Dannevirke P3 cricketers score three wins

The victorious Dannevirke Sports Club P3 Black team on Saturday, January 15.

The Cricket Manawatu Premier Three (P3) grade resumed its 40-over one-day competition on Saturday, January 15, and since then Dannevirke Sports Club Black have scored their second and third - wins beating Freyberg at home on the grass wicket in the Domain and Feilding at Feilding January 22.

Batting first, Freyberg were dismissed for 88 off 30 overs the result of excellent bowling and fielding as well as an uneven bounce in the wicket due to restricted watering.

This team is a mixture of youngsters and veterans, many of them dads of the youngsters and they combine very well. Catching was a real highlight, William Allomes taking a caught and bowled with his left hand in one of the best catches of the season. Freyberg applauded!

Shaun Baxter straight drives for four.

William took two wickets but older brother Jack took three for 20 off seven overs and Eden Chapman-Peters took three 3 for 17 off six overs.

In reply, after both openers went cheaply, veteran Graeme Harris combined with Taj Chapman-Peters to stabilise the innings, Graeme belting 45 with five sixes and Taj playing more watchful innings being 33 not out when the score was passed for five wickets and 15 overs to spare.

In their second game, P3 Black had Feilding all out for 98 – wickets shared and in reply Paul Chapman on 49 and Graeme Harris 37 saw the total passed in just 18 overs.

Meanwhile, after a loss, last week against Manawatu Super Indians Dannevirke P3 Yellow lodged its first win of the season at home against Palmerston North High School Thirds.

Veteran Gordon Kuggeleijn added to his 60 not out against in the first game with a 54 in this game, a last wicket partnership of 43 between Mohammed Rokon and Blair Monaghan building a total of 210/9 off 40 overs.

In reply PNBHS scored 205 for 7, the last over bowled by Kuggeleijn resulting in three wickets – two run outs and a bowled as PNBH tried to make up the deficit. This was a fairytale end to an exciting first win on the grass wicket in extreme heat.

Meanwhile, there have been no fairytale wins for the Dannevirke Sports Club Premier One side playing two matches each Saturday of T20 cricket since the New Year in Palmerston North.

Twice the result has come down to the last over, Dannevirke losing by one run in the third last ball of the first game against Old Boys and in the last ball of the match against Freyberg when they scored the two runs to win.

Captain Thomas Kuggeleijn says his team is always competitive but so far no one has scored a match-winning innings or taken a five-wicket bag in the six games so far.