Cricket: Pirates forced to walk plank

Eastern Pirates batsman Shayde Perham is dismissed for 31 on Saturday. His team would later be dismissed for 120 all out. Photo / Ben Fraser

Taupo Wanderers have ripped through the Eastern Pirates batting order to claim their first piece of silverware this season in the Rotorua/Taupo reserve grade.

Wanderers and Pirates (Rotorua) did battle on Saturday at Smallbone Park during the final of the pre-Christmas, 40-over competition.

Wanderers won the toss and put Pirates in to bat, bowling them out cheaply for 120 runs. In reply, the visitors chased down the score in 25 overs to win the final.

"All the boys were pretty happy, we played really well after the first drinks' break," Wanderers senior player Alex Davey said.

"Pirates started pretty well and got to 3/92 at drinks then we had them all out for 120, so that was a big change."

He said Ray How dismissed two of the Pirates' danger men - including hard-hitting Shayde Perham - before the wickets started to tumble.

How was the pick of the Taupo bowlers, taking five wickets for 42 runs. There was also two runouts which would have frustrated the Eastern Pirates.

In reply, Taupo had a good early partnership and reached the total six wickets down.

"We had a pretty good start with Sage [Davey] and Ray [How] getting us to 33 runs before we lost our first wicket," he said.

Davey said having their best XI available really helped them win their first title of the 2014/2015 season.

"It is good to have a full-strength team. The week before we were missing Blaine [Inch]. So it was good to have him back in the team."

While it will go down as a loss for the Pirates, it marked their first final appearance since re-surfacing as a club at the start of last season.

The pre-Christmas, 40-over competition is the first of three competitions contested during the season in the Rotorua/Taupo reserve grade. The T20 and after-Christmas competitions will be staged early next year.

- Eastern Pirates 120 (Shayde Perham 31; Ray How 5/42) lost to Taupo Wanderers 121/6 (Sage Davey 19; AJ 3/32)