Zohrab on fire in club cricket
Allrounder David Zohrab has produced one of the more stunning Nelson club performances of recent seasons after his century and six-wicket bag helped Nelson College to a comprehensive 146-run Kelvin Scoble Trophy win over Athletic College Old Boys on Sunday.
A day after fulfilling 12th man duties for Nelson’s Hawke Cup team, Zohrab was providing the star turn in the opening round of the Top of the South 50-over premier cricket competition.
Besides scoring 105 runs in the students’ innings of 243-7 at the Botanics, the young offspinner then took a remarkable 6-17, including two maidens, to help dismiss ACOB for just 97 in 29.4 overs.
Nelson College’s win extended ACOB’s horror run this season, Zohrab revelling in the home team’s discomfort to hit 14 fours and a six off 151 balls in his opening knock. Jared McKay also contributed a hard-hit 51 runs off 26 balls in an 82-run seventh-wicket stand with Zohrab.
College then unleashed Zohrab in the 12th over of ACOB’s reply, eventually claiming his sixth and final wicket in the 30th over to complete the rout, opener Ben Gully having top-scored with 32.
Meanwhile, Wanderers opening batsman Tom Cross was enduring a roller-coaster of emotions at the Marsden Rec.
After falling an agonising two runs short of a century in Wanderers total of 211, he then watched Stoke Nayland batsman Brendan Hodgson post an unbeaten 68 to help the home team to a three-wicket victory.
Cross finally appeared to regain some of his batting mojo, blasting 98 runs off just 63 balls, including 10 fours and six sixes, as the dominant figure in Wanderers’ innings. But with little support through the order, Corey Dunn the best with 25, Stoke-Nayland’s bowlers Aditya Puri (3-44), Sam Chamberlain (2-32), Dylan Eginton (2-27) and Chris Bayard (2-15) were happy to share the spoils.
Opener Chris Dittmer (30) and Chamberlain (35) provided support, but it was Hodgson who delivered the key innings in Stoke Nayland’s reply, finishing 68 not out off 73 balls when he hit Andy Beatson for four to end the contest at 215-7 in the 46th over.
Wanderers seamer Hayden Ingham (3-49) created some anxiety but it was Hodgson’s day.
Wakatu’s Liam Rowling also felt the sting of a near miss as he helped steer his team to within four runs of an unlikely victory against Waimea Toi Toi United at Victory Square.
But with his total on 99 and chasing 198 runs for the win, he nicked a widish Tom O’Neill delivery through to wicket-keeper Doug Seward to end the innings and the contest at 194.
Rowling almost single-handedly steered Wakatu home, but O’Neill had the final say, finishing with 4-36 to help secure the tightest of three-run wins.
A 58-run third-wicket stand between Jon Routhan and Luke Devine had been the only meaningful partnership in WTTU’s innings of 197 off 49.5 overs.
Routhan led the scoring with 42 as Devine (31), Gene Gledhill (26) and Sam Baxendine (22) offered support further down the order.
Rowling had already signalled that it could have been his day, taking 4-17 as Wakatu’s leading wicket-taker, Greg Du Feu taking 3-30.
But it was with the bat that Rowling almost created the biggest stir, by seemingly rescuing a hopeless cause from 117-8 after 33 overs. But his 99 off 94 balls, including 11 fours and five sixes, wasn’t enough as WTTU ultimately prevailed.
Meanwhile in Blenheim, the Falcons drew first blood in their local derby with a comfortable seven-wicket win over the Dolphins at Horton Park.
Josh Poole’s 76-run contribution was the only significant innings in the Dolphins’ 133-run effort, ended in the 42nd over when Tarin Mason (4-34) took the last of his four wickets.
Then, with opener Rikki Bovey leading the charge, the Falcons took just 21.3 overs to reach their target when Matt Stretch ended the contest at 135-3 with a boundary off seamer Grant McMillan.
Bovey top-scored with 60 runs off 56 balls, hitting nine fours and a six, while also combining in a 76-run third wicket stand with Andrew McCaa before Bovey was finally gone within a sniff of victory at 128-3.
McCaa finished 39 not out with Stretch with him at the other end on five.
B Gully c Hazlett b D Zohrab...........................32 J Graham b AMurray............................................. 6 D Grimes c Halsey b McKay.............................13 G Chitty c Endersby b DZohrab................... 19 N Thomsen c McKay b Taylor...........................5 R Smith c Hazlett b D Zohrab............................2 P Nanua lbw b D Zohrab.......................................2 L Baird c Endersby b Taylor............................... 4 DMurray b DZohrab...............................................2 B Helms b D Zohrab................................................. 0 G Baumfield not out..................................................2 Extras (1b, 1lb, 5w, 1nb)............................................ 8 Total (29.4 overs).................................................... 97 Fall: 28, 45, 66, 75, 81, 84, 88, 88, 88, 97 Bowling: J McKay 6-0-21-1, AMurray 5-0-23-1, D Zohrab 9.4-2-17-6, B Hazlett 5-0-20-0, D Taylor 3-0-12-2, S Halsey 1-0-2-0. Result: Nelson College won by 146 runs. DOLPHINS v FALCONS
Dolphins E Jones b Boyce.......................................................... 0