Taranaki shine in season’s final game

Revital Fertilisers Taranaki left their best performance to the last game of the season at the weekend, completing an outright win over Horowhenua.

After winning the toss, Horowhenua elected to bat. Andre Halbert and Dion Sanson had little trouble with the Taranaki seam attack, combining for a century opening stand before Taranaki skipper Mattie Thomas had Halbert caught for 58.

Sanson continued leading the way but Ryan Watson finally got through his defences, bowling him for 94 and leaving Horowhenua at 184 for three.

Watson and Thomas bowled a mammoth 49 overs between them and picked up three wickets for four runs to leave Horowhenua 200 for six shortly before tea.

Into the final session on day one, Ryan McCone and Jamie Pinfold put on 55 for the seventh wicket before Watson struck again and picked up three wickets in the space of four balls.

Horowhenua were dismissed for a competitive 273, with Watson finishing with six for 47 and Thomas four for 44.

Taranaki had both openers dismissed before the score hit 50. Josh Borrell and Shaun Sullivan combined to see them through to stumps. They resumed the next day, putting on 134 for the third wicket before Sullivan was dismissed for 35 and Taranaki 183 for three. Borrell was next to go but not before posting his maiden century at representative level, ending with 133 off 174 balls.

Taranaki’s middle order all contributed and they picked up first innings points with the loss of only four wickets.

Debutant Adam Keene showed why he is a player to watch with 57 off 46 balls, teenager Ben Frewin finished the innings off with 35 off 18 balls before he was the last man dismissed with Taranaki posting 415.

With a 142-run lead the Taranaki bowlers came out attacking, with Sanson caught by Keene off the bowling of Watson for a duck. Michael Blanks and Ethan Keller struck before Watson left Horowhenua at 64 for four. Horowhenua still had opener Andre Halbert at the crease but skipper Thomas enticed him into a false shot, caught by Watson.

McCone was then caught behind the very next ball and Thomas tore through the lower order, picking up the last six Horowhenua wickets to fall, leaving Horowhenua all out for 126 and giving Taranaki an outright victory by an innings and 16 runs.