Bears learn from cup matches
The Horowhenua-Kapiti (HK) Bears have returned home from the Chapple Cup feeling positive about their progress despite three losses in a tightly contested competition at Nelson Park in Napier.
First up was a tough assignment in the form of defending champions and eventual finalists Hawke’s Bay who took a commanding nine wicket victory, announcing themselves as title contenders once again.
All was not lost for a HK side that were unable to put a large enough total on the board, having been inserted on a new wicket.
Regular wickets fell but it was senior batsman Dion Sanson who stood tall to hold the innings together for HK, batting with class and control in a masterful display.
Sanson looked on course for a century but fell desperately short, bowled by a good Todd Watson delivery to leave him on 99.
Liam Rukuwai was chief destroyer for Hawke’s Bay, recording 4-32 off his 10 and he received good support from Jayden Lennox’ 3-21 off 9 and Watson’s 2-37 off 8.4 with Ryan Taylor the only other HK batsman to get past the 20 mark (24).
Any hopes the Bears had of creating a difficult run chase were dismissed relatively quickly despite an early breakthrough to Carter Andrews.
Aggressive batting from Jake Smith (49*) and Matt Edmondson (108*) resulted in a dominant partnership that snuffed out HK’s hopes and sent the Bay through to the top four in emphatic fashion.
Day two dawned for HK with Marlborough lying in wait and anticipation high for an evenly fought match.
The Bears went about setting a total having won the toss and got off to the best of starts courtesy of a 75 run partnership for the first wicket between Jamie Pinfold (22) and Dion Sanson (64) who picked up where he left off the previous day.
Matt Good continued the good work with a very important contribution of 61 to show he is nearing his best form while Keegan MacLachlan (27), Andre Halbert (28), Chad Law (21) and Bailey Te Tomo (17) chipped in to ensure the HK total reached in excess of 250 as they finished on 278.
In response Marlborough took a cautious approach that was well rewarded through the mid to late stages as they gradually hauled in HK’s total.
Their innings was built around Prabodha Arthavidu’s brilliant knock of 107*, an innings that was timed to perfection from a man who looked in control.
Young opener Tom Sutherland batted well for his 80 and Josh Poole (48) played a key hand to accelerate the innings and propel Marlborough to their total of 280 for the loss of 3 wickets with 3.2 overs remaining.
HK were brave and willing in the field with their bowlers toiling hard but it was to no avail as they were ultimately unable to contain the Marlborough line up.
Spinner Conor Beleski bowled superbly for 1-44 off 10 and was the pick of the Bear’s attack.
Day three and The Bears were facing a test of character firstly to field a side with numerous injuries hampering them and secondly to put the disappointment of the previous day’s results behind them as they sought their first win of the tournament.
In their way lay a Wanganui side who would prove to be a challenging prospect with a number of talented young players in their midst.
Once again Andre Halbert won the toss and seized the initiative to bat first and put a total on the board.
This time it was Jamie Pinfold who responded with a run a ball knock of 53 in a sign of growing maturity for HK’s talented wicketkeeper batsman.
With Chad Law out of the side due to injury there was a reshuffle of the order and it was Te Tomo (18), Halbert (28) and the promoted Keegan MacLachlan (17) who kept things ticking over.
Regular wickets hampered HK’s progress however and it was left to Carter Andrews to deliver on his immense potential with the bat to score an outstanding 55 batting at 8. Andrews knock ensured HK got past the 200 and finished up on 228, a potentially tricky total on what was effectively a day 3 pitch.
Like HK, Wanganui had a number of men making contributions and despite regular wickets and scoreboard pressure they were able to build on a solid platform laid by opener Sam Sheriff (54) and their middle order to eventually overtake HK’s total with 3.5 overs to spare. Carter Andrews had a fine all round game recording 2-37 off 8 and was joined by Dion Sanson’s 2-47 off 10 and Conor Beleski’s 1-52 off 10 in the wicket taking column.
To conclude, it was a challenging but highly enjoyable tournament for the Bears who headed home with some immense positives and key learnings that will stand them in good stead for their next assignment and beyond.
Hawke’s Bay lie in wait on December 1 and 2 and the Bears know they will be better for the experience with playercoach Chad Law excited about the direction his side is headed in knowing the potential of his players and the rapid progress his unit is making under the leadership of inspirational skipper Andre Halbert and his deputies Dion Sanson, Matt Good and Carter Andrews.