Cricket: Furlong Cup match abandoned

The zone 2 Furlong Cup match between Manawatu and Hawke's Bay at Fitzherbert Park, Palmerston North, was abandoned yesterday. PHOTO/NZME.

The zone 2, Furlong Cup two-day senior men's representative cricket match between Manawatu and Hawke's Bay in Palmerston North was abandoned yesterday.

The hosts bowled only 21.1 overs at Fitzherbert Park on Saturday after winning the toss and having Pay Excellence-sponsored Bay padding up.

Opener Matt Edmondson was out for seven runs and No 3 Rupert Young was back in the pavilion for nine.

Captain/opener Jacob Smith was unbeaten on 26 from 72 balls while No 4 Bradley Schumlian was 10 not out from 27 deliveries when rain stopped play about 2pm to leave the visitors stranded on 64-2.

With rain overnight again on Saturday there was no chance of play yesterday.

"It was on and off covers but the ground was pretty saturated so we would have been struggling to get a result whatsoever," Bay coach Colin Schaw said after the plug was pulled on the game about 3pm yesterday.

While Manawatu coach Michael Mason and his men will need a miracle to earn the right to challenge for the Hawke Cup this summer, it wasn't an issue for Schaw and his side who shared four points each.

"It'll be hard for them to get back now. He's not very happy at all but we can't do anything about the weather," Schaw said.

The Bay camp had an eye on the Taranaki v Horowhenua-Kapiti game where the former, needing 11 runs, claimed first-innings points at 3.25pm yesterday.

That will make the Bay v Taranaki match on January 14 a must-win for both sides if they want to earn the right to challenge for the symbol of minor association supremacy.

However, the Bay host Whanganui at Nelson Park, Napier, this weekend.

"We'll have to get an outright win over Wanganui first," Schaw said.