Key match looms at halfway point of premier cricket competition

Ryan Evans

Photo: The view from the new deck at Sutherland Park was a good one for Woodleigh fans as their premier side sent Stratford home empty handed in a good win for the home side.  

Past the halfway point of the Expert Turf premier 1-day round robin, a crowded middle of the table means teams have plenty to play for in their round five matches this weekend.

While Nag N’ Noggin NPMU and Civil Quarries Inglewood well clear on top of the table and both close to locking in playoff spots, there are still four sides well in the hunt for the remaining berths.

Stratford and Merit RV NPOB currently hold third and fourth spots, eight points behind the leader5s, while Stumble Inn Woodleigh is a further point back in fifth, and Metcalfe Real Estate Hawera United are another point back again in sixth.

It means there are crucial matches for all four sides this weekend. Woodleigh, fresh off a minor upset over Stratford in round four, will be looking to bring Inglewood back to the pack at Karo Park, while Stratford travels to Lynmouth Park for a very tough clash against Marist. New Plymouth Old Boys will host their little brother, NPBHS First XI and the Whitaker Civil FDMC First XI, who have performed well this year without notching up a win, travel south to Hawera.

Under perfect skies the round four matches were well fought affairs last weekend.

Hawera picked up a convincing win over NPBHS, chasing down a target of 121 for the loss of just two wickets, with Rob Northcote top scoring with 55. Earlier Shaun Fowler had bowled well to pick up 4/19 as a number of the school’s batters made starts but none were able to kick on.

With their rep players missing, Marist and NPOB fought out a low-scoring thriller at Lynmouth Park. Batting first NPOB were dismissed for 116 with Sean White top-scoring with 53. Shailen Sukdhoe was pick of the bowlers taking 3/15.

Marist made tough work of their chase. Opener Robson Chapman continued his good form in the competition with a knock of 46 to anchor the innings but the regular loss of wickets meant the home side was eight wickets down by the time they picked up the winning runs in the 38th over. Kyle Pillay (3/37) was dangerous with the ball while Jamie Watkins and Liam Carr were also a handful, taking a pair of wickets each.

Short three key rep players, Stratford would have thought they had set a defendable target when they made 204 at Sutherland Park. Ross Forrester led the way with 51 runs at the top of the order, while Woodleigh’s Shaun Sullivan was a handful with the ball, taking 3/34.

But Connor Poulton was the star of the show for the home side, hitting 70 runs in the successful chase. He found good support from Sullivan, who capped off a good game with 45, and Josh Roguski 44.

In the remaining game, Inglewood continued their good form, setting a target of 223 for FDMC. At 6/135, the home side was in a little trouble but a match winning 87-run seventh wicket partnership between Vatsal Gajjar (79 not out) and Matt Simpson (33 not out) saved helped them set a tough chase for The College.

FDMC was dismissed for 149 in their chase, after good efforts by Lucas Vassiliou (30, Asher Ryan (34) and Luke Tuckett (32) ensure FDMC kept the chase competitive for some time. Tyla Judson and Sam, Le Gros each picked up three wickets.

Saturday’s round five matches are scheduled to start at 11am, with a forecast for mainly fine weather a good sign for a good weekend of cricket action.

In other action over the weekend, NPOB and Stratford’s premier women’s teams will meet for the second of their scheduled five match series at Western Park on Sunday at 11am.

Full scorecards, points tables and match details, including new and improved live scoring, are available here at PlayHQ.