Picton cricketers continue to show the way

Picton maintained their top position in the Marlborough second grade cricket 40-over competition with a hard-fought win over Wairau Valley on Saturday.

Valley, like many of the second grade teams at this stage of the season, were boosted by several players who regularly played in senior ranks, and belied their position at the base of the points table with a competitive effort.

They batted first and managed 112 from 33 overs. Ben Allan, with 24, and veteran Richard Moran with an unbeaten 42 provided the bulk of the runs. Picton’s bowling was led by Keita Maxwell with 5-24, aided by Iain Tyler (2-15) and Phillip Thomas (2-13).

Picton’s reply stuttered, but they got the job done in the 22nd over, Blair Timms with an unbeaten 27 providing stability. Heath Murphy, who grabbed 4-29, was the pick of the Valley attack.

Wairau, second on the points table, reinforced their position with a comfortable 43-run win over Celtic Gold.

Wairau put a decent total of 235 on the board batting first, Harrison Boyce with 62, Chris Turkington (29), Matt Deaker (32) and Joel Lavender with 23, scoring the bulk of their total. Jassi Brar, 4-30, and Petros Kapralos were the pick of the Celtic bowlers.

Celtic’s reply of 192-8 from their full complement of 40 overs was based around 56 from Rob Bruce and 39 from Cameron Harris. Deaker, 2-20, Lavender, 2-36, and Ryan James, 2-44, claimed more than one wicket.

Renwick, who took out the Twenty20 title the previous day, continued on their winning way with a 135-run win over Celtic Green.

Batting first, Renwick struggled initially and were 61-5 after 15 overs. They eventually managed 219-9 from 40 overs, Ryan Bellingham’s 81 off 78 balls steadying the ship. Jaden Adams, with 5-32, was the pic of the Celtic attack, alongside Liam Young with 2-42.

In reply, Celtic’s batsmen were unable to establish any meaningful partnerships, an unbeaten 19 from Logan Robinson their best score as they were dismissed for 84 in the 26th over.