Horowhenua K¯apiti wins local derby Cricket
In a keenly fought local derby, Horowhenua Ka¯piti’s year six cricket team – the association’s youngest rep side – has beaten Manawatu¯ .
Horowhenua Ka¯piti romped home by 79 runs at Ongley Park, Palmerston North over the weekend, adding another victory to their win over Whanganui.
The 11-a-side fixture consisted of 35 overs, with a maximum of five overs per bowler, a 40-ball retirement for batsmen, and nine players taking the field at any given time.
Horowhenua Ka¯ piti captain Jack Black won the toss and inserted Manawatu¯ .
Blake, 1-37 off five, decided he would lead from the front and take the new ball along with Cooper Cotterill, 3-24 off five. Horowhenua Ka¯ piti started well, taking a wicket in the first over, before Manawatu¯ recovered to be 25-2 after six overs.
Jack Tyson, 3-11 off five, and Fletcher Cooper, 3-9 off five, were asked to bowl into the wind and had success straight away. After 10 overs, Manawatu¯ were finding it tough at 28-6.
At this level, if you are out during your first six balls, you stay in but lose five runs. This was helping to keep the Manawatu¯ total down.
The next bowling change saw Oscar O’brien, 3-9 off three, and leg spinner Logan Murray, 0-2 off two, continue to put pressure on Manawatu¯ , who were now 54-11 after 20 overs.
O’brien took two wickets in a row and had the Manawatu¯ batsmen under pressure, facing a hat-trick they successfully defended. This was to be the first of two hattrick opportunities, as Cotterill also had a chance in his second spell, which included three wickets in one over.
Some solid batting followed from C Kereama, 28, who played well before he was bowled by Cotterill. He ended up one ball short of retiring.
Ted Gibbs, 3-19 off five, came on and combined well with wicketkeeper Davis, who took two catches off Gibbs’ bowling.
Manawatu¯ were bowled out in the 30th over, with a total of 97-16, and early breakthroughs from Manawatu¯ had Horowhenua Ka¯piti struggling in reply at 15-3.
Good bowling then kept Horowhenua Ka¯ piti to 46-6 after 12, before cool middle-order heads rescued the situation.
Oliver Jessop, 16 not out retired, and Cotterill, 29, put on 56 together. They saw Horowhenua Ka¯piti to 102-8, with a five-run lead.
Nikau Davis, 14 not out, and Ted Gibbs, 15, batted well before being retired at the 30-over mark, with the score 133-9.
With five overs to go, Blake, 21, and Cooper, 12 not out, safely managed an important six balls before playing with freedom, adding 29 runs before Blake was caught.
Horowhenua Ka¯piti ended on 177-10 after 35.
Horowhenua Ka¯piti will host Manawatu¯ in the new year.