Cricket: Batsmen struggling; NTOB to fly HB flag

Cornwall batsman Alex Withington steals another precious but futile run as Havelock North bowler Peter Marffy takes stock of the damage at Anderson Park on Saturday. Photo / Paul Taylor

The therapy - at face value, that is - is for many premier club cricketers to think about their batting before they get stuck into the turkeys on Friday.

On second thoughts, cricket mental coach Gary Hermansson may vehemently argue the batsmen shouldn't think about it at all until they occupy the training nets before their next Property Brokers-sponsored HBCA one-day match on January 9.

That's because all three matches on Saturday had one thing in common - batsmen showing mental frailty.

Okay, so Complete Flooring Napier Technical Old Boys (NTOB) are off to the next round of the New Zealand Club Championship against Lansdowne or Greytown in Masterton on Sunday, January 24.

United Travel Taradale CC coach Sean Davies asked his troops to show some fortitude against NTOB in the Bay final of the club champs qualifier at Nelson Park but the seven-wicket loss must be frustrating.

Taradale could only manage 74 runs after NTOB won the toss and bowled. Seamer Ben Stoyanoff was the highest scorer with 23 runs at No 9 and the next highest score came in the form of 22 extras as every other batsmen failed to make it into double figures in 24.2 overs.

"Yeah, they never really turned up," said NTOB coach Dale Smidt after his men took 15.4 overs to eclipse Dale's total in their run chase.

"It was a bit of a fizzer," said Smidt, pleased NTOB had got rid of the monkey from their back after three barren seasons.

Pivotal to the victory were some sharp catches from an NTOB side who had amassed 1000 games between them with the presence of Craig Findlay (200 plus) and the 100 club of Bronson Meehan, Liam Rukuwai, JK Whyte as well as Josh Paerau on 80 odd.

"Craig didn't even have to bat or bowl so it was a case of thanks for coming."

It was different Saturdays but the same result at Forest Gate Domain, Ongaonga, for the second consecutive weekend.

Ruahine Motors Central Hawke's Bay this time rolled The Station Napier Old Boys' Marist (NOBM) for 77 runs in 23.2 overs before chasing down the target with 78-3 in 12.4 overs.

Bayleys Real Estate Havelock North lost there by five wickets the previous Saturday with a total of 84, prompting coach Derek Stirling to say: "The pitch was seriously poor and so was our batting."

But against Heretaunga Building Society Cornwall at Anderson Park on Saturday, the villagers were staring down the barrell of yet another defeat after grinding out 164 in 46.2 overs but, nailbitingly, the visitors fell four runs shy.

"They were six down and they needed four runs to win and the last four wickets fell for no runs," Stirling said as Cornwall still had six overs at their disposal.

"I feel sorry for Cornwall because they have a good team on paper but they are down on confidence and self-belief and they'll come right."

Stirling said Havelock North were never leading at any stage of the game and it wasn't until they took the last wicket that they had the game sewn up.

"I'm proud of my guys for gutsing it out," he said, adding the bowler-friendly wicket meant it was a good toss to win.