Jack Kempston's century leads Newtown Ducks to rain-affected RSL Pinnington Cup grand final win

While the final result was something of an anticlimax - the Ducks won due to be minor premiers after rain on Saturday night left the uncovered pitch unplayable - there was more than enough action on day one of the contest.

The Ducks piled on a staggering 334 in 61.1 overs on Saturday, with Kempston's 140 from 122 a brilliant highlight.

The Kempston family dominated the contest, as Jack first combined with his father Mick (73 from 54 balls) in a destructive 131-run opening stand before he teamed up with younger brother Charlie (37) to take the game right away from the Demons.

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When Charlie fell the Ducks were 2/205 and there was plenty more to come as Aiden Giffin then got to enjoy watching Jack pummel the Demons attack.

Jack Kempston hit five fours and a huge eight sixes in his knock, which was scored against one of the second grade competition's better bowling attacks.

Eight Demons players were thrown the ball in order to try and make something happen, but it was only captain Tom Skinner who made any meaningful impact.

Skinner finished with 5/71 from 16 overs, his economy rate of 4.43 runs per over looking good compared to a number of his teammates.

Giffin finished with 37 while the Ducks' lower order crumbled quite quickly as they had a swing and attempted to keep the runs flowing.

In the end, the Ducks scored the highest score seen in the RSL Pinnington Cup and they did so at a rate of more than five runs an over.

Jack Kempston's score of 140 was also easily the highlight of an immense season of run-scoring.

The hard-hitting right-hander scored more than 600 runs in total for the summer, with five half-centuries and one big century recorded along the way.

When the Ducks were bowled out on Saturday there was three overs still remaining in the day but Demons opening pair of Angus Lennon (2 not out) and Clay Neale (1 not out).

The Demons needed to produce something miraculous on Sunday but they never got the chance as the decision to leave the pitch uncovered overnight resulted in the match being abandoned.

The Ducks then spent Sunday afternoon watching RSL Colts win the first grade as they celebrated their premiership win.

The result capped a hugely successful two seasons in the Dubbo competition for the Ducks.

A number of players in the team were part of the Ducks side which had played in the Wellington Twenty20 competition prior to the 2021/22 season but they quickly made their presence felt in second grade after joining the Newtown club.

Last season the Ducks lost a thrilling preliminary final to eventual premiers Narromine but they proved a standout in the 2022/23 summer.

The side lost just three times on the way to winning the minor premiership, one point ahead of the Macquarie team they crushed in the major semi-final earlier in the month.

The Demons - largely a bunch of mates who play Australian Rules together - finished the regular season in third and scored a hugely impressive win over Macquarie in the preliminary final to set-up the decider clash with the Ducks.

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