Tourist Hotel hold off Tatts at Collins Park as wicketkeepers lead the way

Tourist Hotel returned to the winner’s circle on Saturday as they defeated Tatts by 23 runs in a match that went the distance at Collins Park during round five of Narrabri District Cricket Association’s 2024/25 campaign first grade one day competition.

Tourist Hotel batted first after their skipper Luke Meppem won the toss and they utilised the crease for the full 40 overs before ending up on 9-137. Tatts also batted out the entire 40 overs during the second innings, but they fell 24 runs short of victory, finishing at 8-114.

Almost unbearable heat contributed to the match being a low-scoring one, especially in the second innings as 40 overs in the field took its toll on Tatts and they could not muster the energy to mount a real push for the victory.

The win saw Tourist Hotel join RSL on 20 points following two wins, two losses and a washed-out draw each. They both trail undefeated ladder leaders Wilga Hotel Razorbacks by 12 points after the Razorbacks downed RSL by six wickets at Hogan Oval to go two wins clear at the top.

Tatts are still yet to win after five rounds and they are two wins behind RSL and Tourist Hotel, making every match on the run home must-win battles for them.

On a day when runs were hard to come by for both sides’ batsmen, the wicketkeepers led the way as Tourist Hotel’s Lachlan Woolford (46) and Tatts’ Brendon Ward (46*) top-scored.

Woolford lined up at number three for his side in the first innings and was called to the crease in the third over when Hamish Duncan (1) was bowled by Jonty Schwager. He then lost six partners across 27 overs as opener Nick Tomlinson (9) and Jason Paull (7) failed to fire, and middle-order men Meppem, Kallum Mallows, Chase Harrington and Mark Page all departed for ducks.

Karl Hatfield trapped Tomlinson in front during an 11th-over wicket-maiden before Dylan Brown was introduced into the attack in the 21st over and made an instant impact when he bowled Paull. He knocked over Meppem LBW in the 23rd over and removed Mallows in the 25th and Harrington in the 29th, who were both caught at first slip by Bill Wood.

Rod Kirk then bowled his eighth and final over, and with his last delivery, he trapped Page in front to make the score 7-80.

Tatts finally dismissed Woolford (46) in the 34th over when Josh Campbell claimed the big wicket with the first ball of Tatts’ third wicket-maiden of the day. Wood provided the assist for that scalp as he took his third catch, and it was his best of the bunch as he took a one-handed grab after diving to his right.

Tatts looked set to bowl Tourist out for under 100, but the tail wagged as Ed Pavey (28*) and Dylan Segundo (20) put on a 41-run partnership to guide their side to a defendable total.

Segundo departed with two balls left when he was caught and bowled by Jonty Schwager, and John Lawler (1*) finished unbeaten alongside Pavey.

Brown (4-25 from seven overs) was Tatts’ best with the ball and the other five bowlers they used on the day all took a wicket each.

Segundo and Duncan opened the bowling for Tourist in the second innings and combined well to have Tatts at 3-13 after eight overs. Segundo bowled Jakeb Nipperess for a duck in the first over and his replacement Karl Hatfield for a duck in the third over, either side of a Duncan second-over maiden, which made the score 2-1.

That became 3-9 in the Duncan-bowled eighth over when Kirk (4) was caught behind by Woolford.

Page replaced Segundo in the 13th over and struck with a wicket-maiden in the 15th when he bowled opener Hugh Lennon (11) to make it 4-25.

Ward then fought hard and put on 20-run partnerships with Campbell (18) and Bill Wood (5) before those two batsmen were knocked over by Meppem, which saw Schwager join his wicketkeeper at the crease. They took Tatts past 100 in the 37th over and the score became 6-103 when Ward smashed his third four of the day as Tatts required 35 runs to win off the last three overs.

Their chances were dealt a blow when Segundo was brought back on and produced five dot balls, and the result was beyond reach when Pavey bowled Schwager (15) and Brown (0) in the 38th over.

Keegan Richardson (3*) and Ward (46*) ended up unbeaten after the final delivery had been bowled, but Tatts fell 24 runs short as they ended up on 8-114.

Five of the six Tourist bowlers used on the day took wickets. Segundo (2-14 from eight overs), Meppem (2-15 from six overs) and Pavey (2-25 from six overs) all claimed two and Duncan (1-15 from eight overs) and Page (2-27 from eight overs) took one each.

The three NDCA best and fairest points were awarded to Woolford, while Ward polled two and Segundo earned one.

Tatts will be back in action at Collins Park this Saturday when they meet fellow round five losers RSL, while Tourist Hotel challenge Wilga Hotel Razorbacks at Hogan Oval.