Havelock North premier club batsman Jonathon Whitley plays a shot square of the wicket at Anderson Park in the village today. Photo / Ian Cooper
Havelock North premier club batsman Jonathon Whitley plays a shot square of the wicket at Anderson Park in the village today. Photo / Ian Cooper
The question begs to be asked as one would expect a batsmen to put away a juicy full-toss delivered by an errant bowler.
"So were the bowlers that good, the batsmen that poor or the wicket doing too much?" was the question posed to You Travel Taradale CC skipper LukeKenworthy after they thumped Heretaunga Building Society Cornwall CC by nine wickets in Napier today. The hosts had skittled Cornwall for 75 in 28.3 overs before overhauling the target at 76/1 in just 12.3 overs during round three of the premier men's club MJF Shrimpton Memorial Cup 50-over competition at Taradale Park.
"When you bowl someone out for 75 you tend to have a think about what the pitch might be like," Kenworthy said, giving the wicket a tick because it was a fresh one so they elected to bowl after winning the toss.
"It had great pace and great carry but it obviously helps when you have great opening bowlers."
The wicketkeeper was referring to Chapple Cup-winning Hawke's Bay representatives Ben Stoyanoff and fellow right-arm seamer Angus McKnight who claimed 2-13 and 1-11, respectively.
However, off spinner Josh Jones, a final-year Napier Boys' High School student in just his third outing for the Maroons, was the most frugal with 2-7.
"He's put in some real hard work in a season and half so he's had some opportunities in the last three weeks — it's what he deserves — so he's really showing some good skills with the ball," Kenworthy said, adding Jones had never played for his school.
Veteran campaigner Luke Wright rolled his arm with tidy profits for Taradale despite nursing a sore elbow. Photo / File
Connor Hooper took 2-13 but veteran medium pacer Luke Wright claimed 3-20 to show age also makes difference.
"It just shows the strength of our bowling," Kenworthy said after his side's first victory in the limited-overs format.
He saluted Wright for his experience, not to mention he had bowled with a sore elbow, in swinging the ball around.
"He calls it the old-age disease," he said with a laugh.
Kenworthy then forged a partnership with fellow opening batsman Wright to finish the job on 32 runs (at a-run-a-ball clip) and 40 not out, respectively.
The wicket had flattened out in Taradale's innings but the hosts were mindful the new ball would offer some profit is used wisely.
"The first two balls went away for boundaries and that really got us on our way so we kept being aggressive and kept playing our shots," Kenworthy said but revealed a few wayward shots fell between the fielders, something that happened when batsmen chanced their arms.
Conversely Cornwall opening batsman Ben Kelt top scored on 18 runs and only two others got into double figures in a cellphone number-looking scoreboard.
Taradale aim to clinch two more games before Christmas to establish a winning streak with a chance to qualify for the annual national club knockout competition.
Innovate Electrical Napier Technical Old Boys CC had to toil before edging Reynard Health Supplies Havelock North CC by 22 runs at Anderson Park in the village.
The two-time national club champions amassed 240/6 in their allotted 50 overs with No 3 Bronson Meehan scoring 60 runs and No 4 Jesse Ryder adding 62.
Harry Ghodke and Riyan Perera claimed two scalps each for Havelock North while Bradley Schmulian and veteran Jared Priest took one each.
Havelock North batsman Bradley Schmulian runs in with NTOB spinner Napier Technical Old Boys bowler Jayden Lennox. Photo / Ian Cooper
In reply, the hosts eked out 218 before they were skittled with an over to spare.
No 5 Schmulian scored 69 runs and the rest of the middle order of Jonathon Whitley and Joey Field added 40 and 29, respectively, after opener Harry Young provided 22 runs.
Tyler Annand was the chief destroyer with 4-58, Todd Watson got 3-49, Kieran Atkinson claimed 2-29 and spinner Jayden Lennox 1-18.
Ruahine Motors Central Hawke's Bay CC, slowly but surely, ground down The Station Napier Old Boys' Marist (NOBM) by 74 runs at Nelson Park.
Having won the toss, CHB padded up to muster 228/5 in 50 overs with opener Hamish Lewis unbeaten on 103 runs from 157 balls, including six boundaries.
George Cranswick (34 runs), captain Dominic Thompson (29) and Toby Richardson (34) backed up Lewis.
NOBM opening bowler Sunil Kumar took 2-44, former Black Cap Mathew Sinclair 1-32, Patrick Muldowney 1-39 and Scott Morgan 1-36.
The hosts were skittled for 154 in 42.2 overs. No 6 Sinclair scored 70 runs but no one seemed to be keen to hang around with him.
Rhythm Sharma claimed 3-29, Australian leg spinner Kyle Gardiner took 3-25 and Brent Tate 2-17 for CHB.
Mathew Sinclair, on his way to a century for Hawke's Bay reps in 2014, is still carving up runs for NOBM but no one hung around with him today. Photo / File
