Tom Craig runs rampant in the preliminary final before rain ends Tatts’ season

Rain cruelly denied the Tatts Cricket Club first XI their place in Narrabri District Cricket Association’s grand final day for the first time since 2020 on Saturday when play at Collins Park was abandoned with the side needing 10 runs to win and having six wickets plus more than 31 overs in hand.

Tatts took on Tourist Hotel in the preliminary final clash for a chance to meet the minor premiers and defending champs RSL in the grand final on Saturday, March 16.

The game was reduced to 40 overs an innings after the start of play was delayed until 1pm to allow the NDCA grounds committee time to ensure the pitch was ready following rain that hit town on Friday evening.

Jakeb Nipperess won the toss and the Tatts skipper sent Tourist Hotel in, which was a decision that paid off as he and his men knocked over their opposition for just 81 runs in 30.3 overs.

Tom Craig starred after opening the bowling and ripping through the Tourist top and middle order as he produced a remarkable spell and finished with figures of 6-16 in eight overs. He took the first six wickets of the contest to leave the Tourist men reeling at 6-30 after 12 overs, but they rallied and added 51 more runs to the total to reach 81.

The chasing side was cruising at 3-72 in the 15th over when rain forced the players off the field. The covers were put on and the two teams eventually went back out in an attempt to finish the game, but the umpires ultimately deemed the pitch to be too unsafe to bowl on following just one delivery and the game was abandoned.

Despite Tatts being in a position where they were almost guaranteed to win if play could continue, it was Tourist Hotel who progressed to the decider as they finished the regular season ranked higher on the ladder than Tatts.

Nipperess was disappointed that the rain ruined his side’s chances of progressing to the big dance, but he was positive when reflecting on his side’s 2023/24 campaign.

“I’m really happy with how we went this year compared to the last couple of years,” the Tatts skipper said.

“We did well I thought. We scored the most runs in the whole comp, and that was massive because our batting has been our letdown for the past few years.

“I’m really happy to do what we did this year and it’s disappointing to go down like that. Not just us, but our second grade guys were in a similar boat. They didn’t need many runs to win either.

“But that’s just how it is. That’s cricket.”

Nipperess was always going to bowl first on Saturday if he won the toss because he backed his bowlers to knock over Tourist Hotel cheaply, and the rain-affected pitch made his decision even more set in stone.

Tom Cameron opened the bowling from the swimming pool end and he went for three runs before Craig was brought on at the bridge end and produced a double-wicket-maiden, during which he dismissed Aaronn Baker (1) and Josh Trindall (0) to make the score 2-3 after two overs. He then made it 3-5 during a fourth over wicket-maiden with the scalp of Nick Tomlinson (2), and then 4-10 in the sixth over with the wicket of Hamish Duncan (3).

He continued to tear apart Tourist Hotel’s batting lineup as he sent Mark Page (3) on his way in the 10th over to make the score 5-21, and he then took the wicket of Lachlan Woolford (16) in the 12th over as it became 6-30.

All six of those wickets were caught as the Tatts side were sharp in the field and did not drop any of their chances.

Jason Paul (9), Luke Meppem (4) and Dylan Segundo (14) provided some late resistance and a few Tatts wides helped Tourist Hotel reach 81 runs before Josh Campbell took the final wicket when he dismissed Paull in the 30th over to finish with 2-27 from 7.3 overs. Nipperess (1-14 from four overs) and Waldo Botha (1-3 from three overs) took the other two.

Nipperess then opened the batting and scored a game-best 28 runs as he guided his side towards the 82-run required total.

Tatts lost Ed Currall (4) in the Page-bowled fourth over before Nipperess was dismissed by Danny Laws in the 11th over. Laws took two more wickets in the 15th over to remove Campbell (16) and Craig (12) before the match was abandoned with Tatts requiring just 10 more runs to win the match and qualify for the decider.