Five-wicket Hall sends Wilga Hotel Razorbacks three wins clear at the top of the table

The Wilga Hotel Razorbacks have all but secured a second consecutive Narrabri District Cricket Association first grade minor premiership after scoring a clinical top-of-the-table clash victory against RSL at Leitch Oval on Saturday.

The ladder leaders knocked over the RSL men for 80 runs in 31.5 overs in the round 11 match and then chased down the required total in just 15.1 overs, having only lost three wickets.

The seven-wicket victory saw them go three wins clear of second-placed RSL at the top of the table with just three games left.

The Razorbacks are now on 54 points, while RSL and Tatts are locked on 36 points each. All three of those teams have three matches left to play, while fourth-placed Boggabri Colts on 32 points have four to play.

RSL, Tatts and the Boggabri Colts are all still mathematically a chance of overtaking Wilga Hotel, but one of those sides would need to win out on the run home and would also need Wilga Hotel to lose all three of their games.

With that scenario highly unlikely, a second first-place finish in as many years and another grand final appearance look locked in for the Razorbacks, and their goal after this weekend’s round 12 bye will be to go through the regular season undefeated for a second straight season.

RSL’s loss saw them essentially crash out of the minor premiership race, with their focus now switched to qualifying for the top three rather than battling for first.

Tatts joined RSL on 36 points following their four-wicket win against Tourist Hotel at Collins Park on Saturday afternoon, and Boggabri are less than a win behind them both with a game in hand, making for an entertaining final four rounds.

RSL batted first in round 11 after their skipper Jarrett Tough won the toss, and it was the Wilga Hotel men who got on top early as Dylan Smith trapped Bailey Keeler in front LBW (3) in the second over before the Razorbacks’ skipper Jack Tate bowled Tough for a fourth-ball duck in the third.

That made the score 2-7, which then became 3-17 in the sixth over when Nathan Trindall (9) was caught behind by Angus Galagher as Smith claimed his second wicket of the day.

Smith then ended his first spell with a maiden in the eighth over before he was replaced by Jay Hall in the 10th, who made an immediate impact as he bowled Shane Murphy (3) with his first ball.

Just as they had done the week before against Cody Kember in a loss against the Boggabri Colts, RSL struggled to deal with anything on the stumps against the Razorbacks, and Hall took full advantage with some impressive bowling to secure a five-wicket haul. He bowled Alin Chhantyal (2) in the 11th over to make the score 5-28 and then produced a double-wicket maiden in the 13th as he bowled Jordan Doolan (1) and Max Hunter (0) to make it 7-34.

Former Razorback Hadley Sevil then arrived at the crease to partner RSL’s top run-scorer this season, Jake Brayshaw, and the duo produced their side’s best partnership of the contest as they combined for 34 runs, which was as many as they scraped together from their first seven wickets.

Brayshaw was managing to provide his side with some hope, and he looked in good touch when he smashed his seventh four of the day in the 27th over to move to 42 runs.

However, he was bowled by Clay Hoffman from the next delivery to depart for a team-best score of 42 that would eventually finish as more than half of his team’s total.

Smith struck again with his third wicket of the game in the 30th over when he bowled Travis Hinkley (3), before Hall returned for his second spell in the 35th over and produced four dot balls and the innings-ending wicket when he bowled Hadley Sevil to finish with 5-5 from 7.5 overs. That impressive spell included four maidens and a total of 42 dot balls.

Smith (3-28 from eight overs), Tate (1-14 from eight overs) and Hoffman (1-21 from five overs) combined for the other five wickets.

RSL needed an early wicket against a red-hot Razorbacks side to have any hope of winning the match, and their opening bowler delivered in the first over as Trindall knocked over Matt Bradshaw caught and bowled for a golden duck.

Greg Melton (37) and Smith (34) then put on a 56-run partnership to get their side’s innings on track, and despite both losing their wickets late, Angus Galagher (9*) guided the Razorbacks to a seven-wicket win.

Hall was awarded the three NDCA best and fairest points while Smith picked up two and one went to Brayshaw.

Wilga Hotel will have a weekend off to rest and recover in round 12 ahead of their three-game quest to finish undefeated in rounds 13 to 15. Their next match is against Tatts at Collins Park on February 22.

RSL will go in search of a much-needed victory in round 11 as they meet Tourist Hotel at Collins Park, and the other fixture will see the Boggabri Colts and Tatts go head-to-head at Hogan Oval.