Horowhenua-Kapiti Bears fast bowler Jaedyn Dawson in action for his Weraroa club team earlier this season. Photo / Steven White
Horowhenua-Kapiti Bears fast bowler Jaedyn Dawson in action for his Weraroa club team earlier this season. Photo / Steven White
Young Horowhenua-Kāpiti Bears fast bowler Jaedyn Dawson was rewarded for some good old-fashioned pace bowling with a five-wicket bag against Wairarapa at Queen Elizabeth Park at the weekend.
Dawson came on at first change and saw off the Wairarapa top order of Jake Jonas, Gus Borren and Jared van Deventer in an electric first spell that set the tone for his team early in the Furlong Cup two-day match.
The 20-year-old right-arm quick used pace and accuracy to devastating effect and finished with 5-40 off 13 overs - with four batsman clean bowled. He could possibly have done even more damage, but for a niggling thigh injury that saw him used sparingly in the second innings.
Dawson was backed up by HK Bears opening bowlers Zack Benton (3-43) Carter Andrews (2-30) to have Wairarapa all out for 140 in the 53rd over on the first day.
HK Bears were sublime in reply with Bailey Te Tomo (93) and Andrew Simpson (75) taking their team to 170 without loss, in what was a fine opening stand.
Te Tomo was looking likely to card his second century in as many weeks, coming hot on the heels of a brilliant 178 against Hawke’s Bay, only to be judged leg before wicket off the bowling of Quinn Childs.
Prabodha Arthavidu chimed in with 83 and Daniel Browne with 44 as HK Bears declared at 351 in the 75th over, hoping for a repeat bowling performance in the search for an outright victory.
With sunshine sucking life from the pitch the Wairarapa batsman made a better fist of things in the second innings with Jake Jonas (51) and Mark Steventon (40) in no hurry to compile useful contributions, but at 7/152 there was every chance HK Bears were on target for an outright win and maximum points.
But all the first-day gremlins in the pitch had packed up and gone home, allowing Wairarapa’s tailenders to dig in. Robbie Speirs (56 not out) and George Deans (31) stuck to the task with a stubborn eighth wicket stand of 68 runs, and Wairarapa’s last batsman Angus Jaspers survived seven balls to see in the sunset.
The best of the HK Bears bowler this time round was spinner Thomas Harris with 4-58 off 21 overs. Dawson picked up another two scalps in the second innings to finish with 2-24 off nine overs - seven wickets for the match - although a dicky thigh needed attention from manager Gary O’Brien to get him through.
Horowhenua-Kāpiti Bears pace bowler Jaedyn Dawson put in an impressive performance against Wairarapa at the weekend.
Andrews (1-47), Benton (1-57), and Simpson (1-23) were the other wicket takers for HK Bears, while Daemon Kennett proved hard to score from.
While rueing not coming away with maximum point from an outright win, it was a case of taking the good with the bad as this time the thigh pad was on the other hip. Just a week earlier HK Bears had prevented Hawke’s Bay from securing an outright victory with late dose of stickability on the final day.
In the other match at the weekend, Hawke’s Bay secured first innings points against Whanganui, declaring at 304-2 in reply to their first innings target of 188.
The next match for HK Bears is against Whanganui at Donnelly Park on January 14 and 15.
SCOREBOARD
Post Office Hotel Wairarapa Senior Men - first innings
