Tatts start their season in style with a win over the Razorbacks

A grand final rematch five years, eight months, nine days and 21 hours in the making was contested at Hogan Oval on Saturday night as the Wilga Razorbacks and Tatts went head-to-head in round one of Narrabri District Cricket Association’s 2024/25 season first grade T20 competition.

RSL’s nine-wicket win over Tourist Hotel earlier in the afternoon (see full story above) was the first time that a club-based first grade T20 match had been held in Narrabri since Saturday, February 2 of 2019 when the Western Imperial Razorbacks beat Tatts by 24 runs at Collins Park under lights in the 2018/19 campaign decider.

The Coates Hire Namoi Super Slog was introduced during the following season, replacing the club-based T20 comp for first graders, and was played up until the 2023/24 campaign.

There were only three players from the Razorbacks’ premiership-winning 2019 team who were part of Saturday’s round one match – Steve Phelps, Jay Hall and Dylan Smith – and just one Tatts player in Jonty Schwager.

The Razorbacks batted first after stand-in skipper Greg Melton won the toss in the absence of Matt Bradshaw. The Wilga men then made 8-106 in their 20 overs and looked likely to win the match at several stages of the second innings, however, Tatts got the job done as they made 6-107 in 19 overs to prevail by four wickets.

Phelps opened the batting for the Razorbacks and blasted four fours on his way to 20 runs before being caught by Tatts’ skipper Jakeb Nipperess in the seventh over. That made the score 3-47 after Phelps had lost partners Ben Sevil and Angus Galagher earlier in the innings.

Sevil opened the batting with Phelps and only scored one run in a 26-run partnership before he was caught by Waldo Botha in the Brodie Heron-bowled fourth over before Galagher was caught behind by Ed Curral for a duck during the following over from the bowling of Schwager.

Melton entered at four and made 11 runs before he was caught by Botha, who took a screamer in the outfield to make the score 4-54. That was Campbell’s second wicket, and he took two more in the 13th over of the innings as he trapped Charlie Tym (4) in front LBW and then dismissed Jay Hall for a second-ball duck with the assistance of a Darcy Gleeson catch as the score became 6-68 in the 13th over.

Dylan Smith (25) and Jack Maunder (12) then steadied the ship for the Razorbacks as they put on a 32-run partnership to guide the side to triple figures. They were dismissed late in the innings as they were both caught behind by Curral from the bowling of Nipperess as their side ended up on 8-106 after 20 overs had been bowled.

Smith was Wilga’s top scorer while Campbell was Tatts’ best with the ball as he boasted phenomenal figures of 4-8 from four overs.

Nipperess ended the innings with 2-13 from three overs, and openers Heron (1-18 from two overs) and Schwager (1-19 from three overs) took a wicket each.

Tatts sent Karl Hatfield and Brendon Ward out to open the batting in the second innings and their partnership lasted three deliveries before Smith bowled Ward for a duck.

Smith only bowled two overs in his first spell and was replaced by Jay Hall for the fifth over, who made an instant impact as he bowled Hatfield (5) with his second delivery to make the score 2-13.

Nipperess and Tom Cameron then got Tatts’ innings back on track and guided them to triple figures with an 85-run partnership, during which the assistance of plenty of Wilga extras also contributed. Their partnership was finally broken in the 16th over when Tym bowled Nipperess for a match-high score of 33 to make the score 3-100.

Tatts only required seven more runs to win at that stage but managed to lose three more wickets as Smith bowled Cameron (23), ran out Curral (1) and bowled Botha (1).

However, Tatts reached the 107-run mark from the final delivery of the 19th over to win the match by four wickets.

Smith ended the innings with 3-6 from four overs and a run out, and his teammates Tym (1-13 from two overs) and Hall (1-20 from four overs) were the other wicket-takers.

The Razorbacks will be looking to bounce back from that loss in round two this Saturday night when they return to Hogan Oval to face round one winners RSL under lights.

Tatts will challenge Tourist Hotel at Collins Park that afternoon looking to make it two from two to start the season.