Pink Slugs beat Gunnedah by 136 runs at Collins Park

It was a happy homecoming for the Narrabri District Cricket Association representative first XI on Sunday as they all but won their way through to the MA Connolly Cup semi-finals by scoring a 136-run victory against Gunnedah at Collins Park.

The Pink Slugs entered the round three clash having won one of their two prior matches, both of which were played away from home, and a top-two spot was up for grabs if they could get the job done.

They did so with ease after skipper Nathan Trindall won the toss and elected to bat. His side batted out the entire 40 overs and set Gunnedah 200 to chase after making 5-199, and they then bowled the visitors out for just 63 runs in 24.4 overs in what were warm and windy conditions at Collins Park.

The other round three match saw Gwydir score their second straight win a week after downing the Pink Slugs by 43 runs in Bingara. They are locked on eight points alongside Narrabri after beating Moree by six wickets, but have a game to play this Sunday against Gunnedah.

If Gwydir wins the rescheduled round one clash, they will claim first place in Pool B and Narrabri will finish second, but a Gunnedah win would see all three teams finish locked on equal points.

A Gunnedah victory would mean Narrabri can finish anywhere from first to third place, but the dominant manners in which they scored both of their wins in rounds one and three should get them into the semi-finals.

The Pink Slugs were clinical in both innings on Sunday and Trindall was a pleased captain after the match.

“It was a good win. All the boys put in and did their part, and that was good to see,” he told The Courier.

“It was also good to be back at full strength too.

“We were really clinical in both innings.

“One thing that I really pressed on before the game was batting out the 40 overs and we did that. We only lost five wickets. All of our batsmen did their job, and a couple of the blokes batted in some really good partnerships.

“I believe that we fielded pretty good as a team too.”

Jakeb Nipperess and Hamish Duncan opened the batting for the NDCA side in the third-round clash and combined for 18 runs before Duncan (7) was caught during the Ash White-bowled sixth over.

White claimed his second scalp in the eighth as he produced a wicket-maiden to remove Nipperess (12) and make the score 2-23.

Those wickets left Jake Brayshaw and Jack Tate together in the middle for the first time since the top-order duo combined for a partnership of 141 runs during their side’s 161-run win against Moree in round one.

They impressed again on Sunday as they put on 73 together before Brayshaw (21) was caught during the Braithen Winsor-bowled 23rd over.

That made the score 3-96, which became 4-122 in the 31st over when Will Ford was bowled for 13.

The Gunnedah men were finally able to dismiss Tate in the 35th over and he departed having scored more than half of his side’s runs as he top-scored with 76 after smashing six fours and four sixes to help Narrabri reach 5-150.

Cooper Brayshaw (34*) and Matt Bradshaw (20*) then linked up to guide the Pink Slugs to 5-199 as both batsmen remained unbeaten after the final delivery had been bowled.

Gunnedah sent out Justin Carter and Josh Langdon to open in the second innings and the duo put on just seven runs together before Langdon was caught for a duck by Josh Schwager during the Cooper Brayshaw-bowled fourth over.

Carter then lost two more partners as Brayshaw bowled Jye Hicks (2) in the fourth over and caught Andy Mack (2) in the ninth over as Dylan Segundo struck almost immediately after replacing Trindall.

That made the score 3-19, which had become 6-40 by the 17th over after Segundo removed Carter (17) and White (10) either side of Dylan Smith bowling Jayden Winsor (1).

Smith and Tate ripped through the Gunnedah tail and Tate brought the match to an end in the 25th over when he ran out Peter McCormack (2) as the visitors fell for 63.

Segundo (3-15 from five overs) was the Pink Slugs’ best with the ball, and teammates Cooper Brayshaw (2-14 from five overs), Tate (2-18 from 3.4 overs) and Smith 2-19 from seven overs) claimed two scalps each.

Trindall was the only other bowler used and he conceded three runs from his four overs after producing two maidens.