Cricket: Veteran proves it's mind over batter

Craig Findlay

Father Time visited the young and the restless in a changing room of the MacInnes Pavilion at Nelson Park, Napier.

He came in the form of Craig Findlay masquerading as Complete Flooring Napier Technical Old Boys (NTOB) No4 batsman in premier men's club cricket on Saturday.

Findlay rambled on a little after scoring a match-winning unbeaten 125 runs, but this is pretty much what he said in a nutshell: "Bat time, boys."

The 44-year-old HBCA chief executive earned the right to speak after facing 151 balls and carving up 19 boundaries in the 141-run victory over The Station Napier Old Boys' Marist (NOBM) in the opening round of the Property Brokers 50-over competition.

Findlay doesn't play much cricket these days but impressed on the young that it's played between the ears, after coming in for NTOB because of injuries and exams.

The right-hander got lucky at times in his knock but everyone knows the more experience you have the more Lady Luck wants to tango with you.

"Leave balls," Findlay said but it's a pity more players from the Bay, Central Districts and even the Black Caps weren't there.

The word is, for all its faults, social media has a way of passing things around. There's hope, after all.

Which takes us to Heretaunga Building Society Cornwall who claimed their maiden victory of the summer when they hung on for a wicket victory over Ruahine Motors CHB at Cornwall Park.

Cornwall club captain Graeme Hodges said: "The boys are pretty ecstatic with the first one of the season."

Bayleys Real Estate Havelock North got home by the skin of their teeth (three runs) against United Travel Taradale at the village.

"We're still not batting but our bowling/fielding's top notch so we got out of jail," said Havelock coach Derek Stirling, content his men were learning to win the tight ones although it wasn't good for his ticker.