RSL claims third consecutive NDCA first grade one day premiership

Narrabri District Cricket Association’s 2022/23 campaign first grade one day competition grand final was a wet and wild affair that fell just short of being completed as Narrabri RSL Cricket Club was crowned the premiers for a third consecutive season.

Saturday’s match at Collins Park was cut short after the pitch was deemed too dangerous to play on at about 2.45pm after light rain had fallen throughout the afternoon as RSL and Tourist Hotel went head-to-head.

RSL only needed 16 runs to claim victory when the match was called, and although the result was officially a washed-out draw, it was clear that an RSL premiership was inevitable.

Tourist Hotel batted first after its captain Luke Meppem won the toss and the side was skittled for just 56 runs in 20 overs.

There were only eight overs bowled in the second innings, and with RSL cruising to victory at 3-41, the match was called off and the sides shook hands.

RSL quick Cooper Brayshaw was named the player of the match at the NDCA presentation in the Collins Park grandstand after the match. Brayshaw opened the bowling alongside Nathan Trindall in the first innings and took a game-best 4-16 from nine overs, while Trindall took 3-24 from seven overs as the duo ripped through the Tourist Hotel top and middle order.

Will Ford (2-2 from one over) and Jake Brayshaw (1-2 from one over) combined for the premiers’ other three wickets on the day.

Nick Tomlinson and Hamish Duncan opened the batting for Tourist Hotel in the decider, and they combined for a 28-run partnership in tricky conditions before Trindall took the big wicket of Tomlinson (12) in the ninth over.

The competition’s leading run-scorer looked good early on but was caught by Trindall as he attempted a straight drive from the second last ball of the over and it flew straight back to the bowler.

Trindall backed that wicket up with another in the 11th over when he knocked over Duncan (15), who was caught by Shane Murphy at mid-off.

That made the score 2-32, which became 3-32 during the following over when Cooper Brayshaw dismissed Lachlan Woolford for a duck during a wicket maiden. Woolford was caught by Bernard O’Connor at mid-wicket after miss-timing a pull shot.

As the rain kept falling, the wickets kept tumbling, and Meppem was the next to go as he too departed for a duck after being trapped in front by Trindall during the 13th over.

Those wickets left Josh Trindall at the crease with Chris Sargent and all eyes were on the experienced duo as Tourist held onto hope that it could dig itself out of trouble.

However, Trindall (4) was caught behind by Zaac Brayshaw in the Cooper Brayshaw-bowled 14th over, and then Matt Conroy (0) was caught at first slip by Jake Thurston in the Jake Brayshaw-bowled 15th over as Tourist went into drinks at 6-42.

RSL continued its onslaught with its sixth wicket in as many overs in the 16th of the innings when Sargent (1) was caught behind by Zaac Brayshaw from the bowling of Cooper Brayshaw as the quick struck with his second wicket-maiden of the day.

He then claimed his fourth wicket with the final delivery of his spell in the 18th over when he knocked over David McInnes (1), who was caught by Jason Trindall as the score became 8-44.

Dylan Segundo (11*) provided some resistance in the 19th over when he hit 10 runs from the bowling of Cody Kember, however, Will Ford wrapped up the innings during his first over in the 20th when he dismissed tailenders Jye Manton (2) and Ciaran McCann (0), who were both caught behind by Zaac Brayshaw as the keeper finished the innings with four catches and Tourist Hotel finished all out on 56.

The Tourist men struck an early blow in the game’s second innings when Segundo trapped RSL’s Jordan Doolan (4) in front with a sensational yorker in the second over to make the score 1-8.

Segundo then knocked over RSL’s other opener in the sixth over when he trapped Jake Brayshaw (13) in front just one ball after the batsman had smashed a six.

That made the score 2-33, which became 3-35 in the seventh over when Bernard O’Connor (3) was caught by Josh Trindall from the bowling of Manton.

Kember (9*) and Murphy (3*) were both unbeaten at the end of the eighth over when the score was 3-41, and that was when the match was called off due to the dangerous condition of the rain-affected pitch.

That saw the RSL men claim their third premiership in as many seasons.

A handful of RSL and Tourist Hotel players earned individual honours at the NDCA presentation held in the Collins Park grandstand after the match.