Cricket: The Good Home Taranaki Men off to a good start in Furlong Cup

The Good Home Taranaki openers Bailey Wisnewski (left) and Dean Robinson get ready to start the innings as grey skies threaten overhead. Photo / Supplied

The Good Home Taranaki Men's cricket side has kickstarted its Furlong Cup campaign with a first-innings win over Horowhenua-Kapiti in a rain-affected match in Levin last weekend.

The result had Taranaki claim 13 points to sit second equal on the table with Manawatu, behind Wairarapa. With weather threatening throughout, Taranaki were sent in to bat by Horowhenua-Kapiti on a green track at Donnelly Park.

Openers Bailey Wisnewski (20) and Dean Robinson (35) got the innings off to a solid start putting on a 55-run opening stand before Wisnewski departed, with Robinson leaving with the score at 2/82.

It was a sign of how the innings would go for Taranaki — plenty of starts without anybody kicking on for a big one. Liam Muggeridge top-scored with 58, but was the only batter to make a half-century in an effort where oly two players did not make double figures.

The rain had been falling intermittently and eventually forced a halt to the day's play in the mid-afternoon and delayed the start until 1.30pm the next day. Heading back in, lower-order players Shay Smith (41) and Robson Chapman (42) fought hard in the tail to take Taranaki through to a highly competitive 9/299 declared.

With about five hours of playing time left, Horowhenua-Kapiti did not muck around in their chase. Opener Prabodha Arthavidu Ellawala Liyanage hit 67 while his partners kept up a good pace beside him.

But when debutant William Jull dismissed him to take the score to 4/130, the wickets began to tumble with Horowhenua-Kapiti eventually dismissed for 172.

Jull took 3/40 in an impressive debut, while Davis Mills and Ryan Watson took two apiece. Head Coach Christopher Coombe says he was pleased to come away with the points in a shortened game that could have got away from them.

"With 40 per cent of the game being spoiled by rain, the fact the boys were able to stay focused for the whole two days was really pleasing. They showed a lot of grit on day two to pull it through."

He says he was pleased with the side's fielding effort and also with the way the batting order fought on to take the team to a good total.

In other Furlong Cup matches last weekend, Wairarapa picked up a first-innings win over Whanganui. The Whanganui side featured Inglewood fast bowler Richard Clough who played as a loan player and picked up two wickets in his debut Furlong Cup match.

Meanwhile, Manawatū took first innings points against Hawke's Bay in a tight encounter in Palmerston North.

Taranaki's next match is against Whanganui at Western Park, New Plymouth, on November 12 and 13.