A clinical display wins the game
Bond & Co Tauranga Boys College Premiers returned home from Owen Delany Park on Saturday with the Bay of Plenty Plate firmly in their grasp after a clinical display.
On a dying wicket, Generation Homes Lake Taupo¯ Premiers won the toss and elected to bat. The home side was in a very strong position at 161 for the loss of two wickets, courtesy of a 141 run partnership between UK import Michael Mitchell and captain Habib Malik.
Mitchell continued his stellar form, top scoring with 88 runs, which included eight fours. Four wickets from player/coach Kieran New assisted the visitors to stem the tide and never allow the home side to accelerate. With wickets in hand Lake Taupo¯ tried to up the scoring rate, but tight bowling and fielding from a young and enthusiastic outfit restricted the home side to 212 for the loss of seven wickets at the end of their 50 overs.
Ben Vyver and Niven Dovey came together after Tauranga Boys’ first wicket fell with just five runs on the board. The top order pair settled down to produce a match-winning 177 run partnership, before Vyver was dismissed for 66.
Niven Dovey went on to post the sixth Baywide premier cricket century of the season, as he smacked 105 runs at a tad better than a run a ball. His innings contained 17 fours and one six, with Tauranga Boys requiring just 14 runs when he was removed.
It was all too easy in the end as the visitors got home with 15 overs and six wickets to spare.
In round 2 action of the Rotorua Senior Reserve Championship, Owen Delany Park hosted match ups between Taupo¯ Cossie Old Boys A versus Geyser City Mavericks, as well as Generation Homes Lake Taupo¯ CC Reserves versus Rotorua Strikers.
Taupo¯ Cossie Old Boys A batted first and again the Simon Smith / Chris Jackson duo combined well, putting on 40 for the first wicket. Chris Jackson was in top form yet again and remained not out on 122 off 120 scoring 17 boundaries and helping his team through to 233/6 from their 40 overs.
Wickets fell early and quickly in the Mavericks’ innings with
Thaveen Attanayaka and Frano Allison making short work of the top order, reducing Mavericks to eight for four in the fifth over. Flynn Finlayson (47 off 77) and Cohen Stewart (36* off 118) steadied the innings as the Mavericks saw out their 40 overs cautiously, finishing on 119/6.
Across the green, Lake Taupo¯ Cricket Club won the toss and decided to bat on a green wicket. After the fall of an early wicket, Nathan McNeish and Ash Wijetillake batted superbly to set the innings up, taking the score past 100. A rain break seemed to stifle the home side’s momentum as consistent wickets fell and Lake Taupo¯ were dismissed for 160.
In the visitors’ reply, wickets weren’t given easy and the few chances the home side had weren’t taken. Finally after 23 overs, Jordan Bowles removed the first Strikers batsman, but this was too little too late and the damage was done. The Strikers romped home to a nine-wicket win inside 28 overs.
Results
Generation Homes Lake Taupo¯ 212/7 (Michael Mitchell 88, Habib Malik 68; Kieran New 4/28) lost to Bond & Co Tauranga Boys College 215/4 (Niven Dovey 105, Ben Vyver 66; John Dolan 3/29)
Taupo¯ Cossie Old Boys A 233/6 (C Jackson 122*, S Smith 31) defeated Geyser City Mavericks 119/6 (F Finlayson 47, C Stewart 36*, T Attanayake 3/21, F Allison 2/16)
Generation Homes Lake Taupo¯ CC Reserves 160 (N McNeish 47, A Wijetillake 32) lost to Rotorua Strikers 164/1 (G Brar Brar 66, D S Gill 51*).