Apart from a few shots, Onerahi batsman Todd Beehre was timing the ball well on Saturday with a score of 58 against Kaipara Flats at Kensington Park. Photo / John Stone
Apart from a few shots, Onerahi batsman Todd Beehre was timing the ball well on Saturday with a score of 58 against Kaipara Flats at Kensington Park. Photo / John Stone
A superb bowling effort in the dying hours has seen Kensington Tavern Onerahi Central secure an outright win over Kaipara Flats in a two-day game on Saturday.
The Oxford Trust competition game, played at Kensington Park 1 over the last two Saturdays, wasn't easy for the home side whorecorded only 128 all out in their first innings.
The visitors, who won the 50-over competition last weekend, finished at 150/8 on day one to earn a first innings lead.
Fortunately for the hosts, Kaipara's final two wickets were lost without a run scored, to leave Onerahi trailing by 22 runs when they started their second turn at bat.
Onerahi's Fletcher Coutts plays a great straight drive on his way to his side's top score of 79 in the third innings. Photo / John Stone
After a horror start when they lost three wickets for two runs, Onerahi batsmen Todd Beehre and Fletcher Coutts steadied the ship with a 120-run partnership on a low and slow pitch.
Coutts was eventually dismissed for 79 from 74 balls but together with Beehre's 58, Onerahi posted 199/8 to set Kaipara 178 to win from about 52 overs.
All was calm as Kaipara made it to 23 without loss, but a collapse of epic proportions saw the visitors lose all 10 wickets for just 42 runs.
Onerahi paceman Tom Herman was the chief destroyer with four wickets, backed up by Coutts who took three for 12 runs off his 14 overs.
"The boys bowled fantastically well," Onerahi's Sam Walker said.
"Kaipara are one of the better sides in the competition, but all our players put their hands up."
Onerahi's Fletcher Coutts takes a well-deserved drinks break under the ruthless Northland sun on Saturday. Photo / John Stone
Walker commended Herman, Coutts and Beehre for making vital contributions which earned a valuable win for the young team.
"For us to lose [on the] first innings and get the outright win was a really good effort, showed a lot of fight and grit.
"We are a young side, so it will do them a world of good."
The Motel Sierra Kamo premiers will also be riding high after a dominant outright win over Duracrete Products City on Saturday at the Kamo Recreation Ground.
The home side needed all of half an hour to dismiss City for just 58 in their second innings which, along with a first innings score of 115, could not rival Kamo's 243 from the first day.
Kamo's bowlers were the key to their victory with pacemen Sam Sweeney taking five wickets in the first innings and Kobe Walters taking six in the second.
With the bat, Kamo's Max Turner was the standout with 82 from 87 balls as he was supported by four other batsmen who made scores in the 20s and 30s.
Kamo captain Ben Hyde said Sweeney and Walters were excellent with ball in hand.
"On a helpful wicket, Sam showed us the way and he bowled at the stumps and then in the second innings, I think we learned from that and Kobe bowled with a bit of pace and fire and really troubled [City], which was quite impressive from a young guy," he said.
After a disappointing loss in the T20 final in December, Hyde said recent performances were giving his side confidence as they contested the last competition up for grabs this summer.
"It's been a bit of a team effort, all of the top order have scored a few good scores in the last couple of months, so I guess there's a little bit of confidence."
In the other game of the round, Westech Automotive Maungakaramea completed an outright win over FMG Northern at the Maungakaramea Domain.
Four wickets to Maungakaramea spinner Hamish Kidd saw Northern all out for 150 in the first innings, before Mark Andrianatos scored a top-rate hundred to see the hosts declare on 202/8.
After dismissing Northern for 147, Maungakaramea chased down the required 95 runs inside 15 overs for the loss of just two wickets.
Next weekend's (Feb 8) fixtures - 10.30am start:
Kensington Tavern Onerahi Central v Motel Sierra Kamo at Kensington Park 1 Kaipara Flats v Westech Automotive Maungakaramea at Bourne Dean Domain Duracrete Products City v FMG Northern at Cobham Oval
