Stevenson and Taylor Cup concludes with Waipawa win

Waipawa Area Cricket Assn with the Stevenson and Taylor Cup. Photos / Mark Boderick

This summer parks and paddocks of Central Hawke’s Bay hosted a massive 15 games of highly-competitive social cricket. The Stevenson and Taylor Cup, in its third year, had finally got to the pointy end of the season so it was time to see who would be the supreme champions of CHB country T20 cricket.

Wallingford Cricket Club continued last year’s form, galloping to the top of the table unbeaten and basically unchallenged in their five games, while second place Waipawa Area Cricket Assn had to fight for their right to make the final, trying not to fall into the habits that earned them the wooden spoon in the 22/23 season.

Forest Gate Domain was chosen to host the contest and it cannot be overstated what a terrific venue it is for all levels of cricket, not just to play on but to spectate as well.

Wallingford, sent into bat, started steadily with openers Gus Mackie and Joe Murphy testing their lung capacity by pushing the easy singles into hard twos. Moving at six per over they had set themselves a platform to take off but both fell in consecutive overs to sharp bowling from Waipawa’s second change bowling pair of Paul Jamieson and Keith Whelpton. Number four batter James Mackie needed to start the momentum again and did so quickly hitting five boundaries and retiring at 30 in 14 balls.

Ryan ‘Rhyno’ Kohleis in action for Waipawa. Photos / Mark Boderick

Waipawa stepped up their bowling and more noticeably their fielding as once Mackie had retired only one more boundary was scored courtesy of Graham “Fish” Fisher hitting his first ball off Rick Tait back to the sight screens for six. The rest of the batting order chipped away and “tractor buddies” Jimmy Hamilton and Robby Smith got more leg byes than runs for the eighth wicket but proved valuable, boosting the score to a respectable 140/8.

Waipawa’s players were careful not to overindulge in the change of innings beers as captain Hamish Adam shuffled his batting order around to suit the game situation. Finally deciding on openers Todd Astill and Ryan Kohleis they went to their work quickly scoring at 10 an over until Astil was undone by a half-tracker ripped down by a relieved Shane Mullany having already been hit for 16 runs on his first over.

“Rhyno” Kohleis kept the strike rate up after the partnership was broken and retired soon after with an impressive six boundaries to his name one of which was a dropped catch over the rope at long on by Graham Fisher, wrecking his knee in the process and having to drink his dropped catch punishment (a purple goanna) in the ambulance.

Hamish Adam piled on a quick 19 and then was undone by Jimmy Hamilton who also took Tidley Wynn for a four-ball duck that made it seem like the game may be turning to Wallingford’s favour, although lady luck seemed to be still on Waipawa’s side when middle order batter Rick Tait was hit on the leg, the ball rolling into the wickets but not dislodging the bails.

Tait and number seven Marc Ludlow made steady runs to get the win within reach. Wallingford in their last attempt to stifle the batsman brought on James Mackie to bowl his painfully slow lobs and sure enough had Tait caught in his trap, although next batter Kade Wynn knew he had plenty of time to get the required 20 runs and played defensively to see out Mackie.

Waipawa Area Cricket Assn captain Hamish Adam with Stevenson and Taylor’s Robby Smith. Photos / Mark Boderick

Wynn then went on to play two beautiful cover drives to the rope in the next over getting the target to single figures. Ludlow finished the game in the 18th over cutting to third man and looked relieved he didn’t have to run between the wickets for the next six months.

Speeches, presentations and celebrations were held whilst enjoying the bbq and drinks that Robby Smith and Duncan Harding from Stevenson and Taylor put on. It was while the teams mingled with a beer in one hand and a sausage in the other that the accusations of cheating, importing players and dirty tactics started, although tongues were firmly in the cheeks of those talking and smiles on the faces of those listening.

A successful year once again for CHB social cricket and having expanded to six teams is as strong as it’s been in the last 30 years.

A big thank you to major sponsor Stevenson and Taylor as well as the captains, managers, players, ground staff, families and supporters.