Tatts denied maiden 40-over win as Brayshaw’s season-high knock guides RSL to victory

Tatts Cricket Club’s first XI were left heartbroken in round six of Narrabri District Cricket Association’s 2024/25 campaign one day competition on Saturday when they were denied their first win of the season despite being in control for much of the match at Collins Park.

After being sent to bat in by RSL’s skipper Jarrett Tough and posting a competitive 8-157 from their 40 overs, Tatts appeared on track for a long-awaited victory, especially when they had RSL pinned down on 3-91 after 26 overs at the second drinks break.

It took a season-high score of 82 runs from RSL opener Jake Brayshaw to get the job done for the defending champions as they rallied to pile on 68 runs in the last session to win the match by four wickets with just seven balls to spare.

The result left Tatts winless after five one day games and in serious danger of missing the finals as they remain two wins behind fellow sixth-round losers Tourist Hotel with just three regular-season fixtures remaining in the competition.

It was their sixth loss on the trot across all formats, leaving them without a win since round one of the T20 campaign on the opening night of the season in October.

RSL’s victory saw them go a win clear of Tourist Hotel and remain two wins behind fellow round six winners Wilga Hotel Razorbacks, who crushed Tourist by seven wickets with 14 overs to spare at Hogan Oval.

Tatts got off to their best start of the 2024/25 season on Saturday as they produced their season-largest first-wicket, second-wicket and third-wicket partnerships to find themselves cruising at 3-147 in the 37th over.

Skipper Jakeb Nipperess opened the batting with Karl Hatfield and the duo put on 28 together before Nipperess (5) was bowled by Will Ford in the seventh over.

Rod Kirk then joined Hatfield in the middle and they produced their side’s largest partnership of the day as they combined for 67 to take Tatts to 95 runs before Hatfield (39) was caught by Cooper Brayshaw during the Jake Thurston-bowled 24th over.

Tatts were 2-101 after 26 overs at second drinks, and Kirk and Josh Campbell took them to 147 before their 52-run partnership came to an end during the 37th over when Kirk (53) was run out by Cooper Brayshaw.

That started a late collapse as Tatts lost 6-10 to end up on 8-157 after 40 overs.

RSL’s two opening bowlers Cooper Brayshaw (3-20 from six overs) and Nathan Trindall 2-29 from six overs) combined for the final five scalps after going wicketless in their first spells, while Ford (1-19 from six overs) and Thurston (1-20 from six overs) ended the innings with a wicket each.

Josh Campbell (17) was Tatts’ only batsman besides Kirk and Hatfield to reach double digits, while 25 wides also helped the cause as they set a defendable total.

Jake Brayshaw opened the batting with Tough in the second innings and they put on 31 runs together before the skipper was bowled for four runs by Chris Hartnett in the ninth over.

That wicket started a mini collapse as RSL lost 3-13, with Max Hunter (6) and Cooper Brayshaw (3) both knocked over by Kirk as the score became 3-44 after 14 overs.

RSL’s fourth-wicket partnership has been far and away their best during the 2024/25 season, and it proved to be once again on Saturday as Jake Brayshaw and Shane Murphy put on 57 runs together to take RSL to triple digits in the 29th over, during which Campbell bowled Murphy (18) to make the score 4-101.

RSL’s fifth-wicket partnership was also a handy one as Will Ford and Brayshaw took the chasing side to 150 when Brayshaw scored a two in the 37th over to move to 82, but he was gone one ball later when he was caught by Jarrod Gould off the bowling of Waldo Botha. The RSL opener departed having faced 118 deliveries and scored three fours and four maximums during his game-winning effort. His 82-run knock was the largest total that any batsman has registered this season, in fact, only three other batsmen have accumulated more runs than that across five rounds, including Cooper Brayshaw (157), Greg Melton (155) and Kirk (90), with Jake Brayshaw (122) now third on the one day run-scorers tally.

That wicket made the score 5-150, and it became 6-155 in the Nipperess-bowled 38th over when Ford (13) was caught behind by Brendon Ward, but Beau Tomlinson (6*) brought the match to an end during the 39th over when he scored a two that saw RSL reach 6-158 with seven deliveries remaining in the innings.

Kirk (2-6 from four overs, which included a wicket-maiden) was Tatts’ best with the ball, and Hartnett (1-22 from eight overs), Botha (1-25 from 6.5 overs), Nipperess (1-28 from six overs) and Campbell (1-32 from eight overs) all claimed one wicket each.

That match was the two sides’ last in the one day comp until next year on Saturday, February 15.

There will be no club cricket for the next three weekends as the NDCA hosts the Town v Country T20 Charity Cup match this Friday night, which will be followed by the Christmas and New Year break.

The 2024/25 season will resume on Saturday, January 11, with round four of the T20 campaign. Tatts will meet Wilga Razorbacks at Leitch Oval that day while RSL takes on Tourist Hotel at Hogan Oval, both from 6.30pm.