Premier Men

Jeff Crowe Cup | Round 14

Cornwall 268/5 (J Cassidy 60, S Crooks 55, L Dasent 46, D Gallage 43, M Olsen 3-56) lost to North Shore 272/8 (R Mudford 86, M Olsen 52) by two wickets – match reduced to 40 overs.

Cornwall suffered defeat to North Shore at Cornwall Park, but the result didn’t stop the hosts from making it through to Saturday’s Final.

Batting first, the Cornwall top six made up for lost time, posting 268/5 from their 40 overs. The main contributions came from opener Jack Cassidy (60), Sam Crooks (55), Lucas Dasent (46) and Dimithri Gallage (43), who will all take form into the final match of the season. For North Shore, skipper Michael Olsen picked up 3-56 from his eight overs.

In reply, the visitors were giving a lightning-fast start with Riley Mudford hitting 86 off 62 to set Shore on their way. While Olsen continued his fine all-round day, adding 52 off 46 to his efforts with the ball, there was still work to do when No. 9 Matt Strain and No. 10 Manaia Harris came together in the 37th over. Still needing 24 runs, the pair held their nerve to secure victory with three balls to spare. 

Howick Pakuranga vs. Parnell – match abandoned without a ball bowled

Auckland University 197/4 (G Beghin 105*, V Puppala 34, H Lowe 30) defeated Eden Roskill 169 (S Sharma 59, A Prasad 3-41) by 28 runs – match reduced to 25 overs. 

Auckland University improved to an 8-6 record on the back of a powerful batting effort against Eden Roskill.

Graeme Beghin stole the show at Keith Hay Park. Coming to the crease three balls into the inning, the University No. 3 hit an unbeaten

105 off 77 balls. Harry Lowe and Vamshi Puppala provided excellent support as University made their way to 197/4 off their 25 overs. Beghin hit 9 fours and 5 fours, including 22 from the last six balls he faced. 

Eden Roskill’s chase had its moments but eventually fell a long way short. Shaneil Sharma was the best of the Roskill batters, hitting a quickfire 59 off 37 balls. The left-hander’s departure led to a swift finish as the hosts were all out for 169 in the 23rd over. Aaryan Prasad picked up three wickets for University, while Jonathan Low took two catches and bagged a couple of wickets.

East Coast Bays 232 (R Harrison 78, I Bird 39, R Schierhout 36, F de Villiers 3-54) defeated Takapuna 207 (A Baard 95) by 25 runs.

East Coast Bays also improved to an 8-6 record, defeating Takapuna at Onewa Domain.

Batting first, Bays benefitted early with the best partnership of the match between openers Ryan Schierhout (36) and Luke Watson. The major contributor, however, was No. 4 Ryan Harrison, who was the last man out for a patient 78 off 89 balls. While Isaac Bird (39) was at the crease with Harrison, the pair threatened to take Bays to a lot more than their eventual 232 all out. For Takapuna, Fanie de Villiers led the attack with 3-54. 

Takapuna’s chase appeared to be in the hands of opener Adam Baard, who set the Pirates on course for victory. Baard scored 95 off 141 balls; run out in the 44th over, the responsibility of seeing the side home fell to the lower order. It wasn’t to be for the Pirates, who fell 25 runs short. Wickets for Bays were shared with Blair Smith, Chris Groenink, Phil Mecredy and Harrison all picking up two apiece. The result didn’t stop Takapuna from finishing at the top of the table and securing hosting rights for the Final. 

Richard Jones Cup | Round 14

Waitakere 274/4 (B Barnard 100, S Mirza 67, A Kaundal 57*) lost to Hibiscus Coast 276/2 (BJ Jacobs 151*, R Lakmal 40*, T Treadaway 37) by eight wickets – match reduced to 48 overs.

Hibiscus Coast secured a top-four finish outlasting Waitakere in a high-scoring contest at Victor Eaves Park.

Waitakere survived a disastrous start to post 274/4 from their 48 overs. From 8/2, Brian Barnard and Shozib Mirza (67) combined to put on 176 for the third wicket. Barnard was the more aggressive of the pair, scoring 100 off 122 balls. Aman Kaundal played the finisher’s role for Waitakere, hitting an unbeaten 57 off 36 balls. No fours. Five sixes. 

Celebrating the contribution of former Hibiscus Coast skipper Brad Norris, the hosts wasted little time in setting the foundation. Bevon-John Jacobs led the way, combining with Harlin Amaral, Tony Treadaway (37*) and Ramesh Lakmal (40*). Jacobs would finish unbeaten, batting through the 44.3 overs it took to secure victory, and finishing on a stellar 151 off 136 balls. The opener’s knock included 7 fours and 11 sixes as Coast finished the round-robin with a 6-7-1 record.

Kumeu 138 (T Henwood 31, J Dymond 3-22) lost to Grafton 139/0 (D Taylor 63*, A Edwards 57*) by ten wickets.

Grafton secured a home Richard Jones Cup final in style, with a ten-wicket win over Kumeu.

Kumeu ran into early trouble and there was no way from 42/5. Jack Dymond was the Lions’ chief destroyer taking 3-22 from his 6 overs. Grafton’s first-change seamer led the way, but he wasn’t alone as Alex Ridley and Nikhiel Bhana also took two wickets each. Batting at 7, Tim Henwood top-scored with 31 as Kumeu scraped through to 138. 

Grafton’s openers were in a hurry. Alex Edwards and Dylan Taylor took the Lions to a rare ten-wicket victory. The pair chased the required 139 runs in 20.5 overs; Edwards remained unbeaten on 57 off 70 balls, while Taylor hit 7 fours and a six on his way to 63 off 57 balls. The win takes Grafton to 11-3 and sends them through to the final on the back of two consecutive wins. 

Suburbs New Lynn 207/9 (M Barry 80, N Fletcher 41, A Jayampathi 4-32) defeated Birkenhead 83 by 124 runs – match reduced to 45 overs.

Suburbs New Lynn head to next weekend’s Richard Jones Cup showdown with confidence after a comprehensive win over Birkenhead. 

Batting first, Suburbs were reduced to 41/3 inside the first 13 overs. Michael Barry and Nathan Fletcher (41) then put together 106 for the fourth wicket. Though the platform was set for a big finish, Birkenhead were able to hold the hosts to 207/9 from their 45 overs. Anuradha Jayampathi had a big role in giving Birkenhead a chance, taking 4-32 from his nine overs.

Carl Brungar struck in his first two overs to put Birkenhead on the back foot. It didn’t get any easier for the visitors as a trio of run-outs saw Birkenhead collapse further. Sam Cook and Dane Watson also picked up two wickets each as Birkenhead were eventually all out for 83. Suburbs now enter next weeks final with ten Richard Jones Cup wins as well as two over fellow finalists Grafton. 

Papatoetoe 176/9 (R Gill 61*, S Edkins 3-27, D Kharel 3-39) lost to Ellerslie 177/3 (D Kharel 106*, H Drillen 45) by seven wickets – match reduced to 38 overs.

Ellerslie squared the Richard Jones Cup ledger with Papatoetoe in a rain-shortened match at Papatoetoe Recreation Ground.

Papatoetoe had Ritapraj Gill to thank for helping their side post a total. Gill was patient for his unbeaten 61 off 90 balls, losing partners regularly along the way. For Ellerslie, Sam Edkins and Dinesh Kharel threatened throughout, picking up three wickets each. Run-a-ball cameos towards the end helped Papatoetoe through their 38 overs. 

The hosts removed both openers in the opening seven overs. Kharel and Henry Drillen (45) then combined for the partnership of the match, 151 for the third wicket. Kharel added a further 106 runs off just 68 balls to his impressive 21/22 tally, going past 750 runs in the competition, taking Ellerslie to a comfortable victory in the 26th over.

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