Cricket: Texans on track for 2nd NZ title

Matt Edmondson.

Napier Technical Old Boys have shown their first-up loss was just a hiccup after notching another win yesterday.

"We're very much in it," said Dale Smidt, the coach of the Complete Flooring-sponsored team, after they beat KaikoraI (Otago) by 103 runs in their NZCT National Cricket Club Championship match in Auckland.

Having won the toss and electing to pad up, NTOB amassed 234-8 on the platform of Matt Edmondson's 82 runs and Christian Leopard's 37 before skittling Kaikorai for 131 with spinner Jadyn Lennox claiming 3-17 and captain Stevie Smidt taking 3-25 at Cornwall CC grounds.

"We played on the No1 wicket where 220 runs was the biggest score and we got 234, so that shows we batted bloody well," Smidt said of NTOB, who are on their seventh campaign for national bragging rights.

Such was the onslaught from NTOB batsmen on an expansive outfield that Kaikorai bowlers struggled to stop the haemorrhaging flow of runs.

However, the Texans didn't have it all their own way when they lost the wicket of veteran opener George Diack for just one run in the first over but Edmondson, at first drop, stopped the rot with a steady knock that yielded 13 boundaries from 122 balls.

Kaikorai No7 Geordie Scott, unbeaten on 41, was the only one to offer NTOB bowlers some resistance as other batsmen came and went.

Smidt said it didn't help that NTOB's first loss on day one came after a month's layoff from cricket.

"We haven't dropped a catch in three days so that's great," he said when asked if he had anything else to add.

NTOB play unbeaten St Albans (Canterbury) today in what should be their defining moment for a second club nationals crown.

St Albans 214 beat Suburbs New Lynn (Auckland) 189 by 25 runs.

However, they got home by a whisker on Wednesday.

NTOB assailants Eastern Suburbs (Wellington) 173-4 beat Manukau City (Northern Districts) 167 by six wickets yesterday.