Cricket: Club was intending to 'default match'

Derek Stirling

The Napier Old Boys Marist board had approached the Hawke's Bay Cricket Association board asking to default its premier club men's limited-overs match.

"It was then suggested to them that it [the game] be transferred to a later date," says HBCA board chairman Derek Stirling, who offered to approach NOBM's opposition, Taradale, on their behalf for a postponement.

"Taradale said 'no thank you' and wanted to play the game as scheduled, and it was quite within their rights to do that," Stirling says.

When NOBM informed them it would default the game on Friday the HBCA board threatened to "default" the team out of the national club knockout championship-qualifying playoffs in Palmerston North at the weekend.

Stirling says the HBCA pays money for its successful team to fly the flag in the quest to be the best in the country but it doesn't take kindly to any club trying to undermine the integrity of its 50-over competition, which is the vehicle for teams to claim higher honours at the nationals.

"The excuse that the guys wanted to go early [to the nationals] just doesn't work. Travelling on Friday is just nonsense."

He says even junior graders play on a Saturday before travelling outside the province to compete in representative age groups the next day.

"If they [NOBM] qualify to play at the New Zealand club champs then they'll have to play six games in a row so they had better get used to that idea.

"If they can't play two days in a row then God help them."

Stirling says the trip from the Bay to Palmerston North is about 1h 48m compared to the marathon journeys of other representative teams, let alone age-group ones.

"CD were 100 per cent behind us and thought how ridiculous the whole thing was," he says.

NOBM board member Del Whyte says in a text response it is "ludicrous to suggest we started negotiations offering to default when deferring is an option".

Whyte says: "NOBMCC don't do ludicrous." The club has accepted HBCA rulings and followed them.

NOBM are undefeated in the 50-over competition, leading on 39 points after five rounds, with NTOB second on 27, CHB third a point behind and Havelock North rounding off the top four on 18 points.