NZCC National Club Championships at Cornwall Park, Auckland
DAY ONE
• Suburbs New Lynn (Auckland) beat Manukau City CC (Northern Districts) by six wickets
Manukau City (170 (Ish Sodhi 64; Jeet Raval 4/52), Suburbs New Lynn 173/4 (Temapare Hodson 45, Jeet Raval 42 (retired hurt) Michael Barry 30)
Twenty-one-year-old opening batsman Tem Hodson (45) just managed to top-score for Suburbs in a convincing win over Manukau — despite the best efforts of BLACKCAPS leggie Ish Sodhi and fellow SKYCITY Northern Knights reps Jono Hickey, Tamati Clarke and Nick Kelly.
Temapare Hodson
Hodson and Aces star Jeet Raval got Suburbs' chase off to a powerful start, despite a thunderous Raval injuring his knee in the process and eventually retiring hurt on 44.
Michael Barry, who made his Aces white ball debut this summer having played first-class a couple of seasons ago, added a further 30 at first drop, before being bowled by Sodhi.
Chasing 171 after earlier having bowled out Manukau in 38 overs, the top order trio had done the bulk of the job as SNLCC cantered onwards to tick off the win with just four wickets down.
Watch Auckland A and Suburbs allrounder Dane Watson's report on the big Auckland clash
Sodhi, revelling in a rare chance to play for his club, finished with 2-41 while Tamati Clarke accounted for former Auckland Grammar star James Parslow.
Suburbs' win had been set up by a very tidy effort with the ball restricting Manukau to its relatively meagre total.
Manukau had found themselves in trouble early doors, 6/2 with two new batsmen on zero as Nick Kelly and Jono Hickey were tasked with starting again for the South Auckland club.
Later, Sodhi had threatened to put on a serious show, using to his long levers to send the ball all around Cornwall Park.
Suburbs New Lynn players were forced to form search parties behind Cornwall’s clubrooms on multiple occasions, but a determined spell from Jeet Raval with the ball paid off.
After being lofted for a couple of big sixes, he had picked up Sodhi’s wicket for 64. None of the five batsmen who came in after Sodhi was able to break double figures, and Manukau were all out for 170. Raval claimed 4-52 off his eight overs.
• Eastern Suburbs (Wellington) beat Napier Tech Old Boys (Central Districts) by 17 runs
Eastern Suburbs 197/8 (Jamie Gibson 90*), Napier Tech Old Boys (Central Districts) 180 (Christian Leopard 101*; Ricky Joseph 4/23)
An unbeaten 90 from recent Wellington first-class debutant Jamie Gibson gave Easts just enough cushion to take victory over a determined Napier Tech Old Boys.
Shining light: Jamie Gibson
It wasn't without a big fight. Napier’s own young gun, New Zealand Under 19s World Cup rep Christian Leopard, very nearly got his side home with an unbeaten ton in response.
Gibson’s 90 was the shining light on an Easts card that showed no other player was able to get past 17. Arriving at the crease in just the fourth over, Gibson was able to carry his side through their 50 overs in order to make sure they set a total.
In reply, the "Texans" looked like they might be swept aside very quickly by the experienced Wellington club side, but young allrounder Leopard’s arrival very quickly changed any of those thoughts.
Christian Leopard's attacking ton went in vain
In a 78-ball stay at the crease, the youngster was able to clear the rope seven times and add nine further boundaries. His hitting at the death very nearly took Napier over the line.
Leopard, however, simply didn’t have the support, a double strike from Easts’ veteran skipper Lance Dry completing the victory for his side.
• St Alban's (Canterbury) beat Kaikorai (Otago) by 164 runs
St Albans 317/8 (James O’Gorman 70, Dylan Budge 70, Mathew Holstein 53, Michael Slack 30; Jack Nuttall 3/65, Michael Fraser 3/75,) Kaikorai 153 (Matt Hunter 31
Canterbury representatives St Albans completed perhaps the most dominant victory of the day over Otago’s Kaikorai. After some early trouble at the top of the order, having ben sent in, a big middle order effort and some late hitting took St Albans to a very competitive total.
Cornwall’s number 3 ground offers plenty of opportunity to clear the boundary, but players can often get into trouble as they misjudge the short boundaries.
However, St Albans showed they were very capable of sending the ball past the rope on the crisp April morning as they hit more boundaries than any other team on the opening day.
The team amassed 32 fours and 12 sixes in their innings, 70s for both skipper James O’Gorman and fellow middle order player Dylan Budge being the chief contributions to their strong total of 317.
With the ball St Albans offered an all-around team approach: no one bowler was requested to bowl their full allotment and four different players picked up two wickets.
After backing themselves to play an attacking brand of cricket all season in Dunedin, Kaikorai will be hoping things can click for them in their next outings at the championships. St Albans will meanwhile be hoping to keep their strong form as they head onto the much larger number 1 ground tomorrow against Manukau City.
