Bay of Plenty Indians took out another Lakelands Reserve Grade final win.
Bay of Plenty Indians took out another Lakelands Reserve Grade final win.
Hākinakina Community News is a weekly update on our local community sports and athletes.
OPINION:
It has been a crazy summer for cricket, with several washed-out weekends and cancellations.
But throughout it all, it was our Central Indians premier team that finished a creditable fifth in the Bay of Plenty Cricket’s Williams Cup and provided our local cricketing community with some mana after they beat Pāpāmoa Cricket Club in the plate final.
Paul Wyllie picked up five for 36 to halt any Pāpāmoa thoughts of posting a competitive total.
This was too many for the visitors, especially when the Firebird’s top batsmen Tom Yates, Shane Baillie and Brent Jones all got ducks.
Neeraj Kumar was the star with the ball with three for 21 off seven overs.
Overseas players make mark on Rotorua cricket
It was great to see the overseas player influences this season after a couple of years without them being able to travel over.
Cormac McLoughlin-Gavin (Ireland), Jake Rowe (England) and Charlotte Phillips (England) were amazing additions to our local game, but the outstanding performances from Tyler McGladdery (England) were a real feature.
United Kingdom cricketing visitors Charlotte Phillips (left), Tyler McGladdery, Cormac McLoughlin-Gavin and Jake Rowe. Photo / Crispian Stewart
He had a high score of 168no and was Geyser Premiers’ top run-scorer and wicket-taker.
With several rained-out fixtures and a ‘forced rest’, he was still the top run-scorer in the premier cricket season, with 673 runs at an average of 44.87. That included two centuries.
He also took 23 wickets at an average of 16.74.
Higher honours
From a senior representative perspective, there were a few Rotorua players recognized for higher honours.
Cohen Stewart, Harry Jones, Riley Parkinson and Paul Wyllie played for the Northern District Māori men’s team for various fixtures in the season, while Sadie Stewart, at just 15, was a regular selection for the Bay of Plenty senior women’s team.
Cohen Stewart, Harry Jones, Riley Parkinson and Paul Wyllie played for the Northern District Māori men’s team for various fixtures in the season. Photo / Northern District Māori Cicket
We had some amazing Rotorua senior cricket memories, but perhaps the weather and the introduction of PlayHQ might be what this summer is remembered for.
