North Shore Times (New Zealand)
Ponies bolt into cricket title contention again
After they defeated one of the traditional powerhouses of women’s club cricket, the Takapuna Ponies couldn’t be reined in.
Takapuna finished top-of-thetable in the Auckland women’s club cricket limited overs round robin competition, which has secured the home ground advantage for the Pritchard Cup final against Waitakere at Onewa Domain on December 17.
Takapuna had a slow start to the competition. But coach Chris Reid knows exactly when the turning point in the season came. Reid has been guiding the premier women’s team for three seasons, and when his team beat a full-strength Cornwall side for the first time in a one-day game he described it as a ‘‘watershed moment’’. The nine-wicket win in round two of the Pritchard Cup bolstered Takapuna’s confidence and belief, Reid said.
Captain Lauren Down has been a part of a Takapuna team that has finished as runners-up in recent seasons, and she is excited to get another shot at the Cup title.
‘‘We have come up short the last couple of seasons and are very keen to make this our year,’’ Down said. ‘‘Waitakere is a strong side that has performed well throughout the competition, so we are looking forward to the challenge. We have been playing some great cricket so far this year and are determined to carry this form through into the final.’’
Waitakere will have the services of three domestic cricketers, including Samantha Curtis who opens the batting for the White Ferns, but Down believes her team can match-up against the west Aucklanders.
‘‘The great thing about this team is everyone is capable of winning us a game. Everyone has stepped up and some stage during the season and this is something that should bring us confidence going into Saturday.’’
Cricket is a team game, but Reid says it is the success of individuals that has got the side into another final. He singles out Down, Toni Baldwin and Kerry Tomlinson for their efforts with the bat and spinners Naveeena Hira and Lauren Heaps who are the leading wicket takers in the competition. Takapuna Ponies: Lauren Down, Toni Baldwin, Anlo van Deventer, Kerry Tomlinson, Roz McNeill, Naveena Heera, Liz Olney, Maddy Probert, Clare Mains, Lauren Heaps and Alice le Marquand.