Tatts wins the second grade T20 grand final

Tatts Cricket Club was crowned champions of Narrabri District Cricket Association’s 2022/23 campaign second grade T20 competition at Collins Park on Saturday afternoon following a dominant grand final victory against RSL.

Tatts batted first after losing the toss and the team made 9-148 in 20 overs before knocking over the chasing side for 105 in 17.2 overs to win by 43 runs.

The winning captain was also the player of the match as Tatts skipper Craig Gleeson starred with a game-best score of 66 in the first innings, which included nine fours and two sixes, and then backed that up with a wicket maiden from the only over he bowled in the second innings.

It was a result that finally brought RSL’s almost four-year premiership stranglehold to an end.

Justin Saunders’ men entered the decider having won the past three T20 premierships. Remarkably, the side’s grand final win streak was actually at seven, as it had also claimed the four most recent one day premierships as well.

The last time RSL lost a decider was against Tatts in the 2018/19 season on Saturday, February 2, 2019, when the Tatts men chased down 85 at Collins Park to win by six wickets.

This season’s decider was an even more entertaining and high-scoring one.

Saunders won the toss and sent Tatts into bat, which seemed to have paid off early in the game when opening bowler Luke Baker knocked over Tatts opening batsman Travis Tilse for a golden duck with the third ball of the game. Tilse was caught behind by RSL wicketkeeper Tyson Gilmore, and that wicket left Guy Gleeson at the crease with Rod Kirk.

That duo steadied the ship for their side as they combined for a 46-run partnership. It came to an end when Kirk (15) was caught by RSL’s Gabe O’Connor from the final delivery of the Saunders-bowled sixth over as the scoreboard read 2-47.

That became 3-47 during the next over when Guy Gleeson (21) was run out by Alistair Wheeler.

That wicket brought Craig Gleeson to the crease, and the Tatts skipper got off the mark with a boundary. It was a sign of what was to come as Gleeson went on to score 66 runs and guide his side well past 100.

Fellow middle order batsmen Jesse Packer (8) and Michael Hewett (8) contributed 16 runs between them, but it was Gleeson who was called upon to do the rest of the damage as the side’s bottom five combined for just three runs.

Gleeson eventually departed in the 20th over when he was bowled by Matt Tubner, and Tatts finished the innings on 9-148.

Saunders (2-20 from four overs) and Baker (2-24 from four overs) took two wickets each for RSL, while their teammates Rowan Keeler (1-18 from two overs), Tubner (1-20 from four overs) and Darcy Anderson (1-25 from three overs) took one each. Wheeler and O’Connor also chipped in with a run out each.

RSL needed to get off to a positive start when the second innings began and the chasing side did just that as the scoreboard read 0-22 after three overs.

However, Tatts delivered a double blow in the fourth over when Jake Cooper knocked over Wheeler and Jordan Doolan to make the score 2-26. Wheeler (7) struck a four during that over but was then caught by Jesse Packer from the next delivery. That brought Doolan to the crease, who was caught by Guy Gleeson for a second ball duck.

Tatts got further on top during the next over when Gleeson produced his brilliant wicket maiden, in which he bowled Beau Tomlinson (1).

The next wicket did not fall until the ninth over, but for Tatts, it was the big one as Gilmore departed for a team-best score of 30.

The opening batsman was looking dangerous during his time out in the middle and he smashed 20 of his 30 runs via boundaries. However, he was given his marching orders when he was trapped in front by Kirk as the score became 4-48.

Karan Veer Dhiman (15*), Anderson (12) and Tubner (10) provided some late resistance, however, it was too little, too late for RSL as Tatts rolled through the middle order and tail end.

The score was 9-105 after 17 overs, and then Gleeson threw the ball to Josh Rose to bowl the 18th. Rose bowled a dot ball and then backed it up with a wicket as Michael Hewett stumped Baker (1) to bring the game to a close as Tatts won by 43 runs.

All six Tatts bowlers took at least one wicket in the decider. Kirk was the side’s best with 3-12 from four overs, Packer (2-20 from four overs) and Cooper (2-25 from four overs) claimed two each, and Craig Gleeson (1-0 from one over), Rose (1-0 from 0.2 overs) and Darcy Gleeson (1-48 from four overs) chipped in with one each.