GOLF Club have won back-to-back in the Narrabri District Cricket Association first grade premierships after scoring 200 runs before a huge hailstorm washed out what could have been an exciting finish to the season.

Captain Luke Meppem said that it was not the ideal way to finish the season but was glad to take the title any way they could.

“It is not the way you want to do it,” Meppem said.

“That is why being minor premiers can be so important.”

The skipper was confident that they were on their way to a victory when the storm came through, but would rather have won it on the field rather than running for shelter as a violent hailstorm raged across Collins Park.

“There was hail the size of cricket balls,” Meppem said.

“We could hear it smashing up the town as it came towards us.

“I had no idea what it was – it was out of control.

“Over an inch of rain came down and with the hail and lightning, we had to call it.”

Before the rain, the sun beat down on the Collins Park wicket as Meppem won the toss and elected to bat.

Jason Trindall had the top order pinned down, and was luckless finishing with 0-9 from nine overs, although with that sort of pressure wickets were falling at the other end as Mick Bayliss took 2-20 as Golf Club got off to a shaky start.

“We were two for not very much early and then we were 3-25 after 10,” Meppem said.

Luke Barton and man of the moment Ryan Meppem, steadied the ship with a 116-run partnership at about a run a ball.

Barton really opened the shoulders and top scored with his 77 coming from just 58, while Ryan Meppem took his season run tally over the 400 mark with a 45.

The innings closed with a quick-fire 15 from 15 from the skipper as they strove for, and finished, on 6-200.

In reply RSL also lost two early wickets with Sapan Jariwala getting a second ball duck after chopping Ryan O’Neill back on.

Scott Palumbo also fell heavily. That left dangerous batsmen Michael Dowdell at the crease with Zac Brayshaw.

“We had Mick Dowdell tied up pretty much,” Meppem said.

“If they were going to win it would have been up to him, so it would have been interesting if we got to play.”

As it was, RSL were 2-42 after 15 overs when the skies opened up and started bowling balls of its own.

That night, 15-year-old Ryan Meppem cleaned up the Golf Club awards, taking out the batting and bowling aggregate awards, as well as bowling average, and then Best and Fairest to top it off.

It is icing on the cake for Meppem, who recently returned from representative duties with CHS II at the Schoolboys Championships in Tamworth, as well as great representative figures and experience with the Narrabri side, which played well enough to earn an MA Connolly Cup final at home this season.

“Up until the finals he took 32 wickets at 11 and had scored 380 runs,” older brother Luke Meppem said.

The only thing he didn’t win was the batting average, which went to Shane Smith for his 373 runs at 34 and the captain’s award went to Chris Sargent.

“He travels from Lightning Ridge to Narrabri every week to play cricket,” Meppem said.

“He is a very good player who loves the game.”