The first century of the 2025/26 Narrabri District Cricket Association first grade campaign was the catalyst for a game of the season contender as Zack Doring blasted the Wilga Hotel Razorbacks to a 51-run victory at Collins Park on Saturday.
There were 535 runs scored in the round 10 day-nighter after the Razorbacks batted first and produced 293 runs with two deliveries to spare before Tourist Hotel made a brave attempt at chasing down the largest total of the season as they registered 242 runs with just one delivery remaining.
The two teams also took 10 wickets each across the contest as they set up an exciting run home towards the finals, with just five rounds left to play in the regular season.
The Razorbacks are now two wins clear at the top of the table following RSL’s 21-run loss against Boggabri Colts in the other round 10 match at Leitch Oval on Saturday, while Tourist Hotel are still last and are now 15 points outside the top three.
That leaves Tourist Hotel needing to win all of their four remaining matches to have any shot of featuring in the finals, whereas four wins would see Wilga Hotel finish as the undefeated minor premiers for a second consecutive season.
In just his second game of the 40-over season, Doring lit up Collins Park on Saturday with a monumental batting performance. The 21-year-old smashed his 112 runs from just 54 balls as he struck at 207.4 and remarkably produced 100 of those runs from boundaries as he dispatched seven fours and 12 sixes.
It took him five deliveries to score his first run after arriving at the crease in the fourth over, and then just 30 more to bring up his half-century in the 13th over. He then turned on the burners as he blasted his next 64 runs from just 19 deliveries.
The 2024/25 season’s most improved first grade player brought up his maiden senior century in style as he struck three straight sixes off Tourist Hotel skipper Luke Meppem in the 17th over to move to 99 and then raised the bat after clearing the boundary for a fourth time in as many balls to go to 105.
The next ball he faced in the 18th over saw him blast a fifth six in a row before he turned over the strike with a single to move to 112, which was the score he departed on during the 19th over when he was bowled by Chris Smith.
He then backed up that impressive effort with the bat as he featured with the ball in the second innings when he took 3-31 from eight overs to help his side keep Tourist from producing what would have been one of the all-time great chases at Collins Park.
The Wee Waa boy told The Courier that he was eager to take his opportunity after getting a chance to bat at number four.
“I’ve been talking to the boys about batting a bit higher up the order. I really wanted to give it a go, and this week was my week to show what I’ve got, so I gave it everything,” Doring said.
“It was unreal getting to raise the bat. Actually, when they clapped me for 50, I was thinking, ‘what, already?’
“It had been a long time since I raised the bat for 100. The last time was in a rep game when I was 16, and I’m 21 now.
“It felt good to get another one. I’ve never hit them that good before. I actually surprised myself.
“I was sore on Sunday, but nothing an ice bath couldn’t fix.
“I wasn’t too bad during the second innings, but it really hit the next day. It was the heat that took it out of me during the game though. It was pretty hot out there, especially starting at 3.30, which was the hottest part of the day.
“It actually felt like the longest game of my life.
“It felt like I was out there for ages when I was batting, but I don’t think I was actually out there for very long, and I only had to run for 12 of my runs. The rest were off boundaries. It was a neat 100 off boundaries.
“I was aggressive from the start. I missed three straight up. I just swung at them and missed them.
“The pitch wasn’t too bad, but every now and again you’d get that odd one that didn’t bounce, so it was always in the back of my mind that I could be in trouble here.
“The ball seemed to be in the spot every time, and I hit a couple of cut shots and some shots down leg, but a lot of straight shots.
“Some of them were really good balls, but I was seeing them like beach balls.”
Doring thought that one of the highlights of the contest was how well his side bowled without several key players to call on, including Ty Baker, Greg Melton, Dylan Smith and Jay Hall, who were all missing.
“All those boys are very good bowlers, and Jack Tate is coming back from doing his back, so he couldn’t go flat out,” Doring said.
“Me and Schwag (Josh Schwager) and Clay (Hoffman) all got three wickets each, and the young fella that filled in for us (Michael Harris-Clayton) bowled well too.
“We did well without having a few of our best bowlers there.
“Getting the job done with those boys away was a big thing for us, and I think we just wanted it a bit more at the end I guess.
“Hamish (Duncan) batted unreal for them. We gave him a couple of chances, but I think that he batted really well.
“It was unfortunate he couldn’t get his 100, but Clay bowled a great ball to clean him up.”
Tourist Hotel had gotten on the front foot in the round 10 clash after Dylan Segundo bowled Jack Maunder (4) during a third-over wicket-maiden before Duncan trapped Angus Galagher in front LBW for a second-ball duck in the fourth over to make the score 2-6.
However, the competition’s leading run-scorer Matt Bradshaw and Doring then combined for a 133-run partnership that was broken at the start of the 18th over when Bradshaw was bowled by Jackson Hayne for 23 runs.
Doring then departed during the following over, and the Razorbacks’ skipper Jack Tate then carried the torch for the rest of the innings as he scored an unbeaten 85 runs from 71 deliveries, which included four sixes and as many fours, to guide the Razorbacks to the largest total of the campaign.
He was assisted by Hoffman (21), who was the fourth and final Wilga Hotel batsman to reach double figures.
Six of the seven bowlers used by Tourist Hotel took at least one wicket, with their opening duo Duncan (3-49 from eight overs) and Segundo (1-15 from eight overs) the most impressive with the ball.
With several key bowlers missing for the Wilga Hotel side on Saturday, Tate opened the bowling as he took the ball for the first time since back in December following a back injury, and he opted to go with Schwager from the other end.
That was a decision that paid off as Schwager produced the first two wickets of the innings in the eighth over when he bowled Aaronn Baker for 11 and John Lawlor for a golden duck.
Duncan then survived the hat-trick ball before he and opener Nick Tomlinson produced a 37-run partnership, which was broken in the 16th over when Schwager bowled Tomlinson (45) with four deliveries remaining in his spell.
Duncan continued to fire, but he lost five more partners as Doring, Hoffman and Harris-Clayton ripped through Tourist Hotel’s middle order to leave the chasing side reeling at 8-122 in the 25th over.
However, Tim Hayne then arrived at the crease and batted well to put on a 118-run partnership with Duncan that gave them a chance to pull off an unthinkable delivery.
Wilga Hotel well and truly had the result wrapped up by the final over following some impressive bowling from Hoffman and Galagher late in the innings, but all eyes were on Duncan as he lined up on strike on 94 runs with just six deliveries to spare.
He was suffering from cramps as he went in search of the second century of the contest, and he fell short as he was bowled by Hoffman from the first delivery of the over, departing having smashed three fours and seven sixes during his 99-ball innings.
Hoffman then claimed another scalp with one delivery to spare and it was fitting that it was Doring who took the catch to bring the match to an end as Hayne fell for 45 runs from 33 balls with one delivery to spare.
Doring (3-31 from eight overs), Schwager (3-47 from eight overs) and Hoffman (3-32 from 4.5 overs) all finished the game with three scalps each to help their side defend the mammoth total and earn their fifth win in as many matches in the one day campaign.
Next up for them is a top-of-the-table clash against RSL at Hogan Oval this Saturday while Tourist Hotel look to bounce back when they challenge Tatts at Collins Park.
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