As we head into the final round before the Christmas break, we're a little light on match reports however Pickle as always more than makes up for those that didn't submit!

Christmas Break Up

Following the games this week, all members are encouraged to head back to the clubrooms to wrap up the year!

Thanks to our sponsors

A huge thank you to our club and team sponsors for your support this year: Sporting Edge, The Brewers, BBS Timbers, Bar 185, Manetain Building Inspections, Lewis Excavator Hire &  Paav Tiling.  We also acknowledge the support received from grants from Pub Charity, NZ Community Trust, Kiwi Gaming and the Lion Foundation.

Your generous help makes a massive difference to the cricketing experience we can provide to our junior and adult members this season.

Match Reports from Saturday 13th December

MP Sporting Edge Championship vs Riccarton @ HC 5 (MP 136/4, Ric 100/10 - Win)

MP Sporting Edge Championship vs Burnside @ Burnside 2 (MP 101/7, Bur 102/0 - Loss)

No report received

MP Sporting Edge Div. 2 Red vs Hornby @ EM1 (Hor 138/6, MP 104/10 - Loss)

MP Sporting Edge Div. 2 Red vs Sydenham @ EM1 (MP 161/9, Syd 164/5 - Loss)

MP Seconds closed out their T20 campaign with no hope of making finals day, but in desperate need to break the run of losses this season and take some momentum into the one-day campaign. First up was Hornby, with the number 1 a little soft on top we won the toss and opted to bowl.

Logan (2/24 off 4) & Beattie (1/15 off 4) started off and restricted well, reducing Hornby to 2/10 off their first 5 overs, Rohit came on next and was miserly in his bowling. Bowling four straight and going for only 14, claiming one wicket. Sam C (1/38 off 4) struggled to find much consistency as the Hornby batters looked to make good on the slow start and losing Nick after 1 delivery to a side strain meant we had to go to Sloane for a basically full allotment (1/34 off 3.5) Hornby eventually ending up on about 30 more than they should have made it to 138. A couple of dropped chances we were made to pay for.

Wez and Basa opened, but we lost Basa (2) on the second delivery of the chase, and Sloane (4) on the fourth. Wezley did Wezley things, but unfortunately nobody really managed to stay with him for any significant amount of time. With only three contributions above 10 (Rohit 10, Louis 14 & Beattie 14) chasing almost 140 was always going to be difficult. We got north of 100 thanks to Wezley’s 42 off, 21 Nick went out despite being injured to try and get us close, but we eventually fell 34 short. Sydenham second, Sam H again winning the toss and batting as the pitch had flattened out by now. Basa and Wez again started off, but Wez fell early this time for 4, Sloane and Basa made a solid 50 partnership before Sloane fell for 24. This was by far our best batting performance of the T20 campaign, but if we are hard on ourselves there were many starts and nobody kicking on (Basa eventually out for 37, Sloane 24, Rohit 18, Louis 11 and Beattie 32) none of which managing to kick on to a substantial score. Jaxson ensured the tail wagged, hitting a monster six over a wide long on much to the crowds delight capping off a nice tail end cameo of 17 off 7. MP ended up on 161 which we all felt was very defendable.

Beattie struck in the third over, making Sydenham 1/10, but it wasn’t until 119 that Sydenham lost their second in the 14th over. Leaving them requiring around 40 off the final 6. We managed some extra wickets at the end, but it was comfortable for Sydenham in chasing it down at the start of the 19th over 5 down. We didn’t bowl or field terribly, but 22 extras certainly cost us in this one.

A disappointing T20 campaign finally ends, but a big one-day campaign just beginning this Saturday, weather permitting.

Mike Beattie

MP Burger Station Bar 185 Div 3 vs Marist Harewood @ Bish (MH 123/10, MP 124/6 - Win)

We won toss & elected to bowl first. Our bowlers did a great job. Vansh & Birender started off really well and bowled to their line & length. The pressure built by them resulted in wickets for Harry & Sagar. They took 3 wickets each. Vansh got 2 & Amit got 1 wicket. Beautiful bowling performance by the team restricted Marist to 123 only.

Chasing an easy target, we lost one wicket quite early but Suraj & James built a good partnership. Suraj scored his maiden fifty for the season before he was dismissed at 59. We lost the way for few overs in between & lost few wickets on a regular intervals but James(29)played sensibly & held the other end. Then Birender & Harry took the team over the finishing line. We won by 4 wickets.

Akki

MP BBS Timbers Div 5 vs Ohoka @ EM2  (Oh 177/8, MP 89/10 - Loss)

No report received

MP Lewis Excavator Hire Div 6 Panthers vs Lancaster Park @ Nunweek

(LP 203/5, MP 207/3 - Win)

The Div 6 Panthers faced Lancaster Park Southern Strikers on a fine day at Nunweek Park, playing on the artificial surface. Panthers captain Andy A lost the toss and the side was asked to field first.

The Strikers began cautiously against the opening bowlers Andy A and Isuka, showing patience in the early overs. Isuka made the initial breakthrough in the 10th over when the opening batter was bowled after playing the ball onto his stumps. The remaining opener, a left-hander, began to find form, punishing loose deliveries and finding the boundary regularly.

With wickets proving difficult to secure, the Strikers steadily built their innings. The Panthers were not helped by several missed chances in the field, allowing the batting side to increase the scoring rate through the middle overs. AJ, playing his first match of the season, bowled tightly at times and was rewarded with a wicket in his final over. Kish, bowling off-spin for the first time this season, also contributed with two wickets. Despite these efforts, the Strikers took advantage of wayward deliveries and posted a competitive total of 203 off 40 overs.

In reply, the Panthers knew a strong batting performance was required but took confidence from having scored a similar total the previous week. Openers Joel and Dean made a steady start before Dean was bowled for 15. Joel followed soon after, contributing a well-compiled 35 from 33 deliveries.

Charan and Glen then came together at the crease, adding stability to the innings. Charan was eventually run out for 15 while attempting a quick single. Max then joined Glen, and the pair built another decisive match winning partnership. Both batters played positively, with Glen particularly effective in punishing loose deliveries. The partnership carried the Panthers through to the end of the innings, with Glen finishing unbeaten on 82 off just 65 deliveries and Max not out on 50 off 45.

Although the Panthers were disappointed with aspects of their bowling and fielding performance, the strong batting display—particularly from Joel, Glen and Max—secured the win and provided confidence heading into next week’s match.

Andy A

MP Paav Tiling Div 7 vs Southbrook @ SBD (MP Win by default)

MP Manetain Building Inspections Masters vs Ohoka @ Mandeville

(Oh 124/9, MP 126/3 - Win)

With a bit of rain around the night before and Chook winning the toss it seemed a little surprising we were asked to have a bowl, P.K. adamant he would have selected to field first if the toss went his was, so I guess both teams were happy enough at that point. We did start a little early which didn't work too well for Marty Thompson, I was turning around at fine leg to see him returning back from the crease having nicked off to Browne first ball, Gill comfortably gloving the deflection. This bought Nathan Jones in to join Eugene Archer to play out a few balls and smack the last ball of the over to the boundary. Pickle threw down a maiden at Archer and then Nathan came out and started to click into gear, collecting 16 off the next two overs. After that little spurt it become more of a war of attrition with SVG playing the containing role while the bulk of the attacking occurred at the top end, Browne (4/0/19/1) was replaced for the ninth by Cartmell who bowled well without luck until the break, Pickle replaced by Frankie for the 14th, started very well but was collared in his third and gave up the crease to Dearsley to bowl the twentieth. Ohoka stuttering their way to 67/1 at the drink's interval, Jones dominating the scoring with 54.

With the pace of the game fairly slow we were expecting the Original lads to come out with a bit of gusto, this backfired somewhat when Cartmell, continuing on, finally coaxed an edge from Jones, collected by Gill once again, not able to add to the break score. This was backed up next ball then Hayden Powell got a peach and had his middle stump tipped back 67/3 in the matter of an over. Chook in for the hattrick ball which was successfully negotiated and started building a much needed partnership with the ever patient E Archer. For Ohoka this resurgence was not nearly long enough or yielding significant runs, being 6 overs and 13 before Captain Petros started to exert his influence trapping Graeme in front for 5 in the 27th over, Cartmell having bowled out with the figures 8/1/21/2. Spin at both ends hurried the game along, Eugene fell shortly after, also to P.K. drawing his second LBW of the encounter, Archer's knock of 27 curtailed in the 29th. When Keys was caught by Verma off Dearsley next over for 6, Ohoka were in a bit of trouble at 97/6 by the end of the 30th. Unfortunately for Ohoka Prebble became the third of P.K.s LBW victims falling for a duck while Murray was playing out his inning with a bit of confidence, 99/7. Hamilton in and the pair took toll of a small blimp of less than accurate bowling taking 10 off P.K.s fifth and then 12 off Dearsleys last (8/0/32/1) to push that score up to 122 in the 34th. P.K. then struck again, Murray attempting to launch down the ground, getting too much under the ball going only as far as Zwies at a short mid-off position, Murray seen off for 17. Dan Archer in to partner Hamilton, only for the incumbent to be forced off the pitch having probably making an ill considered decision to cross bat sweep a delivery from a returned Pickle, top edging the off cutter into his right eyebrow, opening up a substantial gash which required immediate attention on the side line and inspection of the ball to remove any DNA trapped in the seam. Nuthall saw out the rest of the over, then P.K. picked up his 5th wicket courtesy of an effective stumping by Gill bamboozling the hapless Archer (0). Innings wrapped up at 124/9 at the start of the 37th, Petros 6.1/0/26/5 and Pickle 7/3/11/0.

Having thought the pitch may have been a little on the slower side from normal, a disciplined bowling effort contained Ohoka to a sub par score but would still require some prowess to track down. Another lovely spread put out by the hosts to bolster flagging sugar levels and prepare for the second half...

What we got with Fire and Ice (Verma and Bell) was two vastly different ideologies and definitely variation in fortunes... Verma taking to Prebble first over with 2 booming boundaries, Bell succumbing to the swinging ball playing across but missing a delivery destined to take out middle and off if not for the interdiction of the pad. 8/1 then 12/1 at the end on the second over. Hume in with Verma and aside from the very odd blemish this pair proceeded to take the game away from Chooks lads, putting on 90 before the young sub fielder Bower (apologies for the spelling) took a stunner to remove Verma for 33 (38) off Powells bowling. Zwies and Hume continued in the same vein with Hume being in particularly punishing form to get to 122 and the end in site, Hume unable to fully control the direction of a short Dan Archer ball only able to pick out Jones at Mid-on battling through to 75 (61). Two ball later the contest was over, Zwies piercing the point boundary to finish up 13*(14) and Gill keeping him company 0* (0). Powell being the standout bowler 7.2/0/44/2 with Dan Archer picking up the other 6/0/43/1.

From that point it was a case of convalescing under the marque talking it up and then doing the rounds of the other games still going... Fantastic day overall with festivities going on after completion, speeches, food, raffles and beverages flowing, congrates to the winners, sympathies to those that didn't there is always next week, the last before a well-earned break over the Christmas period...

Cheers, Pickle.

MP T20 vs St Albans @ Walter Park (StA 205/2, MP 108/8 - Loss)

no report received

Article added: Friday 19 December 2025