Makaraka hold off Te Hapara’s challenge

AND STILL CHAMPIONS: Makaraka retained the MCC Bat with a nailbiting one-run win against Te Hapara at Nelson Park yesterday. Team members are, back (from left): Dylan Worsnop, Rhys Grogan, Sam Gaddum and Ky Bartlett. Front: Georgia Hulme-Moir, Angus Allan, Tom Fletcher, William Matthews, Hamish Swann and Dylan O’Rourke. Picture supplied

MAKARAKA retained the MCC Bat yesterday, beating Te Hapara in a game that came down to the last ball.

Te Hapara needed three runs off the final delivery, bowled by Dylan O’Rourke. As Te Hapara went for a second run — which would have tied the game — Makaraka effected a match-winning run-out.

Poverty Bay Cricket district manager Mel Knight said O’Rourke took the responsibility of bowling the last over and “bowled really tight lines”.

Makaraka batted first, and Rhys Grogan and Hamish Swann put on 50 runs for the first wicket. Grogan top-scored with 39 before he was bowled by Bekko Page. Swann hit 36 runs before Johnathan Gray bowled him.

Page, 3-17 off four overs, and Gray, 2-20, were the pick of the bowlers. Some big hitting down the order from William Matthews, with the only six of the day, and a few extras helped Makaraka to 131-7 off 20 overs.

Te Hapara were in trouble when they lost David Gray, bowled by Grogan for eight. Tyrone Mauheni was out for seven soon after.

Opener Kelan Bryant dug in and was joined by Page, both batsmen scoring 32 runs. Bryant went first, bowled by Ky Bartlett, and from there things got interesting.

Page did everything he could to get on strike but the Makaraka bowlers picked off the tailenders and kept the in-form Page at the other end.