CD quick Ray Toole gets the wicket of Ish Sodhi, on his way to a five wicket haul. Photo / Paul Taylor
CD quick Ray Toole gets the wicket of Ish Sodhi, on his way to a five wicket haul. Photo / Paul Taylor
Central Hawke's Bay won their second straight premier club cricket overall championship with a dominant victory over Taradale, securing the 50-over title.
The match at Taradale Park on Saturday quickly turned into a coronation for Central as they bowled the hosts out for 87 in the 23rd over of the first innings.
Angus Schaw led from the front, picking up four wickets in his eight overs bowled.
Central chased down the measly total in the 19th over for the loss of just one wicket as opener Kyle Gardiner scored an unbeaten 44 runs off 41 balls.
The win makes Central the top seeds for next weekend's MJF Shrimpton Memorial Cup semifinals.
Defending Memorial Cup champions Napier Tech had already secured a home semifinal before their match on Saturday against Napier Old Boy's Marist at Nelson Park.
Matthew Sinclair's 63 runs was the best effort of the opening innings for Marist, who finished with a score of 205 all out on the final ball.
Spin bowler Jayden Lennox was outstanding for Napier Tech, achieving figures of 3/22 with three maidens in his 10 overs after captaining a Central Districts A side full of Hawke's Bay players to victory over Northern Districts A the previous weekend.
His Central Stags teammate Christian Leopard was at the crease from the start to the finish of Napier Tech's run chase.
Leopard's unbeaten 91 off 121 balls saw Tech home with three wickets and three balls to spare.
In Saturday's other match, Havelock North beat Cornwall by 71 runs at Anderson Park.
Will Clark top scored with 53 runs off 73 balls as the hosts were bowled out for 156 in the 44th over.
Jono Hall was terrific for Cornwall, picking up four wickets for 19 runs in his 10 overs.
The Hastings club struggled with the bat though, going all out for 85 runs total in the 32nd over.
STAGS V ND
Meanwhile, the Central Districts Stags were left with a late afternoon and a day to chase down Northern District's target set of 224 in a four-dayer at McLean Park in Napier.
Black Cap Colin de Grandhomme remained 164 not out off 233 balls for ND, helped toward his 150 by tail ender Scott Johnston who did a good job to hang around for 41 balls, scoring 7.
ND were all out with more than 20 overs left to play on Sunday, and weather permitting, CD will have Monday to attack the deficit as well.
CD had taken first innings bragging rights in what is also the round six match of the Plunket Shield.
Hawke's Bay bowlers Doug Bracewell, Blair Tickner and Joey Field picked up seven wickets between them on Friday as Central bowled ND out for 172 in the first innings.
The Stags made 249 in response.
In ND's second innings, de Grandhomme held things together for the visitors as his team mates struggled to form long term partnerships with the inform all rounder.
Ish Sodhi (34) and opener Jeet Raval (30) were the only substantial contributors for ND as de Grandhomme showed his class with 100 runs in 148 balls, including nine fours and a pair of sixes.
The McLean Park pitch will see more action this week with the Netherlands playing a New Zealand XI in 50-over matches on March 17 and 19 and a Twenty20 on March 21.
Jayden Lennox has been called up to the New Zealand XI for the behind-closed-doors series which is a warm-up ahead of the Twenty20 international between the Black Caps and the Netherlands at McLean Park on March 25.
Doug Bracewell strikes one through the off-side against ND. Photo / Paul Taylor
Former Hastings Boys' High School bowler Joey Field gets through his work watched by ND's Colin de Grandhomme, who tonned up at McLean Park. Photo / Paul Taylor
From one spinner to another, ND's Ish Sodhi has a crack at the pride of Taradale, Ajaz Patel. Photo / Paul Taylor
ND's Colin de Grandhomme raise his bat after a century at McLean Park. Photo / Paul Taylor
