Parker going to the dogs
Freyberg batsman Charles Parker could have a pack of dogs following him by the end of the season if his father lives up to his promise.
Parker scored a century in Freyberg’s 190-run thrashing of Palmerston at Paneiri Park on Saturday, so he should have another canine coming his way.
Parker’s father Wayne promised him a dog for every century he scores and now he is in arrears by three dogs.
The 19-year-old Parker scored his first hundred for the Palmerston North Boys’ High School year 9 specials team, which resulted in a Huntaway, then he scored one for the Boys’ High first XI against Rathkeale College, and another for the first XI against Marist last season.
So with his 122 from Saturday, he is looking at putting pressure on his old man to buy him a Border Collie.
Parker’s ton set up Freyberg’s first-innings total of 283-8 from 50 overs, as he batted for 40 overs.
‘‘You had to go aerial because there’s not a lot of value [for shots] on the ground because of how long the grass is and how wet it it,’’ he said.
Freyberg lost a wicket with just one run on the board, but then Parker, who hit 15 fours and five sixes, put on a partnership of 137 for the second wicket with Whetu Na Nagara, who made 45.
Parker said there were times the Palmerston bowling was good, but others where he was able to score.
Parker then teamed up with Thomas Kuggeleijn, who scored 32, before Parker was caught at cover from the bowling of Benn Dixon.
Scott Mitchell then hit 40 not out as Freyberg set Palmerston a big run chase.
Dixon, Carlos Jensen, Gurpeet Singh and Varun Walia all picked up two wickets each.
Freyberg seamers Kuggeleijn and Brad Fulton then did a demolition job on the Palmerston batting lineup.
Kuggeleijn ripped through the middle order to finish with 5-24 from his 10 overs, while Fulton had 3-11 from 8.4 overs.
Spinner Harry Wenham took 2-20.
Mike Meyer’s 24 was the best offering from the Palmerston batsmen and Kane Russell was the next best with 11, but no-on hung around.
Marist bounced back from their loss last week to beat Palmerston North Boys’ High School by 27 runs at Paneiri Park.
Marist batted first and scored 212-6 from their 50 overs, which was off the back of half centuries from Dylan Gaskin and Connor Morriss.
Gaskin made 76 and Morriss 50, as they added 74 for the third wicket.
Boys’ High player-coach Scott Davidson slowed things down with his off-spin, taking 2-21 from 10 overs, and seamer Jack Harris snared 3-32 from 10 overs.
The schoolboys’ chase got off to a shocking start and they were 33-6. Marist medium pacer Dylan Lynch had a great opening spell, knocking the top off and was 4-4 in his first four overs.
But Davidson and Rishabh De started resurrecting the innings. De only scored 4, but batted for 15 overs and hung in there with Davidson, who scored 57.
After De was out, captain Ben O’connor came in and scored 58, which brought the required run rate down and with the small boundaries, it looked as if they could pull off the unthinkable.
But when they were gone Boys’ High were unable to get near the target despite 20 from James Stratton and 19 from Cameron Harridge, and were 185-9 at the end of the innings.
Lynch finished with 4-24 from his 10 overs and Morriss had 2-29.
Old Boys had their second win, thrashing United by eight wickets at Hokowhitu Park.
United batted first and were immediately in trouble at 27-4 with Old Boys opening bowlers Ray Toole and Stu Glendinning doing the early damage.
Robbie James tried to rescue things with 23 at No 5, then Manpreet Singh (49) and Braden Rowe (23) added their best partnership of the innings with 39 for the seventh wicket.
Old Boys medium pacer Jayden Richards ripped out the tail end, taking 23 from 6.1 overs, as United were all out for 126 in the 39th over.
Then Old Boys opener Henry Collier made sure it would be an early finish, slamming 82 from 65 balls
Once Collier was out in the 21st over, Trent Mcgrath scored 20 not out to see them home.