Northland club cricket season under way

Kamo's Dylan Clarke eyes the ball during his team's win. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Just 17 runs separated winners Westech Automotive Maungakaramea and Duracrete Products City in the opening round of the Northland club cricket season.

Maungakaramea went into the game as favourites but had to post a decent score which, in the end, proved just out of City's reach.

Kamo were too strong for Whangarei Boys' High School, notching up a convincing 156 run victory while, in the other game in the premier grade on Saturday, Kaipara Flats were too strong for Onerahi Central heading them off by 58 runs.

Maungakaramea batsmen Tom Lovegrove (33) and Chris Page (97) set the stage with an opening stand of 60.

Thorn Parkes (63) joined Page at the crease, after Lovegrove was caught off the bowling of Jason Smith, and saw the team to 205 before Parkes was stumped.

Batting out their 40 overs Maungakaramea posted 261 runs for the loss of five wickets.

The best of the City bowlers were Smith (1 for 32) and Garry Paine (2 for 47)

In reply City's Cullum Gegg, an import from Gloucestershire, in south west England, stamped his mark on the competition posting 117 runs before succumbing to the bowling of Callum Thompson.

Captain and opener Stacey Hyndman contributed a tidy 27 to the score with Craig Elliott posting 41.

Maungakaramea's best bowlers were Ryan West (2 for 45) and Thompson (2 for 39).

Despite the determined chase and batting out the 40 overs City fell short with 244.

City coach Craig Little said it was a good season opener and if they had pouched more catches it could have swayed the result their way.

Kamo proved too strong for their WBHS counterparts, batting first and making 260 for the loss of five wickets.

Led by Northland captain Ben Hyde (84) and with the services of former Black Cap Bruce Martin (34) plus a good knock from Dylan Clarke (66) it was always going to be an uphill battle for their young opponents.

With the ball in hand Jacob Wood was the best WBHS bowler (2 for 31).

WBHS scored 104 all out off 37 overs with Michael Krige (24), Cale Pooley (18) and Sam Webb (13) leading the way.

It was 16-year-old Nathan Parkes who spearheaded the Kamo bowling attack with an economical 2 for 8 off six overs. Sean Daniels also took two wickets, giving up just 13 runs.

WBHS should be bolstered next week with the return of captain Luke Trigg and overseas professional Sam Sweeney.

The star-studded Kaipara Flats side lost only four wickets when they posted 240 runs against Onerahi at Kensington Park.

Onerahi's firepower of Henry Cooper (61) and Jarrod McLeod (66) took the side to 182 well short of the required score, while Kaipara's New South African recruit, Byron Jollivet, had an impact on the match (3 for 38) and will be one to watch as the season progresses.

Onerahi's Tom Herman admitted the 35 extras his side's bowlers gifted to Kaipara Flats was an area of concern.

In the reserve grade, City (235/8 ) beat Kerikeri (222/9); Bream Bay (184/9) beat Kamo (82/9); Maungakaramea (298/7) beat WBHS (167/8) and Kamo High School (57/2) beat Tikipunga (56/8).