Colts once again rise to the occasion on grand final day

The Sign Print Stitch Narrabri Colts Cricket Club capped off a whirlwind year in superb style on Saturday as the club claimed its second Narrabri District Cricket Association second grade title in as many seasons.

A year since defeating RSL in their maiden campaign, the Colts made it a memorable 2025/26 season double after they also downed Tatts in the T20
decider back in January.

Tatts batted first on Saturday after their skipper Jesse Packer won the toss, and they batted out the full 40 overs to register 7-107.

The match went down to the final over in the second innings as the Colts side chased down the required total with three deliveries to spare, having lost seven wickets as well.

The match a high-quality one, with the two sides combining for just nine extras across the almost 80 overs.

It was a super start to the contest for the defending champions as opening bowler Kyne Allen produced a wicket-maiden in the first over as he removed Bill Wood for a golden duck, with the assistance of a Lucas Dowdell catch, before his partner Michael Harris-Clayton bowled a maiden from the other end in the second over.

The duo then produced 16 dot balls between them across the next three overs before Harris-Clayton secured a wicket-maiden of his own when he bowled Hugh Lennon (2) in the sixth over to make the score 2-4.

That brought Jesse Packer to the crease, and all eyes were on the Tatts skipper who claimed the top run-scorer gong with ease this season.

He had scored just six runs from 51 deliveries at the halfway mark of the innings as Tatts found themselves on 3-28 after 20 overs when the Colts’ skipper David McInnes threw the ball to the competition’s top wicket-taker this season, Gus Ford.

Packer managed one run from four deliveries before Ford struck with the big wicket for his side, bowling the Tatts skipper for seven runs to get his team well on the front foot.

Tom Cameron (16) and Michael Hewett (13) did their best to wrestle back momentum for Tatts, but the Colts were well and truly on top when that pair had departed and Ryan Steel and Campbell Hancock had both been knocked over for ducks.

However, Chris Hartnett (46*) and Jake Cooper (18*) batted out the final 8.3 overs of the innings to take Tatts from 7-63 to a respectable 7-107.

McInness (2-16 from eight overs) was his side’s best with the ball and he got them off to a good start in the second innings as he combined for 50 runs with fellow opener Matt Wall.

McInnes managed 27 runs while Wall scored 30, but their wickets kicked off a collapse as the Colts went from 0-42 in the 16th over to 7-70 when Packer bowled Ford for a duck in the 33rd.

The chasing side needed 38 runs to win from 40 deliveries, two balls into the 34th over, as Tatts started to get on top and eye off the premiership.

However, Mick Dowdell (28*) and Kyne Allen (9*) produced a grand final-winning partnership to guide their side to victory with just three deliveries to spare.

Cameron (3-15 from eight overs) and Wood (2-13 from eight overs) were both exceptional with the ball for Tatts, but the Colts were just too good on the day and did enough to secure their second premiership.

The win highlighted just how far the youngsters have come as a team and as individuals not only since the club was formed prior to last season, but as recently as last month when they were demolished by 168 runs by Tatts in round 10.

As always, they dusted themselves off following that loss and did what they had to do to get the job done.