Cricket: CHB thump hapless Wairarapa visitors

It would normally take Dale Smidt well after 7pm to shut shop after a game of cricket at the Nelson Park pavilion in Napier.

Yesterday the high-performance development manager was done and dusted a shade after 3pm in the New Zealand Club Championship qualifying match.

"I had everything put away and locked up by 3pm in time to watch the HRV Cup final," Smidt said yesterday after Ruahine Motors Central Hawke's Bay thumped Lansdowne Cricket Club, of Wairarapa, by 10 wickets.

The Scott Schaw-captained CHB won the toss and had the visitors padding up about 11am before skittling them for 56 in 20 overs of the one-day (50-over) match.

"Nobody made double figures," Schaw said, also chuffed to get back home in Waipukurau to watch on TV the Otago Volts clinch the HRV Cup over the Wellington Firebirds.

"The pitch was a little bit green so it was definitely a bowl-first wicket," he said as Lansdowne No 4 Alex Treseder top-scored with nine runs.

Lansdowne's scoreboard had a cellphone number look about it, including three ducks.

"They didn't put up much of a fight with the bat," Schaw said.

Jake Chambers claimed a five-wicket bag, taking 5-17 from five overs. Digby Phillips took 2-15 from five overs, including a maiden, while English import Paul Hindmarch emulated Phillips' figures but conceded one more run.

"If we hadn't conceded a few extras we wouldn't have had to chase even that much," Schaw said of a resurgent side his father, Colin Schaw, coaches this summer.

In reply, CHB openers Sam McConville and Henry Hunter were unbeaten on 24 and 19, respectively, to overhaul the total with 59 runs from 14 overs.

Devon Hotel Central Districts Stags players Ben Smith and Kruger van Wyk didn't get much of a build up to Thursday's match against the Canterbury Wizards at McLean Park, Napier, when the four-day Plunket Shield competition resumes with the Stags setting the pace.

Schaw said opening bowler Stefan Hook-Sporry put the ball in the right areas although wicket-less for 21 runs from seven overs.

CHB now play on the weekend of February 2 and 3 in Palmerston North to decide the CD region qualifiers to travel to Auckland to have a shot at becoming the country's best premier club team this summer.

The yellow and blacks will face Taranaki's qualifiers on the Saturday and, should they win, will face the winners of the Horowhenua-Kapiti versus Nelson qualifiers on the Sunday.