Bay cricketers line up the big challenges

Mitch Innes at the age of 14 in the act of capturing two wickets for Napier Old Boys Maris in a crucial Premier-grade Twenty20 cricket match on Friday night. The team now heads for a playoff at McLean Park on March 5. Photo / Paul Taylor.

The Hawke’s Bay men’s cricket team has put itself in with a chance of a new challenge for national minor associations with a first innings lead over Taranaki in a crucial Furlong Cup Central Districts minor associations match at Pukekura Park, New Plymouth.

Dismissing the home side for 210 on the first day of a two-day game, Hawke’s Bay was all-out for 315 mid-afternoon on Sunday.

The match could decide whether Hawke’s Bay gets to challenge next month for the Hawke Cup just three months after losing it to Canterbury Country in a defence in Napier in November, which also depended on the outcome of a match in which fellow-hopeful Manawatu was playing Wairarapa in Palmerston North.

With captain Angus Schaw and Will Clark called up at late notice to play for Central Stags in a Super Smash Twenty20 match against Auckland Aces in Auckland on Saturday, Hawke’s Bay coach Christie van Dyk’s side did well to dismiss Taranaki for the challengeable 210 on Saturday.

The impetus for Hawke’s Bay came from opener Jack Boyle who hit two 6s and eight 4s in a 96 minutes, 84 balls innings of 61, before being second to go with the score at 84 in the 27th over.

Having on Saturday taking 2-17, including the wicket of Taranaki top-scorer Mattie Thomas (50), caught by Christian Leopard, Boyle shared a 77-runs opening partnership with Jonathan Whitley, who scored just 19.

Leopard then played his part with the bat, featuring in a 55-runs partnership with Baylee Foote and carrying the Bay past the Taranaki total before being out for 46, popping the ball up to a catch at short leg and making it 211-6.

Foote stepped up the rear-guard action with 60, including nine 4s, and No 9 bat Todd Watson chimed-in with an unbeaten 44, including two 6s and three 4s.

Manawatu, seeking the points to claim the top position in the Furlong Cup and the Hawke Cup challenge, batted first and made 303-4dec but Wairarapa, out for 187 in its first inning battled back, avoiding an innings defeat at 266-3 in its second innings late in the afternoon..

Meanwhile, 14-year Mitchell Innes took 2-17 off three overs on Friday night to help Napier Old Boys Marist to a Hawke’s Bay premier Twenty20 competition win over Central Hawke’s Bay and scrape into an historic playoff series at international venue McLean Park, Napier, on March 5.

OBM scored 168-2 and Innes helped restrict the depleted CHB side to 115-6 as his side made it into the third qualifying sport, and a preliminary final against Tech OB for the right to play top qualifier Havelock North for the title.

Both games will be played at McLean Park, thought to be the first club cricket on the park in over 30 years, in a dream of Hawke’s Bay Cricket chief executive Craig Findlay who has not had the experience in a club career dating back to 1990.

He had to negotiate with the Napier City Council, backed by moves in other areas to stag significant club matches on the main grounds.

“I asked, and I asked…and they’ve said yes,” he said. “It’s huge for the players to have this opportunity.”