Dominant St Paul’s get one back on Kaipaki
St Paul’s Collegiate School got one back against Kaipaki in Waikato Valley club cricket’s Champions Trophy competition at the weekend.
After losing a thrilling game to them in the previous round, St Paul’s bounced back to win by 70 runs at Kaipaki Oval on Sunday in what was a round one catch-up game. It made it a doubly sweet weekend for the table toppers, after they also won their round seven game on Saturday against Cambridge.
In that game, at Victoria Square, captain Chris Swanson was to the fore, taking a superb seven-wicket haul to lead his team to an easy win.
The right-arm seamer opened the bowling and remarkably took all of the first seven wickets to fall, finishing with figures of 7-27 off 12 overs, including four maidens.
The hosts managed to drag things out, eventually dismissed for 102 in 39.4 overs, having won the toss.
In reply, St Paul’s found themselves in a spot of bother at 24-3 but who better than Swanson to pull them out of a tight spot.
The skipper made an unbeaten 36 off 52 balls, to lead his team home by six wickets in 23.5 overs.
The next day against Kaipaki, Swanson was run out for 18 and did not bowl but two of his team-mates shone.
Sent in, St Paul’s were led by 76 from No 3 Bede Higgens, who hit eight fours and three sixes in his 81-ball knock. However, with brothers Adam (3-64 off 12 overs) and Brenden Flegg (3-52 off 10) both in the wickets, Kaipaki were able to dismiss St Paul’s for 196 in 43 overs.
But it proved more than enough runs, as seamer Simon Morbey, opening the attack, ripped through the lineup to take 6-47 off 16 overs (five maidens).
No 3 Hugo Bothma (53 off 80) threatened for the home side but after the middle order crumbled (with four wickets lost for eight runs) and he was the eighth man out, Kaipaki were toast, bowled out for 126 in 36 overs.
Kaipaki won their Saturday game in emphatic fashion, with a nine-wicket demolition of Otorohanga at Kaipaki Oval. They remain in second place on the ladder, still with a game in hand against Morrinsville, who are coming off an exciting draw against Hinuera at Matamata’s Pohlen Park.
Sent in, and with only nine players, Morrinsville found themselves 24-3 but centuries from Brendan Revell and Alex Lunn propelled them to 301 all out in 55.3 overs.
Revell made exactly 100 off 118 balls, with his knock including 10 fours and a six, while Lunn made an unbeaten 113 off 68, smashing eight fours and seven sixes. The pair combined for a 139-run partnership for the sixth wicket.
Hinuera were left with the minimum of 50 overs in which to bat, and they flew along to 159-1 in the 28th over, thanks to a run-a-ball 86 from Andrew Tiddy and 59 off 72 from Henry Cameron.
The hosts lost their way somewhat from there, before Calvin Ball hit a quickfire 44 off 23 (one four and four sixes) to give them hope of a victory.
He was the eighth man out with the score at 288 with 11 balls left, and in the end Hinuera had to be content with a draw, finishing on 296-8.
AT A GLANCE
(C Swanson 7-27) lost to (C Swanson 36no; N Feast 2-21) by 6 wickets.
(A Lunn 113no, B Revell 100; J Rusk 3-61, A Tiddy 2-40, I Marshall 2-69) drew with (A Tiddy 86, H Cameron 59, C Ball 44; K McCarthy 3-57, J Singh 3-89, S Sandhu 2-38).
lost to Milburn 54) by 9 wickets.
(B Higgens 76; B Flegg 3-52, A Flegg 3-64, J Wylie 2-26) beat
(H Bothma 53; S Morbey 6-47, B Higgens 2-6, D Kearney 2-21) by 70 runs. St Paul’s ............................................................. 116 Kaipaki ............................................................... 96* Hinuera ................................................................ 78 Morrinsville ...................................................... 66* Cambridge ......................................................... 56 Otorohanga ....................................................... 36 * denotes one game in hand
aaron.goile@fairfaxmedia.co.nz