CRICKET - Batsmen get bragging rights as club season opens

Cricketing folklore deems that, when the cricket season opens, the ball dominates the bat.
Not when it comes to kicking off the Northland club cricket season, though.
After tuning themselves up with a twenty/20 slogfest to welcome in summer, the batsmen got bragging rites in the opening round of the Whangarei one-day championship on Saturday.
Spearheaded by an eye-catching century by Jamie Lee, who is back mentoring the troops at Whangarei Boys' High School, the batsmen made the most of predictable artificial wickets to knock up some impressive totals.
Lee scored 129 as WBHS ghosted past Bledisloe in a high-scoring encounter at Kensington Park, his knock anchoring the students as they chased down Bledisloe's 300-run target in a tense encounter.
But he wasn't the only bastman to kick their season off with a healthy run balance, there were another eight half-centuries and four more batsmen who were stopped just short of the 50-run mark on a day where the scorers were kept busier than anyone expected.
It was a solid opening to the season but not a day the bowlers will want to remember.
Lee's knock was the most impressive, though, the veteran stepping in the the middle of the WBHS order when his team were struggling to gain momentum chasing Bledisloe's 300-run target at 5-119.
Although it took some time, Lee did enough to settle the nerves and guide his team home - but only after Vishan Harypursat arrived at the crease for a timely 31-run innings batting at No.9.
It was quite a run chase from the schoolboys though after they had been surprised by the ferocity of the Bledisloe openers Adam Thompson and Blair Richardson.
The game between Kamo and Onerahi did not reach the same heights, with Kamo romping home with a seven-wicket win after dismissing a disappointing Onerahi outfit for just 135. Kamo ripped through the Onerahi middle order in short time then whacked the winning runs in even less time.
Out at Maungakaramea, the hosts were dismissed for a respectable 271, Lance Jessup and Greg Robertson getting things off to a solid start with a 107-run opening partnership, but were unable to kick-on in the face of some top-notch bowling from Steven Schwartfeger and Logan Posthumus.
When City openers Brad Chard and Bert Horner marched out to start the chase Maungakaramea's fortunes soon faded as the two experienced batsmen took the game by the scruff with a 112-run opening stand, Chard getting 78 before he was caught and Horner netting 74 before he holed out.
City were then able to relax, not much mind, but enough to dig in and secure the victory in the 42nd over.