Club cricketer hits 307 off 115 balls

THREE HUNDRED CLUB: Craig Findlay scored 307 runs off 115 balls at the weekend.

A Hawke's Bay club cricketer has taken six-hitting and the unwritten rule of "save your legs" to a record breaking level when he smashed a blistering 307 from just 115 balls including 27 towering sixes at the weekend.

Napier Tech Old Boys senior grade batsman and Hawke's Bay Cricket CEO Craig Findlay pummelled the St Johns College first XI bowlers into submission with a strike rate of 266.66 during the sides' senior grade match on Saturday.

The St Johns boys had no answer for the 42-year-old juggernaut who opened the batting and came out swinging from ball one at Nelson Park.

"It was coming off alright. I was dropped early though by some poor young fellow when I was on about 40," said the right-handed Findlay.

"My favourite six was probably one that sailed over the sightscreen."

See the scorecard from the game here

The Napier Tech veteran, who has played for the club since 1990, completely shattered the club's highest individual score of 249.

With a previous highest score of 213 not out, Findlay was hearing calls from the sideline to push on to 400 or even 500 in the 45 over per side match.

"My hammies started to tighten up, I hadn't really run much but I ended up retiring in the 33rd over."

St Johns used 10 bowlers in a vain attempt to stop the parade of fours and sixes with no bowler going for less than eight runs per over.

Napier Tech went on to score 578 from 45 overs at a run rate of 12.84 before St Johns were skittled for 177 in reply, losing by a mammoth 401 runs.

Findlay, a former Central Districts Stags and Hawke's Bay representative, said he stopped playing premier club cricket a couple of years ago and doesn't attend trainings any more, preferring to play just a few games a season.

He said the St Johns bowling probably wasn't up to senior grade standard and said the boys from the Hastings college will probably struggle in the association's senior men's club competition.