Will Ford stars as RSL rolls Tatts to move two wins clear at the top

Narrabri RSL Cricket Club’s first XI has put one foot in the door of the Narrabri District Cricket Association’s 2021-22 one day season grand final following a six-wicket win against Tatts on Saturday.

The defending champions entered the round eight top-of-the-table clash a win clear of the second-placed Tatts.

Tatts’ Jakeb Nipperess was named captain for the day in the absence of Jake Packer, and he won the toss and elected to bat. His side was bowled out for 38 runs in 17.3 overs, which RSL chased down in 12.1 overs after losing four wickets.

The 2020-21 season premiers now require just one win from their final two fixtures to clinch first place and a second consecutive grand final appearance. In fact, anything other than two losses will guarantee the top spot for RSL, and it could still clinch first place even if it does lose both games.

Second-placed Tourist Hotel and third-placed Tatts are currently locked on 32 points, 12 behind RSL.

For either Tourist or Tatts to leapfrog RSL, they need to win both of their final two games and would also need RSL to lose both of its two games. Even then, the best that either Tatts or Tourist Hotel could do is finish level on 46 points with RSL. Net run rate would then determine the minor premiership if that did unfold.

Tatts and Tourist meet one another in the 10th and final round of the season on Saturday, March 5, which means that only one of those teams could finish level on points with RSL and not both of them.

At Collins Park on Saturday, RSL opening bowler Will Ford dominated in his side’s round eight victory as the 16-year-old earned his maiden five-wicket haul in the top grade.

He bowled Brendon Ward (4) in the fourth over of the game to make the score 1-12, which became 3-24 at the completion of the sixth after Ford bowled Sid Harvey (3), then knocked over Eben Botha for a golden duck.

Ford’s opening bowling partner was Nathan Trindall, who joined in on the action in the seventh over when he removed Alistair Hillard (0), who was caught by Bernard O’Connor.

Ford then entered the eighth over on a hat-trick. While he was unable to take a wicket from the first ball of that over, he did knock over Hugh Lennon (10) four balls later during a wicket-maiden as the score became 5-26.

Ford made that 6-33 in the 12th over when he bowled Gregg Gray (0) to complete a five-wicket haul during the final over of his devastating six-over spell. He finished that spell with game-best figures of 5-15.

Spin bowlers Jake Brayshaw and Bernard O’Connor came on to replace Trindall (1-17 from six overs) and Ford, and they cleaned up the Tatts tail with ease.

Brayshaw finished with 2-3 from three overs, while O’Connor took the final wicket of the innings to finish with 2-2 from 2.2 overs.

It was an innings to forget for Tatts whose top-scorer only reached 10 runs, which was two less than RSL’s 12 wides, while five players were
dismissed for ducks.

But while its batting was ordinary, Tatts’ bowling was impressive as the quicks came out firing.

Jonty Schwager struck in the first over of the innings when he trapped RSL skipper Jarrett Tough (0) in front to make the score 1-1.

That became 2-3 in the third over when Schwager’s opening bowling partner Harvey ran out O’Connor (2).

Harvey took a wicket of his own the following over when he bowled Zaac Brayshaw (1) as the score became 3-7.

Shane Murphy entered at number four for RSL and top-scored with 11 runs before he departed in the ninth over.

RSL only required 14 runs to win at that stage, and Cooper Brayshaw (8*) and Hadley Sevil (5*) got the job done as they guided their team to a six-wicket win.

Schwager finished with 2-19 from 6.1 overs, and Harvey ended up with 1-10 from four overs. Gray (0-7 from two overs) was the only other bowler used by Tatts.

RSL will return to Collins Park in round nine this Saturday when it challenges Tourist Hotel, while Tatts will take on the Western Razorbacks at Leitch Oval.