to Tatts Cricket Club Match Reports

Jason Trindall bowled his RSL first grade cricket side to victory last Saturday at Collins Park with an inspiring spell of fast bowling to claim 4/30 from 8 overs. Trindall’s spell was impressive enough for the umpires to award him man of the match status. Earlier his side won the toss and decided to bat on an excellent batting wicket with Mick Davis and Tony Dampney to face the music. Dampney was bowled by Nathan Ford in the third over for a duck with the score on three. Davis and Jim Pitman survived some tight bowling from Ford and Daniel Lowder before Pitman was bowled by Steven Ford for 13 with the score on 39. Craig O’Connor 17 and Davis steadied with wicket losses to take the score to 99 with Davis (65) benefiting from some poor Tatt’s catching to keep the run rate ticking over. Shortly after the last drinks break O’Connor was bowled by Russell Wood and some quick wickets followed with RSL looking like floundering after their good early work. James Shelton (31*) provided the late strike power needed to set a difficult target of 7/172. Tatt’s fielding on the ground had been brilliant however, the Tatt’s catching proved to be shocking with many chances going down that would normally be taken. The best with the ball for Tatt’s was Russell Wood with 3/22 from nine tight overs of off spin.

Tatt’s run chase got off to a terrible start when Justin Saunders had the competitions leading run scorer, Phil Rainger caught behind without scoring from the very first ball of the innings. Saunders also removed Nathan McGinnity shortly after for 8 and the RSL lads were on a high. The introduction of Trindall shortly after wrecked the Tatt’s innings with Craig Gleeson (14), Rod Kirk (24) both dismissed. Craig O’Connor chimed in with the wickets of Neil Hatton (4) and Tony Meppem (4) to have Tatt’s on the edge at 6/56. A late flurry of runs to Russell Wood that included 4 sixes was enough to lift Tatt’s to victory, however as Trindall and Bruce McConnell cleaned up the innings to see Tatt’s fall 50 runs short of the target and be dismissed for 123 in only the 27^th over. RSL’s best with the ball were undoubtedly Jason Trindall with 4/30 while Craig O’Connor 2/14 and Bruce McConnell 2/13 provided good support.

RSL were deserving champions after their loss the year before to Tatt’s and Jason Trindall gratefully accepted the Col Cameron shield to cap off a couple of years of hard work.

Tatt’s & RSL had victories in the rain on Saturday to complete the final round of the Narrabri & district cricket association first grade competition. Tatt’s were sent in by Namoi Bowling Club at Collin’s Park on a wicket livened up by the rain the day before. The seasons leading run scorer, Phil Rainger (46) had little problems with the Bowling Club attack to lead his side to a modest but respectable total of 126 under difficult batting conditions. Best with the ball for Bowling Club were S McKenzie with 3/18 from 7 overs and G Skelton with 3/33 from 9 overs. Tatt’s opening bowlers Daniel Lowder 2/12 and Nathan Ford 5/18 completely destroyed the Bowling Club batting with the fielders chipping in with some smart catching. Bowling Club eventually were dismissed for 44 with Jarrod Lyon 16 and Mick Dowdell 14 the only batsmen to reach double figures.

Next week will see Namoi Bowling Club and RSL play off in the final for the right to challenge Tatt’s the following week in the season decider. In second grade Commercials and Tourist Hotel will play off at Hogan Oval for the right to also take on Tatt’s in the decider.

Tatt’s cricket side have secured the minor premiership with a hard fought win over a depleted RSL side at Collin’s Park last Saturday. RSL batted first and after a slow start were 0/17 at the first drinks break. Craig O’Connor 22 and Bruce Bell 37 lifted the run rate along with hard hitting skipper Jason Trindall with 37 as well. RSL eventually scored 9/148 from their 45 overs while Tatt’s best with the ball was Daniel Lowder with 0/8 from six overs. Tatt’s set about their run chase in a more even approach with Phil Rainger 21 & Rod Kirk 34 providing a solid foundation. Kirk looked good until he was bowled by Ian Wickham with the score on 5/93. Veteran Tony Meppem 31 and Nathan McGinnity 25* steered their side to within sight of a win with a 45 run partnership with Meppem being stumped from the bowling of Bruce Bell with just 11 runs needed to win. McGinnity and Daniel Lowder saw the minor premiers home with 8 balls to spare. RSL’s best with the ball were Jason Trindall 1/7 from 9 overs and 15 year old Luke Meppem who bowled his leg spinners with great accuracy and claimed the wicket of Craig Gleeson to return the figures of 1/23 from 9 overs.

At Leitch Oval only Mick Dowdell 67 and Danny Laws 24 showed any form with the bat for Bowling Club as the Tatt’s bowlers got on top early and never released the grip. Nathan Ford 3/30 and Nathan McGinnity 3/22 were the destroyers to bowl Bowling Club out for 110. Tatt’s captain Craig Gleeson took the opportunity to give some boys who hadn’t had much of bat lately a chance up the order and Neil Hatton 49 and Paul Hulbert 37 relished the time in the middle before their side got home with only four wickets lost.

In last weeks Narrabri District Cricket Association 1^st grade competition competition front runners Tatt’s survived a tight finish against a Commercials outfit strengthened by the return of Adrian Schwager, Andrew Smart and Sid Brummell. Commercials had first use of the wicket on a stinking hot day. The old firm of Schwager and Smart battled their opposition and the stifling heat to post a 102 run stand before Smart was dismissed by Steven Ford for 47. Jeff Brummell was run out 1 run later by Craig Gleeson. Sid Brummell also left the crease a short time later with the score on 119. Brummell’s departure triggered a Commercials collapse with Nathan McGinnity 3/22 and Craig Gleeson 5/5 applying the pressure. Commercials lost 7/25 to be all out for 144 with Adrian Schwager tuning up for this weeks Pilliga competition grand final with a fine innings of 67 runs. In contrast to the Commercials innings the Tatt’s innings started badly with the loss of Neil Hatton for a duck without a run on the board. Tatt’s lost 4 more wickets to be 5/33 in the 12^th over before Nathan McGinnity joined Tony Meppem to steady the ship. The pair put on 51 before McGinnity was out to Drew Smart for a well compiled 20. Meppem then lost Nathan Ford for 2 and the score on 96. Veteran all-rounder Russell Wood then joined Meppem to push their side to victory. The plan almost came unstuck with Meppem dismissed for 50 with only 11 runs needed for victory, however Wood 25* and the cool Steven Ford 7* got their side home with 7 balls remaining. Commercials bowled particularly well with Ken Campbell 3/35 and Andrew Cory 3/23 being the leading wicket takers.

In the top of the table clash at Leitch Oval competition front runners Tatt’s faced RSL in a game in which a win for Tatt’s would have ensured the minor premiership. RSL are the only side to have inflicted defeat on the reigning premiers this year and the teams have had some close contests this season. Tatt’s won the toss and batted first on another good batting strip. Neil Hatton was dismissed early with the score on 7 however, Rod Kirk (18) and Phil Rainger took the score along to 67 before Kirk was dismissed. Rainger again looked comfortable against the RSL attack after previous scores of 108 and 84 against them this season. Rainger and Craig Gleeson (26) pushed the scoring rate up and Raingers 50 also marked the need for Neil Hatton to return as a runner with the consistent opener pulling a hamstring running between the wickets. With Hatton’s assistance Rainger powered on to a dominate 103 not out while Paul Hulbert smashed 21 late runs to remain not out and push the total to 4/192. A previously out of form Mick Davis set himself for a big score for RSL as the total would prove hard to reign in on a slow outfield. Davis and Tony Dampney (17) got the side off to a solid start with 55 on the board before Dampney was caught and bowled by Steve Ford. Chase Magner (49*) and Davis paced their run home well with 106 needed off the last 15 overs and more importantly nine wickets in hand. Davis struck the ball strongly with ten fours and two sixes to bring up his century. Davis continued on with the job to eventually get his side home with 3 balls left and remained not out 116*.

Tatt’s 1^st XI consolidated their commanding halfway lead in the Narrabri & district cricket competition last Saturday with a hard fought 25 run victory over second placed RSL. The win now puts Tatt’s three wins clear at the top of the table with only eight games remaining after Christmas. Phil Rainger again led the way for Tatt’s with a consistent display of controlled aggression to score 85 runs before he was caught on the boundary thanks to a good catch by Jim Pitman. Tatt’s recovered from 4/63 to post an imposing total of 196 with Paul Hulbert (36) and Daniel Lowder (29) providing the power hitting to assist Rainger. Bruce McConnell again had Tatt’s in trouble with his left arm seamers to return 4/19 from nine overs. Michael Spalding (27) looked in good touch for RSL at the top of the order following on from his big century the week before. Spalding and Tony Dampney (68) provided the solid start RSL were looking for however the partnership was broken when Spalding was given out LBW with the score on 32. Dampney batted on with a number of partners however, no significant partnerships could be formed with in excess of six runs an over needed. Dampney was finally out to a good catch in the deep by Brendon Ward with the score on 166 and from that point RSL had little chance of an upset. Tatt’s best with the ball were Daniel Lowder with 1/13, Russell Wood 2/17 and Craig Gleeson 3/38.

Competition hot shots Tatt’s continued their steam-rolling performance towards the minor premiership with a convincing five wicket victory over Namoi Bowling Club at Hogan Oval. Bowling Club batted first and struggled to post a total of 131 before they were dismissed in their last over. Mark Page was the shinning light with the bat rescuing his side with a not out half century (50) at number seven in the face of some tight Tatt’s bowling. Steven Ford nine overs for 1/12 and Russell Wood 2/5 from nine overs put the screws on the Bowling Club scoring. Phil Rainger put the game beyond doubt for Tatt’s with a fine contribution of 67 at the top of the order while captain Craig Gleeson retired hurt after being struck in the mouth by a return while diving to make his ground. Tatt’s have now opened up a two game margin over RSL and a three game lead over Namoi Bowling Club.

Narrabri District Cricket Association first grade competition leaders Tatt’s had an exciting victory over RSL at Hogan Oval last Saturday. RSL had batted first and were bowled out for 148 with Jim Pitman (46) and Bruce Bell (36) doing the bulk of the scoring for their side. Tatt’s bowling honours went to Captain Craig Gleeson with 3/6 while Russell Wood 3/17 and Nathan Ford 3/18 were in the wickets. The Tatt’s run chase got off to the usual flying start with Gleeson and Phil Rainger putting on 18 in three overs before Gleeson was bowled by Darren Burton. Rod Kirk and Rainger took the score to 48 in the 13^th over when Kirk was caught behind off the bowling of Jason Trindall. Rainger followed for 30 a short time later with the total on 65. The introduction of the spin of Bruce Bell 4/29 and Jim Pitman 1/23 on a crumbling wicket saw Tatt’s batsmen struggle to come to terms with the sharply turning ball. A succession of Tatt’s batsmen lost patience and left veteran left hander Tony Meppem at the other end pondering a likely loss as his side slumped to 9/126 still needing 23 with No 11 Steve Ford striding to the crease. Ford better known as a bowler, showed his more illustrious batsmen how to play the turning ball as he and Meppem (43*) took their side to a position where they needed 5 runs from the last two overs. Meppem got a single off the second ball of Darren Burtons over and Ford (6*)completed the task with a sweetly hit boundary off the next ball to claim victory and shoot his team two wins clear at the top of the ladder. Bruce Bell 4/29 and Jason Trindall 3/10 were the pick of the RSL attack.

Defending premiers Tatt’s Cricket Club took the outright lead of the Narrabri District Cricket Association first grade competition last Saturday as a result of a strong win over a depleted Commercials side. Commercials captain Ken Campbell won the toss and decided to bat with regular players, Adrian Schwager, Sid & Jeff Brummell, Greg Cameron, Andrew Cory and John Manchee all missing. Phil Crockett (25) and Ray Booby (15) took advantage of some sloppy Tatt’s catching in the slips to get their side off to a solid start. The reliable hands of Matt Panton got the break-through when he caught Booby off the bowling of Nathan Ford with the score on 33. Commercials batting was going to rely heavily on Ken Campbell with so many regulars out however, he pulled a long hop from Panton straight to Craig Gleeson who took a scorcher at mid wicket to dismiss Campbell for a duck. Rhys Duncan (8) and Chris Booby (11) provided some late resistance to push the total to 76 before the innings ended. Tatt’s best with the ball were Matt Panton 3/17 and Nathan McGinnity 2/12. Tatt’s captain Graig Gleeson continued his hot and cold season when he was trapped LBW by Ken Campbell in the first over for 2. Rod Kirk (52*) and Brendon Ward (9) posted a partnership of 55 to assure Tatt’s victory and outright lead of the competition.

RSL exacted some revenge for last years Grand Final loss to Tatt’s by bowling out the premiers for a very ordinary score of 90. Phil Rainger again led the way with the bat for Tatt’s to score 27 while Bruce McConnell was the destroyer for RSL taking 5/26. The RSL run chase was again anchored by Mick Spalding who scored 37 of the 91 runs needed however, RSL did lose 5 wickets in passing their opponents total. Tatt’s best with the ball were Brad Nott 2/13 and Nathan McGinnity 2/10.

Tatt’s continued their unbeaten run with an under-strength side defeating Namoi Bowling Club by 53 runs at No 3 Oval. Tatt’s captain, Craig Gleeson returned to form with the bat following a dismal start to the season by top scoring for his team with 63 runs of his side’s total of 8/208. Phil Rainger 41 and Rod Kirk 36 also continued their good early form. Bowling Clubs best with the ball was Lucas Shields with 2/22 from 4 overs. A strong Bowling Club batting line-up couldn’t do the job with only Steven Page 67 and Jarrod Lions 36 showing stiff resistance. Bowling Club was eventually dismissed for 153 with Troy Nott the most successful bowler with 4/26 while Eddie Griffiths 2/16 bowled well.

Defending premiers Tatt’s easily accounted for a depleted Commercials side in round two of the Narrabri district cricket first grade competition last Saturday. Tatt’s won the toss and batted on a good wicket. Phil Rainger continued his good early form to post 37 in the opening role before he was bowled by Ken Campbell. Rainger had earlier lost skipper Craig Gleeson for 9 with the score on 27. Rod Kirk and Matt Panton settled the innings and were tied down by some tight bowling from Adam Kay who bowled 8 overs for just 16 runs. Panton was the first to be dismissed for 25. Panton’s dismissal and the slow early scoring saw Russell Wood promoted from his usual number 11 position to score quick runs. Wood achieved his goal smashing 26 off one over and eventually scoring 43 in very quick time. Rod Kirk was also dismissed for a patient 43 runs. David Lewis scored quickly at the death to remain not out 25 to take his side up to 7/201. Commercials best with the ball were Adam Kay with 0/16 from eight overs and Andrew Cory with 2/33. Chris Booby also used his height to advantage to claim 2/47. The Commercials run chase was in constant trouble with wickets falling regularly in the face of good bowling by Nathan Ford 3/16 and Nathan McGinnity 3/18. Only Adam Kay (21) and Greg Cameron (14) made double figures as Commercials were bundled out for 63.

Last seasons 1^st grade premiers Tatt’s Cricket Club started their new season off with an emphatic victory over RSL at Collins Park last Saturday thanks to a magnificent 108 not out to new recruit Phil Rainger. Rainger batted throughout the 40 over innings striking two sixes and eleven fours in his stay at the crease. Tatts new captain Craig Gleeson won the toss and opened the innings with his star recruit. Gleeson didn’t recreate last years grand final form though to be out caught by a sharp catch by Tony Gibbs at gully off the bowling of Justin Saunders for 2. Paul Hulbert (8) and Matt Panton (4) lost their wickets to Darren Burton before Tony Meppem joined Rainger. The pair put on 64 runs to take the score to 100 before Meppem was dismissed for 24. Rainger then continued his assault on the RSL attack to post his century with two overs remaining and take the score to 7/180. RSL captain relished the drop back in class from Michael Clarke on Tuesday to bowl without luck to be the pick of the RSL bowlers while Darren Burton bowled with good early pace to claim 2/23 from 6 overs. The RSL innings began badly with Daniel Lowder claiming the early wickets of Tony Dampney and Jim Pitman with the score only on 13. Mick Davis and Michael Spalding steadied the ship with a 48 run partnership before Davis holed out down the ground to the trusty hands of Matt Panton. Davis’s dismissal led to a regular flow of wickets as Panton 3/38 and Nathan McGinnity 3/27 claimed the wickets. James Shelton 27* and Justin Saunders 10* provided a rear guard action for the last wicket to push the score up to 9/140 before their side ran out of overs. Rainger completed a big day by keeping for 40 overs and taking one catch and effecting two stumpings to earn undoubted man of the match honours.

2nd Grade