CRICKET - Pakistani pro does the job

English football clubs spend millions on buying the right player and the arrival of Stephen John at the Onerahi-Central cricket club on Saturday emphasised the difference a single player can make to a club's fortunes.
Onerahi have had to wait until the fifth round of the one-day competition for their Pakistani professional but the wait was worth it on Saturday when his performance inspired the club to their first win of the season at Kensington Park.
Although he picked up three wickets for just 17 runs as Onerahi bundled a slightly understrength Bledisloe side out for just 127, it was John's performance with the bat that really impressed.
The right-handed batsman came to the wicket with Bledisloe very much in the game at 3/27 thanks to an aggressive opening spell from Hitash Patel that claimed three wickets.
There was a definite spring in the Bledisloe step and their fielding reflected that but John steadily went about his work, compiling an unbeaten 66 to see his new team to a four-wicket win.
Bledisloe were 40 or 50 runs short of a defendable total and needed a bit of luck for victory - instead they ended up with bad luck.
Their professional, Peter Morgan, needed stitches to his face after wicket-keeper Duncan Robertson and the Englishman, at first slip, both went for a sharp chance with disastrous results.
It was great to see Onerahi captain Kelvin Johansson taking the field directly after Morgan left the pitch, as the replacement fielder - at a time that his side were under real pressure.
"That's the thing about cricket - you have to play it in the way it should be played, there's no use in being stupid about it - they were a man down," he said later.
The position was rotated among the Onerahi team for the rest of the innings until their victory in the 32nd over.
The Onerahi captain said John's arrival had come in a nick of time.
"I think he was very much the difference on the day, he's a good batter and pretty useful bowler as well and he's running our trainings now," Johansson said.
"It's been a bit of a struggle for us this year with a lot of the guys we had last year not really wanting to play but now we've got a few students back things are starting to look up for us again."
Kaipara Flats moved to the top of the competition table with a comfortable win over champions Maungakaramea in Kaipara.
Maungakaramea suffered most from the absence of Northland players, en route on Saturday to Taupo for the beginning of the Brian Dunning one-day tournament, but still put in a very ordinary day's cricket.
True, the outfield could have done with a mow but on an artificial pitch, 47 extras, including 34 wides, was a little excessive in Kaipara's total of 168. Ben Thompson's 57 not out was the other sticking point for the Maungakaramea bowlers.
In reply, Maungakaramea were all out for just 83, with Tauseef Satti and Matt Taylor both taking three wickets apiece.
In the final premier grade fixture, Whangarei Boys' High School took the points against Kamo with a five-wicket win.
Kamo opener Rhys Farrand once again top-scored for Kamo with 40 runs and although several of his teammates got starts, none of them went on to record a score of note.
High School's Aaron Wilson continued his recent run of form with 4/17 while Rory Darkins took 2/37.
Kamo did well to give themselves a chance at the drinks break, thanks to three wickets off three balls with the Boys' High total on 57.
Boris Jurlina, moving from behind the stumps into a bowling role to add depth to Kamo's bowling attack, took the wickets of opener Todd Beehre and number three Henry Cooper off consecutive balls before the other opener, Rory Darkins, was run out off the following ball.
They lost two more wickets before Harley Dyke (41no) and Joseph O'Sullivan (23no) steered them to victory.