RSL first XI bounce back with big win at Collins Park

A rampaging RSL side put their first defeat of the season behind them on Saturday as they defeated Tatts by 61 runs at Collins Park in round three of Narrabri District Cricket Association’s 2024/25 campaign first grade one day competition.

A week after going down by 64 runs against the undefeated Wilga Hotel Razorbacks, the defending champs were eager to bounce back with a solid performance and they achieved that as they produced the largest total of the season so far.

RSL skipper Jarrett Tough won the toss and elected to bat, and he was not required out in the middle as his side saw out the 40 overs to finish on 7-211.

They then knocked over Tatts for 150 runs in 38 overs, but it had become evident several overs earlier that the chasing side were not going to reach the required total.

The victory was an important one for RSL as they enter this Saturday’s bye weekend ranked second, just six points behind a Razorbacks side that continued their unbeaten start in round three when they defeated Tourist Hotel by 32 runs at Hogan Oval.

Tatts gained the ascendency in the first over at Collins Park on Saturday as their opening bowler Brodie Heron produced five dot balls and secured a wicket-maiden when Jake Packer held onto a catch at point to dismiss RSL’s Jordan Doolan for a duck.

Heron was replaced by his skipper Jakeb Nipperess in the ninth over and the Tatts captain struck in the 11th when he removed Doolan’s opening partner Jake Brayshaw (11), who was caught behind by Ed Currall.

That made the score 2-28, which became 3-65 in the 22nd over as Max Hunter (22) was bowled by Packer.

Those wickets left Cooper Brayshaw and Cody Kember at the crease and they put on the largest partnership of the season so far as they combined for 108 runs to take their side to 3-171 in the 36th over.

That partnership was finally broken when Brayshaw was bowled by Greg Gray for a game-best 68 runs, and he departed having smashed seven fours and a six.

Gray caught Kember (58) during the following over as Heron struck to secure his second wicket of the day to remove the dangerous RSL batsman who had hit four fours and three sixes.

Will Ford (18) smashed Gray for 12 runs off three deliveries in the 38th over before the Tatts man bowled the RSL batsman to make the score 6-198, and it ended up at 7-211 after Beau Tomlinson was run out by Currall just after the final delivery had been bowled, while Shane Murphy (10*) finished unbeaten.

Gray (2-23 from two overs) and Heron (2-36 from eight overs) were their side’s multiple wicket-takers, and their teammates Nipperess (1-16 from five overs) and Packer (1-41 from seven overs also claimed a scalp each.

RSL managed to celebrate an early wicket in the second innings as Currall (1) departed in the Ford-bowled sixth over as he was caught by Tomlinson to make the score 1-14, and Tatts then lost 4-20 from the start of the 13th over until the end of the 19th as RSL’s skipper Tough ripped through the Tatts top order. He bowled Karl Hatfield (14) in the 13th over, trapped Hugh Lennon (11) in front during the 15th, and knocked over Nipperess (16) and Heron (0) during a 19th-over double-wicket-maiden.

Those wickets made the score 5-55 and RSL looked certain to secure a big win, however, Tatts’ next partnership got them back in the game as Packer and Waldo Botha combined for 54 runs to take them into triple digits.

It was the third time in as many matches that the Tatts sixth-wicket partnership was the side’s largest, and their accumulative sixth-wicket total in those three matches is now 164 runs, with their next best being their seventh-wicket partnership at just 29 runs.

The chasing side found themselves on 5-102 after 30 overs and they needed to score at 11-an-over across the last 10 overs to secure what would have been a remarkable victory.

However, Botha (20) was caught by Zaac Brayshaw in the 31st over as Kember claimed his first wicket of the day, which kick-started the Tatts downfall.

Packer then watched on as Gray (7) and Jesse Packer (0) were dismissed in back-to-back overs to make it 8-127 after 35 overs, but the former Tatts skipper kept fighting and brought up his half-century when he dispatched a Kember delivery for a six in the 37th over.

He was finally dismissed in the Jake Brayshaw-bowled 38th over though when he was stumped by Tough for a team-best 55 runs, and Brayshaw brought the innings to a close with the final delivery of that over when Ford caught Rhett Myers for a duck as Tatts fell for 150.

Tough (4-18 from eight overs, which included two maidens) was RSL’s best with the ball and was unlucky not to receive at least one best and fairest point.

They went to Cooper Brayshaw (3), Packer (2) and Kember (1) for their efforts with the bat.

Kember also took 2-37 from seven overs with the ball, and RSL’s other wicket-takers were Jake Brayshaw (2-23 from six overs) and Ford (2-30 from eight overs).

RSL will go in search of a second consecutive win for the first time in the 40-over season when they meet Tourist Hotel at Collins Park in round four, while Tatts will be looking to score their first win of the campaign when they challenge the Razorbacks at Hogan Oval.

Those fixtures will be contested on Saturday, November 30.