NDWCA campaign kicks off with two close round one contests

Narrabri District Women’s Cricket Association’s 2023/24 Ian McGregor Trophy campaign got off to a flying start on Saturday night as the four sides combined to produce two close and entertaining contests.

Defending champions Wahgunyah Dreamtime Mirri took on Wilga Hotel in a grand final rematch and it was the Wilga ladies who started the season off on the front foot as they defeated the 2022/23 grand final winners by 10 runs at Hogan Oval.

In the other game at Collins Park, the two sides that missed out on last season’s decider went head-to-head, and it was GFS Engineering that got the job done as they beat Nandewar Motel by 14 runs.

The two matches went the distance as 40 overs were played on both fields, with president Mark Page declaring he was impressed with the standard of cricket that the players produced.

In the grand final rematch at Hogan Oval, Wilga Hotel batted first after their stand-in skipper Mereka Gleeson won the toss and the side registered a defendable 8-105 after seeing out the entire 20 overs.

Emily Flood opened the batting and she looked promising early with two boundaries, but she eventually fell for nine runs and her opening partner Kate Johnston departed for three.

Taryn Kirk entered at number three and Kate Rickard came in at number six, and they did the damage for their side as Kirk scored 35 and Rickard registered a match-high score of 41.

For Wahgunyah Dreamtime Mirri, Velvet Craigie had a sensational first innings as she bowled superbly to secure a match-best 4-18 from four overs with the ball, which included a double-wicket-maiden.

She also claimed the big wicket of Rickard with a run out.

Angie Knox, Karen Baker and Molly Welsh combined for the side’s other three wickets.

Wahgunyah Dreamtime Mirri only had one batter reach double figures during their chasing innings, which was Kimberley Laurie as she finished not out on 35.

They only lost four wickets as Kirk, Flood, Rickard and Bridget Murphy took a scalp each for Wilga Hotel, but they managed to fall 11 runs short of the required total after the final ball of the 20th over had been bowled and they finished on 4-95.

In the other match at Collins Park, the GFS Engineering team batted first and scored 3-120 in 20 overs before restricting Nandewar Motel to 8-106 in 20 overs.

Openers Milly Adams (11) and Amy Trindall (16) got GFS Engineering off to a great start, and then Grace Farrer finished it off with the first and only half century of the season as she was unbeaten on 59 runs at the end of the innings.

Linda Drynan (15*) also remained unbeaten.

Candice Stang took two wickets for Nandewar Motel and teammate Clare Mead claimed the other.

In the next innings, Nandewar Motel opener Michaela Plata top-scored for the chasing side with 17 runs, and Tori-Anne Gheraghty (12*) was her only teammate to reach double figures as GFS Engineering was able to restrict the chasing side to 8-106.

Milly Adams took a game-best 4-22 from four overs, while skipper Alecia Tubner took two and teammates Amy Trindall and Farrer claimed one each.

This Saturday’s round two games will see the opening-round winners GFS Engineering and Wilga Hotel go head-to-head, and Wahgunyah Dreamtime Mirri challenge Nandewar Motel.