LETHAL WEAPON: Onerahi's Greg Strydom sends a Mark Tulloch delivery flying over the boundary to win the match against City.PICTURES / CHRIS RUDSDALEOnerahi professional Greg Strydom put in a man of the match winning performance to lift his side ahead of City in the Northland 50-over competition on Saturday.
Strydom ripped
the heart out of the City middle order at Cobham Oval to finish with 4-14 as City stumbled to 125 all out. He then came to the wicket with his side in a spot of bother at 27/3 to score an unbeaten 66 in double quick time. His innings included seven fours and one towering six, that came within centimetres of smashing a window in the upper level of the Spire Pavilion, off the final ball of the match. The win assured Onerahi of third place in the competition, ahead of City in fourth. City were always going to struggle with five of their regular starters out in the Northland team to play in the Brian Dunning one-day tournament in Taupo. Andy Pratt batted well up the order to score an unbeaten 36 but no one could hang around at the other end. City bowled well enough but put down four catches in the field and that wasn't ever going to be good, in their attempt to defend a small total. Maungakaramea's opening bowlers proved to be the difference in their game against Whangarei Boys' High School. Boys' High, without Stephen John again this week, had done well to limit Maungakaramea to 179/8 in their 50 overs, with Dean Child and Jason Morgan both scoring 45, the main contributors. Morgan (3/28) banged the ball into the wicket while the in-form Charlie Hopkins (2/19) swung the ball around to make things uncomfortable for the Boys' High top order. The students played too many risky strokes and were soon in trouble at 31/5. A partnership between Henry Cooper (34) and Bradley Kneebone (35) of 40 brought the team out of its nose dive and Boys' High limped to some respectability before being dismissed for 132. The result confirms Maungakaramea's place in next week's final against Kaipara Flats, who finished the competition unbeaten after beating Kamo by six wickets. Kamo, not for the first time in the competition, failed to fire with the bat and were all out for just 72, with Jake Phillips (3/18) and Dexter Buchanan (4/13) doing the damage for Kaipara Flats.
