Tatts downs Tourist to claim second spot on the first grade ladder

Tatts Cricket Club ended the 2021-22 Narrabri District Cricket Association first grade one day season on a high on Saturday when it downed Tourist Hotel by two wickets in a battle for second place at Collins Park.

The two teams went into the match locked on 36 points following three wins, three draws and three losses each in the first nine rounds of the campaign, and while neither side could finish any higher than second and they were guaranteed to meet again in the preliminary final a week later, the match was certainly not a dead rubber.

Both sides went into the round 10 match fully aware that should this Saturday’s preliminary final match at Collins Park be rained out, the higher-ranked team would progress to the March 19 grand final.

It was the Tatts men who put themselves in the position to progress to the decider should rain ruin the first week of the finals.

After losing the toss, Tatts fielded first and knocked over Tourist Hotel for 116 in 43.3 overs. It then chased down the required total in 35.4 overs after losing eight wickets to prevail and claim second place on the NDCA first grade table.

Jonty Schwager starred for Tatts with a best on ground performance. He was awarded the three NDCA best and fairest points after taking 6-16 from nine overs, the best any first grade bowler has produced in a single game this season.

Five of his teammates stood up with the bat and reached double figures in the game’s second innings. Those batsmen were Gregg Gray (26), captain Jake Packer (25), Sid Harvey (24), Daniel Kahl (13) and Jakeb Nipperess (10*).

Civeo’s best with the ball was the side’s leading wicket-taker Matt Conroy, who earned two NDCA best and fairest points after taking 4-24 from eight overs, and its top scorer was Hamish Duncan, the team’s leading run-scorer, who struck 25 runs in the round 10 match.

Meanwhile the other round 10 match scheduled to be played at Leitch Oval between minor premiers RSL and wooden spooners Western Razorbacks did not go ahead after the Wee Waa-based club forfeited the first grade contest.

RSL has advanced to the March 19 grand final at Collins Park and will play the winner of this Saturday’s preliminary final.

Meanwhile, the Razorbacks’ season has come to an end before the finals series for the first time. They entered the NDCA competition back in 2018 and played in the grand final in all of their first three seasons.