Cricket: Bay senior men crush Horowhenua

Dean Foxcroft, a South African import player for Taradale CC, scored his maiden century for the Hawke's Bay senior men's representative team in Levin at the weekend. Photo/file

It didn't happen in Wairarapa last weekend but it did in Levin, so suffice it to say Hawke's Bay senior men's representative coach Colin Schaw is delighted.

"We bowled actually a lot better [yesterday] than we did [on Saturday]," said Schaw after the Pay Excellence-sponsored side walloped HK Bears Horowhenua-Kapiti by an innings and 100 runs at Donnelly Park yesterday.

Bay captain Jacob Smith (120 runs) and Dean Foxcroft (142) laid down the platform for an outright win in the second round of the two-day Furlong Cup CD interdistrict Hawke Cup challenge qualifier after winning the toss and skittling the hosts for 177.

Veterans Stevie Smidt and Luke Wright took three scalps each but in the hosts' second dig, GC Pretorius claimed a five-wicket bag after fellow spinner Angus Schaw tightened the noose at the other end, taking no wickets, the coach said.

"They really condensed them with GC picking up wickets at one end so today's highlight was their tandem bowling," he said, also lauding Todd Watson for claiming five wickets in the game through consistency.

CD rookie Brad Schmulian racked up 66 runs at almost a run a ball to impress Schaw into predicting he would play one-day domestic cricket as well.

It was Foxcroft's "brilliant" maiden Bay rep ton as he "freed up his arms", ironically after he got a duck for his You Travel Taradale club in a T20 match on Friday.

Schaw emphasised his team's fielding skills remained at an elite level, with the slip cordon setting the tone.

"Everything going to hand stuck so we couldn't ask for more."

The Bay men host Taranaki at Nelson Park, Napier in a fortnight in a must-win game before facing Manawatu.