Taranaki produce poor performance

Taranaki faced a make or break game in round three of the Furlong Cup against Hawke’s Bay but what transpired was one of the side’s weakest efforts for a number of years.

After losing the toss and being asked to bat most of Revital Fertilisers Taranaki’s batsmen threw away their wickets and did not show the necessary application.

Openers Dean Robinson and Jesse Vertongen negated the Hawke’s Bay attack for the first hour, putting on 39 runs. Once Vertongen departed, Shaun Sullivan only lasted three balls and then Robinson was gone soon after and Taranaki were 47-3.

Liam Muggeridge and Matt Allen steadied the ship with a 31 run partnership but a loose shot from Allen saw him walking back to the sheds soon after, followed by Phil Barraclough for a duck.

Muggeridge combined with skipper Mattie Thomas for a 52 run stand. Muggeridge top scored with 47, Thomas made 31 and the innings was completed with some hard hitting from Ryan Watson, who made 30. Taranaki were dismissed for 187.

In reply, the Hawke’s Bay batsmen started with caution but two wickets in two balls by Watson put Taranaki on the front foot. The remainder of the Taranaki bowlers struggled to build pressure with inconsistent line and length and provided a boundary ball per over.

Taranaki struck on the final ball of the day, leaving Hawke’s Bay at 152-6 and the game in the balance.

Day two arrived and Taranaki’s plan was to build pressure and give the batsmen nothing. Unfortunately with Watson unable to bowl due to an injury picked up the day before the other bowlers couldn’t offer what was needed, that along with some poor fielding allowed Hawke’s Bay to go past Taranaki’s first innings score for the loss of seven wickets.

Hawke’s Bay declared and once again Taranaki openers Robinson and Vertongen got the side off to a steady start but once again they were both guilty of getting a start and not going on with it. They slumped from 60-1 to 77-8 and their mindset shifted to one of survival. Eventually the side was dismissed for 117, offspinner Angus Schaw taking 7-15 from 14.4 overs.

Hawke’s Bay then knocked off the winning runs for the loss of one wicket.

Taranaki next welcome Whanganui to Pukekura Park on January 26- 27.