Cricket: Outright win keeps visitors in touch

FIVE-WICKET BAG: Angus Schaw. PHOTO/FILE

WHEN the Hawke's Bay contingent descended at Donnelly Park, Levin, they feared the worst.

Overnight rain on Friday and Saturday had put a big question mark on whether any cricket was possible at the park, let alone a Hawke Cup-qualifying two-day zone 2 Furlong Cup affair.

"The conditions we played in were very difficult. A lot of water had seeped under the covers, which in fact wasn't adequate for a Hawke Cup match so that was quite disappointing," Pay Excellence Hawke's Bay senior men's representative team coach Colin Schaw said last night after they still overcame the odds to trounce Horowhenua Kapiti by 10 wickets.

In fact, he said the conditions were "pretty pathetic" so they didn't expect to play at all but were delighted to come away with 112 overs.

"I was really chuffed with the guys because when you're standing around not playing and suddenly you put the job in front of them and they did it because at times like them many tend to just let it go."

Having lost the toss when they eventually started at 2pm, the Jacob Smith-captained Bay skittled the hosts for 99 runs in 53 overs.

Son Angus Schaw took a five-wicket bag and worked clinically again in tandem with fellow spinner Ajaz Patel.

"In the first innings Jazz and Gus bowled 30-odd overs between them to bowl them out," said the senior Schaw.

The Bay seamers had toiled and were mostly unplayable, beating the bat for frugality.

The visitors then declared at 5-100 from 27.1 overs to ensure first-innings points were in the bag before trying to beat the elements again when play resumed at 2pm yesterday after more water had crept under the covers.

Smith and his troops then proceeded to march towards an outright win, skittling Horowhenua Kapiti for just 39 runs in 20.2 overs with seamers Kurt Richards and Blair Tickner hard to get away as they came up with the figures of 3-9 and 1-12, respectively.

"Our catching behind the wicket was extremely good so that was good to see," said Schaw, saluting elder son and wicketkeeper Scott Schaw for making a good fist of things in trying conditions that offered "bounce and turn".

The Bay were mindful that Manawatu and Taranaki were heading towards outright victories as well.

They play Wairarapa in Masterton on December 5-6 in the next qualifier.