Collapses feature in close games

MANIOTOTO pulled off a remarkable onerun victory over Blacks Hill at the Poolburn Domain, Queenstown Wakatipu eventually got up by two wickets over host Albion, and home side Cromwell secured a twowicket win over Queenstown Ballarat in a lowscoring fixture.

Maniototo batted first and got through to 131 against host team Blacks Hill.

Otago Country Hawke Cup captain James Pyle again batted throughout the innings to finish 63 not out. Digby Gibbons chipped in with 31, including four sixes.

Angrej Sandhu took three early wickets, finishing with three for 10 off two overs, Barry White two for 28 and Tim McCormick two for 19, both off eight overs.

Blacks Hill looked in control at 109 for five, but lost four wickets for one run and fell agonisingly short by two runs.

Opener Duncan Dykes led the charge for the combined side with 43. Sam Blakely was again the chief destroyer for Maniototo, taking five for 26 off his eight overs, while Andy Hood picked up three for 18.

Albion batted first at home at the Luggate Cricket Ground and scored 206 all out. Corey Blair again showed his class to compile 93, while Guy Rowley (43) made sure there was a good target for the young opposition to chase.

Angus Herron, with three for 17, and Seth Mawhinney were the most successful of the visiting bowlers. The talented Cam Jackson got his side off to a flier, scoring 74 off 40 balls, and was third out with the total on 112. Seth Mawhinney completed a good day with a wellcompiled 35, and the target was reached eight down.

Josh Roberts, with three for 36, and the veteran Mike O’Connor, with two for 36, made sure the chase was a difficult one.

Dev Singh with 17 and Mark Knox 15 not out were the top scorers as Cromwell got up by two wickets over Queenstown Ballarat at home in Cromwell, ending on 75 for eight in a chase of only 72 for victory.

In an innings that lasted just 18.2 overs, Bailey AndrewsKennedy took three wickets for 21 off seven overs and Kevin Loggenberg two for 15 off 5.2 overs. The Queenstownbased side compiled a meagre 72 all out — after losing its second wicket with the total at 62.

Harry Gadd (with 32) and Bailey AndrewsKennedy (24) had got the side back in the game after they lost their first wicket without scoring, but Cromwell’s Amrit Gossall’s five for nine off seven overs and Sukhdev Singh’s astonishing four for none off three caused a catastrophic collapse, as the visitors lost eight wickets for 10 runs.