnership to get RSL’s chase off to a positive start, and the captain registered half of those before being bowled by Nathan Miller for 17 in the eighth over.

Miller then bowled Alin Chhantyal for a golden duck before Shane Murphy arrived at the crease and survived the hat-trick ball.

Brayshaw watched on as five more teammates departed from the other end as RSL went from 0-34 after seven overs to 7-67 after 14, leaving the side’s top run-scorer this season without any real support as none of his teammates were able to reach double figures after Tough had departed.

Kember claimed three of those wickets in the 14th as he bowled Mitchell Shields (1), Jordan Doolan for a golden duck and Beau Tomlinson for a second-ball duck after the RSL second grade skipper had survived the hat-trick ball.

Those wickets saw Trindall arrive to the middle, and the game was well and truly in the balance at that stage with two batsmen at the crease who were more than capable of getting the job done.

However, when Kember bowled Brayshaw for a team-best 26 runs and then Keeler for a third-ball duck in the 17th over, it was the Boggabri boys’ game to lose.

RSL managed just one run from five deliveries after Kember had secured his fifth wicket of the game before Hayes brought the match to an end in the 18th over when he bowled Travis Hinckley for a duck as he became RSL’s fifth batsman to depart without scoring a run, leaving Trindall unbeaten on five runs as Boggabri celebrated a 19-run victory.

The win was their third of the season and saw them leapfrog Tatts into third spot, however, the Colts have the bye this Saturday in round 11 and could find themselves out of the top three if Tatts get the job done against Tourist Hotel at Collins Park.

RSL will have a chance to bounce back from their second defeat of the 40-over season when they challenge Wilga Hotel Razorbacks in a top-of-the-table clash at Hogan Oval.