Nelson bag dramatic Hawke Cup win

The Nelson Griffins have earned their first Hawke Cup cricket challenge in five years after securing a dramatic first innings win over Canterbury Country at Saxton Oval yesterday.

Nelson delivered the final blow shortly after lunch on the third and last day of the zone 3 final, eventually dismissing Country for 289 to hand Nelson a hard-earned yet well-deserved 35-run first innings win. It will be Nelson’s first challenge since an unsuccessful trip north to Hamilton in 2011.

‘‘I can tell you, I’m emotionally absolutely drained,’’ Nelson coach Aidan Smith said. ‘‘It was a fantastic game of cricket. People say that three-day cricket is dead [but] I don’t believe that. [Saturday] after- noon they were dominant from lunch to tea, they just blew us out of the water. We came back again with wickets towards the end of the last session.

‘‘[Sunday] morning they looked strong again and we took four wickets in that session.’’

Country had resumed day three at 205-4, still 119 runs adrift of Nelson’s 324-run first innings total, after outstanding seamer Will Williams had starred in Country’s bowling attack with superb figures of 6-62 off 31 overs.

Saturday’s potentially crippling 153-run second-wicket stand between Country’s Jack Boyle and Shanan Stewart had initially threatened to derail Nelson’s hopes. However, three late wickets in the day’s final session, two of them to South African seamer Willem Ludick, brought the home team back into the contest.

Experienced left-arm spinner Marty Kain had earlier made the initial breakthrough, having Stewart caught behind for 72 at 186-2 well into the final session. Boyle batted superbly, eventually reaching his century off 193 balls. However, Ludick achieved an important double breakthrough just prior to stumps, finally bowling Boyle for 108 before trapping Harry Chamberlain lbw for four. Boyle faced 213 balls and hit 17 fours.

Tim Gruijters and Kyle Jamieson continued Country’s push yesterday although Nelson struck early when left-arm spinner Felix Murray bowled Jamieson for just one run in the fourth over.

Adam Leonard removed former Nelson player, Joel Harden, for 16 at 243-6 but with Country inching towards their first innings target, Nelson appeared to miss a trick when Will Williams was dropped on eight by Matt Macquet at point off Ludick with the score at 258-6.

Nelson’s anxiety grew with the addition of each run in William’s subsequent seventh-wicket partnership with Gruijters. But when it was finally ended at 41 runs, with Williams trapped lbw by Joe O’Connor for 26, Nelson began to breath again as they sensed a genuine opportunity at 284-7.

And when Kain completed a critical double blow by finding the edge of Gruijters’ bat for 33, Country were suddenly heading to lunch under serious threat of collapse at 286-8, still 39 runs short of securing a first innings lead.

Nelson’s spinners sealed the deal within four overs of the resumption, with Nelson captain and first day century-maker Greg Hay fittingly holding slip catches off Murray and Kain to remove both Morgan Jeffery (1) and Fraser Sheat (3) respectively off consecutive overs.

Nelson face holders Bay of Plenty starting on February 24.

MThelin c Harden b Williams........................ 36 P Howes c Harden b Williams .......................... 6 G Hay c Harden b Williams............................104 MKain c Laffey b Benton ...................................31 MMacquet b Stewart ............................................ 13 A Leonard c Laffey b Williams...................... 70 J O’Connor c Harden b Williams..................... 0 N Clark c Harden b Williams..............................11 WLudick c and b Benton...................................27 T Zohrab b Benton.................................................... 4 F Murray not out........................................................ 0 Extras (4b, 14lb, 4w).......................................22 Total (119.1 overs)..........................................324 Fall: 24, 79, 119, 153, 248, 256, 280, 293, 323, 324

Bowling: K Jamieson 15-4-41-0 (1w), W Williams 31-13-62-6, F Sheat 22-4-52-0, M Jeffery 17-2-55-0 (3w), S Stewart 11-2-25-1, J Benton 22.1-3-67-3, T Gruijters 1-0-4-0.

Canterbury Country first innings J Boyle b Ludick.....................................................108 MLaffey lbw b O’Connor....................................15 S Stewart c Clark b Kain......................................72 H Chamberlain lbw b Ludick............................. 4 T Gruijters lbw b Kain ........................................... 33 K Jamieson b Murray................................................1 J Harden c Thelin b Leonard........................... 16 WWilliams lbw b O’Connor............................. 26 F Sheat c Hay b Kain.................................................3 MJeffery c Hay b Murray......................................1 J Denton not out...........................................................1 Extras (6b, 1lb, 2nb).......................................... 9 Total (104.4 overs)...................................... 289 Fall: 33, 186, 204, 205, 217, 243, 284, 284, 287, 289

Bowling: WLudick 24-7-49-2 (1nb), A Leonard 26-8-59-1 (1nb), J O’Connor 12-2-37-2, T Zohrab 3-0-17-0, F Murray 18-1-66-2, MKain 21.4-3-54-3.

Result: Nelson won on first innings