Good wins this week to 2B, 3A, 3D, 4B Rebels and Div.1 Women. Senior A's batting let them down for the second time in their match against Halswell meaning the opposition only had to bat once as they won by an innings and 7 runs, Accessman 4B didn't score enough runs either to pose a tough enough challenge in their derby match against the Rebels and both Presidents sides had to settle for second in good encounters.

With only 6 weeks left in Season 2016/17 it would be great to see more individuals and teams alike getting back to the clubrooms for team speeches and to share the feats of the days play with clubmates. Unfortunately the 4B derby wasn't played at Edgar Mac but even more unfortunate was that only 1 player from that game made it back to tell everyone about the encounter. Let's take pride in the club and support each and every team by taking some responsibility to get back to Edgar Mac (even for a short time) on a Saturday night!!

Subs Reminder ...

Thank you to all those that have paid their Subs for this season. Unfortunately there are still a number of players throughout the grades who need to get theirs organised and the Club would greatly appreciate these being paid ASAP. There has been plenty of publicity and reminders right throughout the season so there are no excuses for those that havn't yet paid!!

• Please contact club Treasurer, John Costello via email at jayceenz@hotmail.com if you have any issue or queries.
• When paying your subs by Internet Banking the clubs bank account details are: Westpac, 03 0866 0269318 000, Merivale Papanui Cricket Club Inc
• When making a transfer please state your full name as a reference.

Poker Night, Saturday 18th February ...

A Poker Night will be held this Saturday at the clubrooms beginning after team speeches. $30 buy-in plus limited $20 re-buys for all who would like to participate.

Chairman's Cup Final, Sunday 12th February ...

Sunday 11am Denton Park, Merivale-Papanui vs Hornby, Chairman's Cup Final! Everyone was amping. I lost the toss and we were asked to bat. Pitch was green and the outfield rock solid. Ross Hastings and Micheal Rochford opened the innings with a good start before Rochford was caught. Hastings and Pankaj Bhagat worked their way through the overs scoring at a steady rate. Hastings eventually falling for 31 while Pankaj batted beautifully for his 33. Our 2 Senior stars James Carr and Mitchell Dimond picked the rate up. Mitchell the aggressive player with a quick fire 41. Before James Carr fell for 47 we were looking to be in a strong position posting 250 plus, however the Hornby bowlers found their wickets and in the end we only could manage 214 for 9 with Daniel Fogden scoring a crucial 21 in the final overs of the innings. We knew we were 20 runs short but if we bowled well we had a good chance. 

In reply Hornby started slowly. Matty Wilcock and Chris McCloy opened up. I managed to get an early wicket while Chris kept his good line and length. Craig Dacombe and Mitchell Dimond followed and bowled extremly well keeping the rate low and picking up wickets. At drinks we had Hornby 75 for 5 and we were in a strong position. We knew we had to keep on top and bowl well as Hornby needed 6 plus an over. Unfortunately with the wind swirling strongly Jason Swensson struggled to get his rhythm and only managed 2 overs but James Carr bowled an exceptional 8 overs (2/24) picking up a couple of crucial wickets. Jamie O'Connor left the keeping for Rochford to finish and bowled his 8 overs straight keeping the run rate low early on but started leaking a few 2s in the last overs. Needing 7s off the last few overs things were tight. I kept O'Connor bowling and brought myself back on for my last 3 overs. We bowled tight but with the field spread saving the boundaries Hornby managed to pick up plenty of 1s and 2s. Johannsen and Westenburg almost single handedly took the game away from us. Westenburg batted very well for his 68no and Johannsen hit a few lusty blows when it mattered to get the rate down. Once I bowled Johannsen we had a sniff. Hornby required 5 off the last over with just the 1 wicket in hand. A bit of miscalculation and different plans in mind meant Chris McCloy had the opportunity to win us the game. Hornbys number 11 was solid and with Westenburg still at the crease it wasn't going to be easy and unfortunately they got there with 4 balls to spare. Tough finish for both teams as the game was very topsy turvy and both teams had their chances. Hornby victor's in what was a very good, tight, well fought match. 

Highlights for us.. Hastings, Pankaj and Carr showed awesome awareness with the bat and showed their class while Mitch Dimond took 20 plus runs off 1 over in his quick fire innings. 

I felt myself and Chris bowled well while Carr and O'Connor used their experience through the crucial overs. Dacombe bowled exceptionally and was a tad unlucky not to get a second spell. Fielding was pretty good up until the last 10 overs where we managed to just lose our way under the pressure with misfields that went to the boundary and a couple of dropped catches which proved vital. I got myself an epic run out,  throwing the ball to the keepers end from 3rd man, into the heavy wind to run out their best batsman. It was a few of these moments which turned the game around for both teams. We can take alot away from the game and lessons we can work on but I believe we played good cricket overall to get us into the final and the boys enjoyed every moement. Hornby are a tough team to beat and it was them who held their nerve for the win. Both teams played in awesome spirit, kept their honesty and played their best cricket. It is games like that which keep us playing the game of cricket.

• Many thanks to Hornby for hosting the game and the after match food/beverages.
• Many thanks to our 2 umpires for taking charge and doing a bloody good job.
• Many thanks to the supporters from both teams, you guys kept us on our toes and kept us refreshed in the heat. 
• Many thanks to Ross Patterson for taking plenty of awesome pictures of the final.
• Many thanks to the Club for the opportunity to lead this team into a final and the trust in me to do a good job. 

Click here to view photographic action from the match.

Thanks, Matty Wilcock

Match Reports from Saturday 11th February ...

MP Bishop Brothers Sen.A vs Halswell @ Edgar Mac 1 (2 Day)(Loss)

No match report submitted from this team.

Click here to view the match scorecard on CricHQ

Click here to view photographic action from the match.

MP Cason Kerbing 2B vs Marist-Harewood @ Redwood 1 (2 Day)(Win)

    We returned to Redwood Park 101 runs ahead, and aiming to finish off last week’s good work. Once again, we opened up with Ryan Hawkins and Jacob Wilson, and once again they got us off to an excellent start, with Ryan bowling 6 overs, 1-1 with the run coming off a no ball, and Jacob getting through 7 overs, 3 maidens, 0-10. Dave Monger replaced Ryan and, having dropped the other opener himself, had him caught by Tribhuvan Sharma at mid-on (about an over after he’d been released from fine leg to fine leg duties as punishment for being asleep at 10.15 when the skipper rang), leaving Marist 31-2 after 18 overs. Chris McCloy (0-21 off 7) replaced Jacob, and bowled well without luck. Dave (1-28 off 6) then had a tantrum about a poorly called wide and went for 12 off an over, to be replaced by Jason Swensson, while Sharma replaced Rosie with the score at 71-2. This led to a remarkable collapse as Sharma picked up a wicket caught by Rhino in the deep (3-71); Jason (1-8 off 4) had a catch well taken by Jacob moving round from slip to pick up a top-edge (4-75); Sharma picked up a 2nd wicket courtesy of a catch/stumping (5-76); Ryan (replacing Jason) had a catch taken by a diving Rosie (6-78); Rosie and Sharma combined for a run-out (7-79); and Ryan bowled another batsman to leave Marist 8-80 after 33 overs as they went from a respectable innings to a disaster. A short rally from the Marist skipper and their no. 9 added another 26, meaning we had to bat again. Sharma (2-6 off 5) was replaced by Craig Dacombe (0-5 off 2) and might have had a wicket first ball, but Rhino added his fourth wicket courtesy of a catch at cover by Abi Paudel, and then completed his 5-for by bowling no. 11, ending up 5-24 off 11.2 overs. Once again, we could look back at a couple of missed catches as areas for improvement, but this was an excellent, disciplined bowling and fielding effort. We remained patient when the Marist batsmen built a partnership, the game was turned by spin (for the second week in a row, after Dakesy's efforts on day 1), courtesy of some excellent turn and bounce from the ridiculously late Sharma, and Ryan was more or less unplayable apart from one over of slogging that went for 12.

    So we had to score 18 to win, and our last obstacle was to ensure we got maximum bonus points for a 10-wicket win. Abi (7*) and Ash (3*), knocked off the score in the fifth over, with nine extras helping our cause, and we were done by 2pm, taking maximum points in an excellent all-round effort. Player of the day was Rhino for his 5-24, but as with most of 2B’s memorable performances, we did well because everyone pulled their weight.

Click here to view the match scorecard on CricHQ

 Dave M.

MP Accessman 3A vs BWU Cannons @ Burnside 3 (Win)

I am very pleased to report a win for the 3A's this week. A match that showed you can win it from anywhere against a strong Burnside team. On inspection of the pitch, we weren't sure what it was like. It was relatively hard with some green areas which gave promise to the bowlers. It didn't matter anyway as Timba lost the toss and we were put in to bat. What followed was what can only be described as a collapse of epic proportions. We were left reeling at 4-4, Gunby was run out, Marcus got a beauty and was caught behind, PK was caught at mid off and Arscott was caught in the slips. Our umpires must have set some sort of record, they were only out there for 1 over before they had to scurry back to pad up. The partnership between Darren and Rob showed promise, but when Rob fell for just 5, we were deep in it at 26-5. Josh Oliver joined Darren and together they set about repairing the innings and laying a foundation for the latter overs. They did just that with a solid partnership of 46. Josh fell for 19 and Timba joined Darren at the crease. They put together a quickfire partnership of 51, with some superb strike farming from Timba and some stunning boundaries from Darren. Darren made his way through to a fluent 94no, by the end of it batting on one leg with a seemingly torn hamstring. This coupled with some lower order hitting from Chris and we somehow made it through to 149. A total we felt was competitive on a pitch that was quite 2 paced. 

We started our bowling effort with a hiss and a roar. Chris nabbing 2 cheap ones in his first over, a clean bowled and a thin edge to Gunby behind the sticks. Regular wickets began to fall with Milky grabbing a plumb LBW, Nemo got their remaining opener caught in the deep and Josh O nabbed one in the last before before drinks. They were 71-5 and we were ahead in the game. After drinks, Burnside began their fightback with Peters (their number 6) scoring an attacking 45 not out. However wickets were falling at regular intervals from the other end. Nemo was bowling heat, ending with 2-24 off 8 overs. Milky's form with the ball continued, he bowled the over of the match getting 2 batsmen inside 4 balls and we could sniff victory. He finished with 3-33. Chris was bowling good heat as well and finished with 3-23. The game went down to the wire, with Marcus taking the last wicket with Burnside on 134, so a 15 run win for the mighty 3A's in the end.

From 4-4 we managed to win the match, thanks to a rebuilding partnership between Darren and Josh, some attacking batting in the latter overs, and a solid bowling and fielding effort all around. Special mention to Gunby, taking the gloves for the first time in 11 years and holding his own well, and of course to Darren with a flawless 94no.

Click here to view the match scorecard on CricHQ

Josh.

MP Little Brown Jug 3D vs Marist-Harewood @ Edgar Mac 2 (Win)

Having not played a home game since mid-October last year it was quite exciting to be back at Edgar Mac especially considering we were playing the top of the table Marist-Harewood. On a very flat looking track after losing the toss we were put into bat and immediately made them pay with Rochie 22(15) taking the aggressive route hitting their opener for 5 fours before getting out guiding it to slip. This brought in Bradbury who had been battling a bit since his opening knock for the team. He kept out a few balls but was quickly dismissed LBW for a duck from 10 balls. This brought Jono and Andy together, Jono had his usual slow start taking 20 balls to get off the mark while Andy went about his thing waiting for a loose one to put away. We limped through to drinks on 67-2. Coming out in the second half we took a more aggressive route with Andy bringing up his 50 and Jono trying to put everything over cow. Andy and Jono batted for 30 overs putting on 145 before Jono was caught at long on for 76(80). Joel was promoted up the batting order with his reputation of clearing large structures, but with Andy on 87 with 2 overs to go was restrained to just getting off strike to give Andy the chance for his ton. For the 3rd time this season there was an opportunity for a hundred to be brought up on the last ball with Andy on 98 unfortunately he hit it straight to mid-off and Joel 3(4) was run out coming back for the second. Andy finished up on 99 not out of 125 balls which is his best score for the club and was impressive considering he batted the full 40 overs out. We finished on 208-4.

Coming out to bowl we knew they were a very good batting unit and we needed to get them out quick. We opened up with Sanjay and Tom, Sanjay bowled very tight early on not offering much while Tom struggled early bowling at the batter’s legs which resulted in a few boundaries. Tom did however have the last laugh bowling the opener in the final over of his first spell. Ronald was bought on to replace Sanjay and initially bowled very well picking up an early wicket with his Khusra but struggled a bit with his length finishing with 1-44 off his 7. Jono replaced Tom for a couple of overs and got an early wicket. Tommy Mitchell rolled the arm over but also battled a bit with length (0-23 off 3). Andy had a go but was similarly unsuccessful (0-19 off 2). Luckily for us there was a big mix up in the running resulting in their captain being run out for 45 to give us a sniff. Needing 100 off the last 17 with 6 wickets in hand it was game on. Coming back for his second spell Tom was far more accurate and economical and picked up the key wicket of Zwies for 47 and Simpson to finish his 8 on 3-33. Sanjay come back for his final spell picking up a couple to finish on 2-24 off his 8 and Jono finished them off to be 3-16 off 7.5. Marist finished on 170 all out to give us a good 38 run win.

The comp is currently very tight with the top 5 teams all within 10 points of each other. Well done MOTM Andy on your 99 also a thanks to the Seniors for supporting us after your early finish. Was also good to see that Marist had some support down in the form of Henry Winchester showing his true colours.

Click here to view the match scorecard on CricHQ

Click here  to view photographic action from the match.

Jono.

MP 4B Rebels vs MP Accessman 4B @ Burnside 5a (Win)

No match report submitted from this team.

MP Accessman 4B vs MP 4B Rebels @ Burnside 5a (Loss)

No match report submitted from this team.

MP Bishop Brothers Presidents vs Sydenham Cardinals @ Sydenham 3 (Loss)

  Bishop Brothers MP travelled to Sydenham Park to take on the somewhat understrength Cardinals. The pitch looked quite green but hard and, as usual, the decision was taken out of our hands and we were asked to bat first. We got off to a bit of a flier having 20 on the board after three before J.K. got a nibble out of Pickle and caught behind for 2. Humey joined Pauly and the pair took toll of anything loose pushing the score to 94 at the 15 over mark. A triple strike at this point from the veterans Fleming and Van Dyke reduced us to 96 for 4, Hume (33), Mayo (2, caught by a screamer on the boundary by Laughts) and an extremely well hit 50 from the fledgling opener Paul Dearsley, all put back in the hutch. This turned our game, the following batsmen finding it hard to pierce the field and get any momentum going on an increasingly slower and lower deck. Stumpy Price (17) played the anchor throughout this period while wickets were falling from the other end. Badger bucked the trend and hit a quickfire 20, Half price and Skudz finishing the innings with run a ball scores 13* and 5* respectively. 175/8 not a bad score, a little on the light side considering the start though. Bowling of note Walker 8/3/33, J.K. 5/2/26 and Van Dyke 8/2/27 (and technically Fleming 8/1/21, but didn't get the wickets he probably should have).

Worst start for MP, first ball by Pickle (full toss) deposited to the boundary turned into a good one when Laughton was caught behind on the sixth ball. It was then tough going for the Cardinals, some tight bowling especially from Winz and Cam keeping the scoring rate well down and we managed to restrict them to 60/2 at the drinks break. But crickets a funny game and you are never truly out of a game as long as wickets are intact. This was shown by the Sydenham lads as Phil Walker (64) and Antony Wild (52*) especially, showed the never say die attitude and created enough scoring opportunities to win it in the 39th over. Our man of the match Paul picking up 8/3/43 to go with the 50 runs.
At least the beer was cold and the company good in the after match festivities which took away some of the disappointment of the close loss. Another well spirited game where good sportsmanship was shown by both sides to avert any potential niggle.

Click here to view the match scorecard on CricHQ

Cheers Steve.

MP Identity Signs Presidents vs ECS Gold @ Burwood 1 (Loss)

Identity Signs Presidents travelled over to Burwood Park 1 for a top of the table clash with East Shirley Gold. I won the toss and decided to have a bat on a hard and fast wicket with a lightening outfield to match. Opened with Grunta and Ice and got through to 6 before Ice as he has done all season so far, got himself out early for 5(5). Harrington joined Grunta and they got us through to 72 before Matt fell for 32(57) in the 20^th over while trying to increase the run rate. It’s fair to say that Easts had put together an outstanding bowling attack and they made it difficult to score. So 72/2 at drinks turned into 97/3 when Grunta was bowled for 38(66). We lost Ants 10(14), Nana 10(18) and Wagga 0(4). Our plan to up the tempo in the 2^nd twenty was stifled by the loss of quick wickets. After 30 we were 117/6 and battling to post a competitive score. Bellsy and Donut put on 25 before Donut 5(15) departed in the 35th. I joined Bellsy and we hit and scrambled runs however we could. Bellsy went out on the last ball of the 39^th over for a superb and much needed 48(39). We ended up on 186/8 with myself 15*(15) and Tonka 0*(0). 30 runs short of what we wanted, but a defendable score if things went well for us.

Opened our bowling with Nana and Tonka. Both bowled very well early and picked up a wicket each. So 21/2 after 7 with both the Pawson brothers back in the hut. Things were looking alright. That changed however with Hemmingway and DJ Lyons putting a 99 run partnership together in fairly quick time before Towney snuck one through Hemmingway and bowled him for 69. 120/3 after 24. Towney also picked up Wells for 5. Ferris enticed Lyons into a false shot and got him caught for 59. 158/5 after 31. 29 needed of 9 with Ferris and Bellsy bowling very well in partnership. Bellsy bowled Woodhouse first ball and Easts were starting to feel the pressure. Robson and Daly took it through to 181 before Bellsy took a screamer to dismiss Daly off my 1^st ball of the 39^th over. Easts needed 4 off the last over. Waggas first 2 balls were dots and the pressure was mounting. Unfortunately for us Dentice edged one through the vacant 1^st slip for 4 and it was all over. Easts won 7 down with 3 balls left. Disappointing to lose but we defended a sub par score pretty well. All the bowlers did their job well – Nana 8-42-1, Tonka 8-40-1, Fish 5-22-1, Bellsy 8-25-1, Towney 4-25-2, Ants 1-12-0 and Wagga 5.3-19-1. The fielding was also very good considering our advanced age. Thanks to the Easts lads for inviting us in their dressing room for a beer and chat afterwards. It was very enjoyable.

Finally, it was a truly remarkable game played in fantastic spirit by 2 very good and even teams.

Click here to view the match scorecard on CricHQ

Cheers, Fish.

MP Featherstones Dairy Women Div.1 vs LPW @ Woolston 2 (Win)

No match report submitted from this team.

MPCC Draw for Saturday 18th February 2017 ...

• MP Bishop Brothers Sen.A vs Southern Districts @ Beckenham 1 (2 Day)
• MP Cason Kerbing 2B vs St Albans @ Edgar Mac 1 (2 Day)
• MP Accessman 3A vs Richmond @ Richmond 1
• MP LBJ 3D vs New Brighton @ Rawhiti 2
• MP 4B Rebels vs Richmond Blue @ St Albans 1
• MP Accessman 4B vs City Eagles @ Spreydon Dom.1
• MP Bishop Brothers Presidents vs MP Ideentity Signs Pres. @ Edgar Mac 2
• MP Identity Signs Presidents vs MP Bishop Brothers Pres. @ Edgar Mac 2
• MP Featherstones Dairy Women Div.1 vs St Albans @ Ilam 4

MPCC Subs for 2016/17 ...

• Mens Subs for Season 2016/17 … Men’s full subs to remain at $240 for a season if fully paid by 12 November, 2016 or if an AP has been established by 12 November, 2016. The club's bank account number is 03 0866 0269318 000, use your name and mention "subs" in the reference. Otherwise the subscription to be increased to $280 for late payment. ($120 for students and team captains, or $160 for late payment).
• Womens Subs for Season 2016/17 … Women’s full subs to remain at $130 for a season ($65 for students) if fully paid by 12 November, 2016 or if an AP has been established by 12 November, 2016. The club's bank account number is 03 0866 0269318 000, use your name and mention "subs" in the reference. Late payment would incur a further $40.

Internet Banking ...When paying your subs by Internet Banking ...The clubs bank account details are:

• Westpac 03 0866 0269318 000, Merivale Papanui Cricket Club Inc
• When making a transfer please state your full name as a reference.

Facebook ... Both the Senior and Junior sections of MPCC can be found on Facebook ....

• Click Here for Merivale Papanui Cricket Club
• Click Here for Merivale Papanui Junior Cricket Club
• Be sure to "LIKE" both pages.

If you have any queries send us an email to mpcricket@xtra.co.nz