Bowl into new year of cricket

I trust you all had a great Xmas and New Year break and still enjoying plenty of cricket at the beach!

Our junior grades start their 2021 season the first weekend of February and clubs are currently working through grading of players and teams for the re-start.

Now is the time for new players to register so that we can sort you into a team. Competitive grades begin at Harcourts Kiwi Cricket with separate grades for boys and girls at that level.

Players then move up to WK 5th grade hardball cricket (Friday evenings) and from there to WK 4th grade (Saturday mornings). Players moving into year 9 school year will be moving up to Saturday afternoon 3rd grade cricket.

To register and for more information on any of our grades please email development@marlborough cricket.co.nz or call Bailey on 5779050.

Also starting next month is our Yeah! Girls programme which is set to run over five weeks at four different centres – Bohally Intermediate, MGC, Renwick and QCC.

This programme is for girls in years 7-10 and is described as ‘‘Cricket but not as you know it’’. Contact Bailey for more information.

Our women’s social cricket mid-week competition is also set to start next month leading up to our women’s festival of cricket day later in March. Teams are 6-8 players so start putting your side together now and contact Bailey to register and for more information.

It was a great start to the New Year for both of our Marlborough Labour Hire TPL teams last weekend with convincing bonus point wins.

Wakatu had no answer to the Dolphins bowlers as they were bowled out for only 86 in 29 overs, Joel Pannell, Jerrym Lamb and Griffin Carter each taking three wickets. Tom Leonard was unbeaten on 31 as the Dolphins cruised home only 4 wickets down in 20 overs.

The Falcons win was even more convincing as they bowled Nelson College out for 45, Nick Weaver with the outstanding figures of 7 for 14 including a hat-trick. The

Falcons knocked off the required runs in less than 9 overs with Matt Stretch unbeaten on 35.

The SBS Bank Senior grade T20 competition reached its halfway stage following games last week, resulting in wins for Wairau and Celtic.

Renwick and Celtic lead the standings on 12 points from four games with Wairau on 8 and Wairau Valley and MBC on 4.

Josh Poole top scored with 39 in Celtic’s 11-run win over Valley (Jerrym Lamb 4-13). Chris Turkington took 4-13 as Wairau comfortably defeated MBC with Will Smith blasting 40 from only 20 balls.

In the 2nd grade 40-over competition Celtic Gold’s last pair saw them home to a tense win over Wairau (Yaadi Hundal 64), while Renwick came up 8 runs short against Celtic Green for whom Logan

Robinson made 70 and took 3-30.

Bowler Jerrym Lamb has been in fine form for Celtic and Marlborough Dolphins.