Papatoetoe to push for outright win
Papatoetoe will press for an outright win against Takapuna at Onewa Domain, Takapuna on Saturday.
They enter the final day of their Hedley Howarth two day championship match with first innings points already in the bag and the prospect of maximum points a likelihood.
The plan is straight forward: batsmen quickly build on their 68 run first innings lead and bowlers bowl the opposition out before stumps, just like they did on day one last Saturday.
Runs, a sporting declaration to entice the visitors to have a go and the timing of declaration are factors that will determine the outcome.
Too big a score and Takapuna will shut up shop, too little and there’s the risk Papatoetoe could be run down.
Papatoetoe’s first innings of 181 was set up with half centuries by Arminder Sohal and Navdeep Aujla.
That didn’t seem enough runs against the third ranked side in the Hedley Howath until spin twins Navdeep Aujla 6-35 and player/coach Bhupinder Singh 3-10 ran throw them like a dose of salts.
They combined to snare seven wickets for ten runs in the final hour and earn their side first innings points.
Papatoetoe will start their second innings when play resumes at 11am on Saturday.
SCOREBOARD
Papatoetoe 181 (Arminder Sohal 52, Navdeep Aujla 50) lead Takapuna 113 (Navdeep Aujla 6-35, Bhupinder Singh 3-10) on the first innings.
COUNTIES CRICKET MANUKAU
Karaka will use their underdog status to fire themselves up for Counties Manukau club cricket’s twenty/20 final. They’re are the rank outsiders heading into the final against Pukekohe-Metro at Bledisloe Park, Pukekohe on Saturday after losing four of their five games in the one day championship. But captain Hayden Wark says form is the least of his team’s worries with the district’s first championship, the Inder Lynch Trophy up for grabs.
‘‘We’ve nothing to lose. It’s a chance to put the one day form behind us and get something positive going ahead of the two day championship,’’ he says.
Karaka will be relieved to be in the twenty/20 final after a forgettable campaign in the one day championship.