Under-12s scramble to victory

OPENING UP: Wanganui Under-12 batsmen Charlie Lourie and Ben Loudon during their opening stand of 65, which laid the foundation for the win over Taranaki in Hawera on Sunday.PHOTO/SUPPLIED

THE Watsons Wanganui Under-12 cricket team ended their 2014-15 representative season with another hard-fought two-wicket victory over Taranaki in Hawera on Sunday.

Winning the toss and batting first on the artificial wicket, the opening bowlers took immediate wickets to reduce Taranaki to 31/3 in the eighth over of 40. Coach Drew Morrison said the bowlers all bowled good lines and managed to restrict Taranaki to 136/8 at the end of the innings.

Opener James Craig led the way again with 3-26 off his eight overs.

"All the bowlers deserve credit for 'squeezing' the Taranaki batsmen," said Morrison.

Adam Beard took 2-20 off four overs, Ben Orr was conservative with 0-15 from his six overs, as was Hunter Morrison with 0-11 off five.

Andrew Dickson (1-22), Nathan Hoobin (0-10) and Zac Farmer (1-31) all bowled with merit.

The Wanganui batsmen started slowly at the crease, but eventually built a 65-run partnership in 17 overs between Ben Louden (21) and Charlie Lourie (25), in a new role as opener.

Lourie's dismissal saw the middle order begin to creak with wickets falling regularly, including three run outs.

Having come in at No5, Hunter Morrison showed some maturity by holding the innings together with 29 off 48 balls, as wickets tumbled around him.

He was dismissed off a stumping in the 39th over with the team needing three more runs for victory, which was achieved with only four balls to spare.

Taranaki sent down 21 runs worth of wides among 35 extras did not help their cause, given Wanganui conceded only 19 when bowling.

"A hard fought victory that our batsmen made more difficult than it should have been," said Drew Morrison.

"Lessons to be learnt would be the large number of 'dot' balls in our innings."