6 games of cricket to report this week, from a tropical springtime Christchurch, and nearly our first century of the season to celebrate. Unfortunately, Andy Richards fell just 2 short, but still set his team up for an impressive win. Great to see our two sides going well in the new CMCA/North Canterbury grade.

Match reports from Saturday 15th October

MP Sporting Edge Championship vs Sumner @ Edgar Mac 1 (2-Day) 

On Saturday we took on Sumner on an overcast but humid day at Edgar Mac. We lost the toss and were put into bat on a green stodgy wicket due to the bad weather during the week. A big thank you to our Groundsman Dakesy for doing such a good job keeping the wicket as dry as possible during the week, allowing for play to take place.

Lingy and Thorpey got us off to a good start, with the pitch doing a little bit from both ends, we managed to chew up some early overs and set a platform for the incoming batters. After a magnificent six over cover from Lingy, he then departed for 12. Aaron Chapman came in and started to get going again with Thorpey, before they both got caught behind. Aaron 17 and Thorpey a hard worked 9. We then crumbled, losing our next 3 wickets for 3 runs. This placed us on 45-6 off 21 overs. Bertie came in and looked to steady the ship, chewing up some overs and slowly ticking the scoreboard along. A quick cameo from Sam G of 11 got us to 62-7 with Bertie still in. We managed to finish on 77 all out just before lunch, Bertie being the last wicket to fall, grinding out a 14 off 53 balls.

We came out after lunch knowing we had to take quick wickets and field well. The opening partnership of Samuel and Jacob took 9 wickets between them. Samuel 4-28 off 12, bowling consistently and with good pace, making the Sumner batsmen jump around. He was fired up from the start, the Sumner opening batsmen on the receiving end of this as he got told where the changing rooms were by Sammy. Jacob an impressive 5-30 off 14, including 2 in 2 balls at one stage, leaving him on a hat trick ball which unfortunately didn’t come. He shaped the ball excellently and bowled consistently in good areas, showing great athleticism on a caught and bowled when he took a forward diving catch after the batsmen edged it onto his pad and up in the air. Ben then took the final wicket, a good catch by Samuel running backwards at mid on saw Sumner tie our 1st innings score of 77.

We began our 2nd innings with the pitch having flattened out. We lost 2 quick wickets leaving Luke (Senior) and Thorpey at the crease. Thorpey grinded out for another 6 off 64 balls whilst Senior was scoring freely at the other end, taking the attack to the Sumner spinners and pace bowlers. After Thorpey departed, it was then the partnership of Lewis and Luke (Senior), who took the attack to the Sumner spinners and pace bowlers. Luke scoring a well made 46. It was then Rory and Lewis who saw us to the close of play. Rory finishing on a solid 10*, Lewis looking good on 29*, a great display of defensive and attacking batting. We finished our 2nd innings on 102-4 off 37 overs, a good start to the inning and we look to capitalise next week and get a good lead over Sumner. 

-Bertie 

MP Sporting Edge Division 1 vs Riccarton @ Hagley 4 (2-Day) 

The Merivale Papanui Division 1 side took on the recently demoted Riccarton on a lovely day. The pitch seemed a little bit soft at first glance so the skipper (Chris) decided that if we won then we would have a bowl. However, following the precedent of this season, we lost the toss and were sent into bat which we weren’t too disheartened about. However, at the end of the second over we were 5/2 with Ash (8 balls) and Louis (1 ball) both being dismissed without a run. This meant that Teddy and Abby were now at the crease, however, this didn’t last long with Teddy being dismissed by a short ball for 5 runs in the third over. Abhi was then soon to fall as well for 3 in the 4th over, leaving us 9/4. Sloane and Gilly built a good partnership taking us to 33/5 until Gilly was dismissed for 10. In classic Sloane fashion, there were some big swings across the line with some coming off and some missing by a mile. One over to note went for 16. Another solid partnership between Sloane and Nicky meant that we were at 66 runs when the next wicket fell with a really well-made 33 by Sloane and Nikhil, which meant that we were in a better position than what we thought we would be in a few overs into the innings. In the end, we ended up being rolled for 100 exactly after 32 overs.

Although this was a lot less than we had hoped, at least we had something on the board, and we knew that a few early wickets could put the pressure back onto this young Riccarton team. We opened the bowling with Beattie and Chris who started off quite variable, struggling to find their line and length early on. Chris managed to get a wicket on the 2nd ball of his 2nd over by getting the batsman playing one through to Beattie in the cordon meaning that we had a breakthrough and were able to apply some pressure. Two balls later and we had another, we were ecstatic and fired up. However, from here we often found ourselves searching, which allowed their batsmen to keep out the good balls and just wait for the release ball. Our next wicket struck at 74 runs with some great tight bowling from Jase, leading one rolling back onto the stumps. This brought out their captain who had a woody sound when it passed his bat on the first ball, but he didn’t walk and was not given. However, to Jase’s delight two balls later he snicked one to Beattie again and we sent him packing. Riccarton continue to build some partners and wickets weren’t falling at regular intervals with the next being at 107/5, 109/6, and 153/7. Up to the hundred-run mark, only one of their batsmen was scoring most of the runs until James Hoskin was dismissed for 77 at 109/7. In the final overs, Riccarton took the game away from us with some extravagant shots and exploited our lack of consistent bowling. Archie Chandler finished with 45* off 38 balls helping Riccarton to achieve a 99-run lead after their 45 overs at 5.43 pm. Well bowled to Jase 8-2-41-2. Chris finished 10-1-41-3 Mintu finished 5-0-32-2.

This meant that we still had another 7 minutes of cricket to be played, meaning that Riccarton had about another 2-3 overs to bowl. Out went Louis and Ash for the 2nd time today, hoping to ensure that they would still be there at the end, allowing for a fresh start on day two. After some good defensive shots and leaves, we were 2/0 at the end of the day with the two openers successfully defending their wicket against some tough chat and good bowlers. Going into the week we trail by 97 so need to have a good start next week to make a game of it.

- Louis

MP BBS Timbers Division 3 vs Riccarton @ Edgar Mac 2

Matty was the lucky captain who won the toss and decided to bowl first. Rowey and Conner Rankin opened the attack for the home team and Riccarton were up to a good start. Their openers scored 55 runs in the first ten overs. Rowe was the only good bowler while Conner and Matty were expensive to start with. Their opening stand was finally broken by Maxi who finished his 4 overs spell for 1-21. Nana was playing his first game of the season and he had a 1 over spell for 2 maximums. Bellsy was building pressure from one end the opposition were 101-1 after 20 overs. 

Mani started the 21st over after drinks and picked up the second wicket. Riccarton were starting to lose wickets after that. Rishi was their top scorer with 84 runs and they were all out for 158. Bellsy was the most impressive bowler who finished his spell of 8 overs with 1-13. Mani finished his spell with 2 wickets and Matty picked up the fifth wicket for the team. Conner bowled really well at the death and picked up 3 wickets in his last 4 overs. Rowey finished things off with 2 quick wickets and the opposition were all out in the 35th over.

Mario and Nana opened the batting for the home team and Mario received a tough delivery for his first bowl and he was out lbw. Their team was pumped up and Princely came at number 3. Princely was dropped at mid off on the 4th bowl of the game but then the drama started. They agreed that it was a dropped catch after arguments and discussions with the captain but we were losing wickets at a fast pace and we were 3 down in the first 10 overs with barely 20 runs on the board. Matty promoted himself at number 5 who tried to hold one end but had to go after scoring 11 runs. We were all out at 87 and Bellsy was the top scorer with 26 runs and Nana followed with 15 runs.

It was a painful loss at home ground but there are a lot of positives to look at. Our bowling was looking alright and for batting we will have more batters available in the next few weeks. Let’s register our first win this weekend and then celebrate with a beer song.

Cheers,

Mani Jassal

MP Frame ‘n’ Copy CMCA/North Canterbury vs Ohoka Weasels @ Mandeville

Coming back from the loss last week, Panthers were playing against the Ohoka Weasels on a good looking outfield at Mandeville Park in Ohoka. After winning the toss opposition was put into bat first.

Panthers started off with tidy bowling and a couple of early scalps for Andy A in his first 5 overs, which was well supported by Roger Moore from the other end. The pressure was carried on by the 1st and 2nd change when Steve Gillespie and Sid Duggan (filling in) were introduced. Ohoka by the drinks were about 60 runs at loss of 2 wickets. Outfield was looking good and both teams were evenly matched at this stage. After drinks, Andy Richards was introduced to attack with Ronnie Khuu from the other end. The bowling partnership looked as good as their good ol' friendship, they were both keeping tight lines with back to back maiden overs from each followed with a wicket by Ronnie Khuu. Until this point they both had figures of 3 overs 1-18 and 4 overs 1-15 respectively. Entered the new batsmen who smashed four 4s in an over from Ronnie followed by another big over from Andy R which went for 18 runs, this shifted the momentum a bit towards the host team but the bowling change to bring Sid into the attack worked who took 3 wickets in his second spell to finish with figures on 7 overs 3-33. As we were coming towards the death overs Andy A brought his charm back by taking 2 more wickets and finishing with 4-24 in his 8. This brought Ohoka’s innings to end at 189 runs.

With a target of 190, Panthers went into bat with a simple plan of playing as long as possible. Starting with Dean August and Andy Richards, Panthers lost the first wicket in the third over when Deano missed the straight one and was given LBW. In came Dakesy and he had a much needed partnership with Andy for 70 odd runs, during this partnership Andy reached his half century as well. Dakesy was unfortunate to get out an over before drinks at 21, his innings included an unsuccessful ramp shot and reverse sweep. By drinks Panthers were at a comfortable position of 89-2 but there were still about 100 runs needed in the last 20 overs. After drinks the visiting team lost 3 quick wickets in the name of Steve G. (2), Sunnie G. (1) and Andy A (17). While Andy R was playing at his best he was running out of partners to keep the momentum with a team score of 133-5 at the end of 29th over. With spinners on attack, incoming batsman Mani Kamboj introduced himself on the crease with a smashing shot for 4 straight behind the bowler. He was not giving any chance to bowlers and kept punishing spinners when he was offered any tossed up delivery. He was a breath of fresh air and much needed support for Andy R to get closer to the target. At this stage Panthers were 178-5 in 35 overs, a quick fire partnership between the duo meant Andy R was inching closer to his maiden century as well. While the team was getting ready to celebrate Andy’s ton, he was navigating the nervous 90s with a bit of caution. It was only when he tried his favorite cut short for a double, he was caught behind at 98 and was unfortunate to not get to the magical three figure mark. We still needed 5 runs when Mani, after hitting a four, skied one and was out scoring 35 runs in 27 balls, a magnificent knock. Panthers at this stage were tied at 189-6 in 38 overs. Roger Moore and Sid on crease navigated an over without scoring. Sid got on strike in the second to last ball and smashed the ball behind bowler's head for 4 and got us home!

A good victory for the team Panthers where everyone chipped in. Man of the match Andy Richards for his heroic 98.

Cheers,

Sunnie Gogia

MP Geeks on Wheels CMCA/North Canterbury vs Kaiapoi Blue @ Warren Park 4A

Fresh off back to back wins, the Geeks were at Warren Park against Kaiapoi Blue.

It was a great day for cricket - it was a rubbish ground for it though (the pitch was fine as it was a rubber ducky), so after a brief discussion Dave Monger gave his blessing and we swapped to a much nicer looking one (Dave may have mentioned that possibly there could be a T20 match there later, but what would he know...)

Both teams started the game short a few players - we only had 10 after a late withdrawal, and they only had 9. Dave Frost the Skipper lost the toss (again) and we were in the field (which was a bit gutting considering the fact it was an arti). Nithissh and another one of our imports, Josiah Leigh, opened up our bowling, and Kaiapoi got off the mark faster than Kanye was in visiting Skechers, with one of their openers on 20 after only 2 overs. Josiah, however, removed him first ball of his second over, and Kaiapoi never really got going after that.

Both Leigh and Nitish really tied them down - any momentum they may have had was stuffed when, completely unexpectedly, a couple of T20 teams showed up and had the temerity to suggest we had taken their ground, would you believe it. Not wanting to cause a scene, we decided to accept their dubious accusations and moved back to the other ground.

Only one of Kaiapoi's batsmen showed any real resistance. And when Dave the Skipper came on with Sanath the runs really dried up and the wickets began to fall. That trend continued with Mr Monger and Pavneet. With good rotation of the bowlers almost all of them got in on the wickets. Somehow Kaiapoi managed to find 2 other batsmen from their supporters, which really only delayed the inevitable. All out for 113 in the 32nd over.

Josiah was the pick of the bowlers with an impressive 3/20 off 6, with David Frost (c) equally as good with 3/21 from his 6. Mr Monger chipped in despite his decrepit condition with 2/7 from 4.1, Pav 1/4 from 4, and  Nithissh brought in 1/28 from 6. Sanath chipped in 0/27 from his 6.

When it came to our turn to bat we turned it on from the start. I took 12 from the first over, with Allan scoring freely from the other end as well. When I topped edged a full toss for 21 we were on 34, and with Harry K coming in the runs kept flowing. Even when we lost Harry for 17 with us on 89, we were still in the box seat, with Allan still there hitting the ball sweetly.

And then, well, it all went to poop. They brought in one of their fill-ins who (literally) didn't know how to hold a bat or where to stand when batting, yet somehow was more than a handy bowler. And we lost our next 6 wickets for only 14 runs - Pav 0, Dave M 0, Thomas 1, Allan a superb 40, Nithissh 2 & Josiah 4.

With only 10 players, we were down to our last pair at the wicket with 11 runs still required. And...it was Dave the Skipper and Sanath who saw us home in the 27th over.

So, 3 from 3. But we made this one much much harder than it should have been. However, a win is a win, and it puts us at top of the table. Roll on week 4!!!

cheers,

Richard

MP Bombay Tandoor Presidents vs Marist Harewood @ St Albans Park 2

MPCC Bombay Tandoor Gold took on OBC at Bishopdale Park after a late venue change from Nunweek Park. Hume won the toss and made the decision to have a bat first counting on a good start to put pressure on OBC. Hume and Van Grunsven shared the opening duties again to battle it out with the Murphys. After an eventful first over, Mark Murphy picked up the first breakthrough as Hume found it difficult to judge the lines failing to get bat on any of the four balls and being given out leg before on the third appeal of the over. Having to depart for just the 1 off 5 Hume's advise to the incoming Simon Bell was to get yourself established before teeing off. Turns out there wasn't really an option with both Murphys bowling in contrasting styles being both very effective in slowing the run rate and utilizing the two paced nature of the pitch. Through no small amount of luck combining with the odd good shot, Simon and Pickle somehow managed to get to the mid-innings break with a platform of 63/1 having tussled with Clayton and Woolscroft and a returning S Murphy all exploiting condition well. The curse of the break was realized fourth ball back when a clearly frustrated Bell attempted to take the long handle to new bowler Johnston and failing to clear the tall timber of Carrodus down the ground, caught near the boundary for 20 (62). Zwies being made to undergo the patient wait at second drop got off the mark with a single only to be rushed first ball of the next over from Carrodus into an audacious pull shot that cue ended and somehow grasped by Mark Murphy one handed over the head, 65/3. This bought Dearsley to the crease after a week off to join Pickle. Couple of overs later this partnership was broken when Steve top edged Carrodus to be caught by the bowler for a sketchy 48 (66), score languishing at 78/4 in the 24th. Last of the "recognized" batsmen Millar, partnered Paul for a few more overs before the return of Mark Murphy enticed Paul to try to put one over cover and getting a little too much underneath to be taken at cover by Simon Murphy for 7 (11). This set in motion a flurry of wickets as Mark, Stan and Carrodus ran riot, with Mendis 2 (5), Steeman 0 (3), Kokiri 1 (5) and Skudder 0 (2) coming and going. At the tipping point of 104/9 Millar found an ally in Kaparlos to push on to the 37th when Johnston snuck one through Wades defenses ending the innings at 116. Wade making a handy 20 (35), Petros unbeaten 8*(20). Best of the bowlers being Carrodus 6/0/24/4 and M. Murphy 8/0/17/3. Suffice to say not a particularly good day at the office for the MP boys...

Needing to start well to give ourselves a chance, we opened with Mendis and Van Grunsven, with Pickle managing to strike in his first to pickup Hull for 1 via a comfortable catch to Bell at cover. Game went into a holding pattern with Howell and Graham trying to see out the opening pair. When we got Graham walking past a Mendis special and Hume whipping off the bails for 4 in the ninth the score was sitting at 2/19 and we felt better about our prospects. Unfortunately Howell and S Murphy had other ideas as our first change bowler got dispatched and Kelum took a bit of punishment in his eighth and obviously last over. Our next wicket didn't fall until the 18th when Dearsley was introduced striking early when Bell took his second catch (a bit tougher this time) to see the back of Howell for a well compiled 34. Faas was put up the order for a good time lasted four balls but making 9, again Bell being the recipient of an aerial ball hit near him (third), this time P.K. being the deliverer. 75/4 and in search of a knockout blow we rang the changes but to no avail as the Murphy's kept everything in check in running down the score with a couple of chances put down. Mark finishing 11* and Simon posting a half century on the way to 56* (5 x 4, 2 x 6). Comprehensive win to OBC with a long breakdown session on the sideline between the teams...

Cheers, Pickle.

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Article added: Tuesday 01 November 2022