New skippers ready to lead ahead of first grade season openers

Narrabri District Cricket Association’s 2025/26 campaign will get underway for the first grade teams from tonight, and three new captains are ready to lead their teams into battle.

Josh Campbell has taken the reins at Tatts, replacing Jakeb Nipperess who stepped down from the role but will be one of their key players, and Jack Tate is the Wilga Hotel Razorbacks’ new skipper, replacing Matt Bradshaw who is also still part of his team.

Campbell has been one of the standout bowlers at Tatts in recent seasons, while Tate was named cricketer of the year in his maiden NDCA campaign last season following a move to town from Brisbane.

The third new captain this season is Cody Kember at the Boggabri Colts, who was earlier this week named to lead the club for its return campaign.

Kember has been a major part of the Narrabri RSL Cricket Club’s first grade era of dominance, during which he and his former teammates won five straight first grade one day premierships and last season’s T20 premiership. The gun all-rounder also earned a grand final player-of-the-match medal, a leading wicket-taker trophy and a best and fairest trophy during his time at RSL.

Kember’s former teammate Jarrett Tough will be at the helm of defending champions RSL for another season as he looks to guide them to a sixth straight one day premiership, and Tourist Hotel will again be led by Luke Meppem (one dayers) and Hamish Duncan (T20s).

The first round of the T20 campaign will be contested under lights tonight, with defending champs RSL challenging Tourist Hotel at Collins Park while the new boys on the block Boggabri go head-to-head with the Razorbacks at Hogan Oval.

Tatts have the bye in the opening round of the T20 campaign but will take the field at Leitch Oval tomorrow for the opening round of the one day competition against Tourist Hotel.

The other 40-over first grade match will see RSL and the Razorbacks meet in a grand final rematch, and the Boggabri Colts have the opening-round bye.

There will be no second grade T20 cricket this weekend following their season openers last Saturday. However, the second grade one day competition will get underway tomorrow when Gately Field hosts the grand final rematch between Sign Print Stitch Narrabri Colts and RSL, while Tourist and Tatts meet at Hogan Oval.