Bay of Plenty retain Hawke Cup

TON UP: Sean Davey scored a hard-hit 141 to help Bay of Plenty retain the Hawke Cup. PHOTO: GEORGE NOVAK

Bay of Plenty successfully repelled the challenge of Hawke's Bay to retain the Hawke Cup on Sunday in what seems a straight-forward victory.

Bay of Plenty made 170, bowled the challengers out for 103, and then scored a match-winning 470 with Alex Lees and Sean Davey both scoring 141. Hawke's Bay were 120-7 when the match ended early yesterday.

But two hours into the first morning the Hawke Cup looked to be heading back to Napier. Set into bat Bay of Plenty reached 39 easily enough before captain Peter Drysdale was out for 18 and then lost 6-15 in a hapless collapse.

Yorkshire county player Alex Lees was out for four, Joe Carter was skittled first ball, Ben Musgrave and Tim Clarke were both out for second ball ducks, Tom MacRury for 25 and Sean Davey for two to leave the Bay in terrible trouble at 54-7.

Liam Dudding had 6-15 and Hawke's Bay attacked looking for the final few wickets. But cometh the hour, cometh the man and Donovan Deeble started a fight back that changed the course of the match.

The Otumoetai Cadets all-rounder got stuck into the bowling, hitting a belligerent 61. He put on 113 for the 8th wicket with debutant Brenton Thompson, who then added a vital 30 for the last wicket with Chris Atkinson.

The last three wickets contributed 113 to push Bay of Plenty to 170 and give the posse of quick bowlers something tangible to bowl at. And that was all they needed with Hawke's Bay crumbling to 64-6 at stumps and were bowled out on Saturday morning for 103 off 45 overs.

Deeble, 27, who has not given up on his dream of playing first class cricket, says he felt relaxed when he went out to bat.

"I had a few lucky play and misses then a few came out of the middle and ended up on 61," he said.

"I thought they were very good bowling condition and 170 ended up being quite a good first innings total. Having batted out there we got to see as bowlers where we needed to bowl and I think all the seamers executed it very well."

Second time at the crease was a far easier experience for the Bay of Plenty batsmen, especially with Dudding bowling just two balls before injuring his side.

After losing both openers at 24, Lees showed his professional class in compiling a fine 141 and sharing the key partnership of 167 with Joe Carter, who regained some form in making 61.

Davey then crashed it all over the pristine outfield at Bay Oval scoring 141 with 10 boundaries and seven huge sixes. His first 50 came off 96 balls but he needed just 35 balls for his second 50.

Davey and Atkinson put on 75 for the last wicket to leave Hawke's Bay an unrealistic target of 538 to win off 60 overs in two sessions of play. They reached 120-7 before the game was called off early at tea.

Bay of Plenty 170 (Donovan Deeble 66, Brenton Thompson 45, Tom MacRury 25; Liam Dudding 6-46) and 470 (Sean Davey 141, Alex Lees 141, Joe Carter 61; Liam Rukuwai 3-101) defeated Hawke's Bay 103 (Brad Schmulian 47; Deeble 4-34, Sean Davey 2-24, Chris Atkinson 2-25) and 120-7 on the first innings.