Kerikeri cruise to victory, Barnett gets back in action

WORTH A SHOUT: Duncan Robertson appeals for a wicket with Febbin Thekkin at the wicketkeeper's end.

Kerikeri ran down Kaikohe with ease in the seventh round of the senior district cricket played in dauntingly hot summer conditions at Northland College on Sunday.

In the other game in the first week of round 3 Fleming of the FNCA senior men's 20/20 championship series, a Mangonui composite team won an 8-a-side encounter with Kaitaia at Kaitaia College.

FNCA official and umpire Pete Barnett, 53, came out of retirement to make up the numbers for Kaitaia. In his first game as a player for eight years, he made seven runs and bowled an over, getting hit for about a dozen runs.

The FNCA senior men's representative team will play the second game in a four-match series against an invitational Whangarei X1 at Taipa Area School at 10am on Sunday.

The FNCA leads the series 1-nil. Whangarei won the series 3-1 last season.

Match report for Sunday:

Kaikohe 95 all out (29) overs Kerikeri 96/5: Played as a 30/30 match, Kaikohe were all out for 95 in the penultimate over. In reply, Kerikeri chased down the Kaikohe total with five wickets and eight overs to spare. Aaron Ranara was the best of the Kerikeri bowlers with four wickets for 15 runs.

Set 96 to win, Kerikeri wicketkeeper Duncan Robertson top scored with 28 and with Oscar McAllion notching 19, these two set their team up for good start in the chase, and Richard Hislop, scoring 17, made sure they had plenty of overs to spare.

On a day that bowling and fielding dominated none of the Kaikohe men really got going. Vinod Varghese, 12, held the early innings together, but wickets kept falling. Kossi 12 and Vadayl 12 also got starts.

Sharp bowling and fielding kept runs low, Renara being well rewarded with 4 for 16. Zeke also had a top day with the ball at 3 for 28. Robertson had a good day with the gloves, making two stumpings.

Kaikohe's bowling and fielding was tidy, Milan Vegar having the best bowling figures with 3/17. Albi Vadayl with 1 for 19 from 6 overs was threatening. Scoreboard Kaikohe 95: Vinod 12, Kossi 12, Vadayl 12, Febin 10 not out.

Zeke 3/28, P Drummond 1/11, Webster 1/3

Kerikeri 96/5: Robertson 28, McCallion 19, Hislop 17, Deep 2 not out, Zeke 8 not out.

Mangonui 107/5, Kaitaia 59: No one really expected Mangonui to turn up, but a group of the local diehards still made the most of it by turning out - mostly in whites - and having a hit for the sheer sake of it and making up two sides, with the hosting team lending a number of players to the three Mangonui players who eventually fronted.

"Mangonui" batted first and reached 127/5 after 20 overs. Kaitaia made 59 all out.

- The next round of the FNCA Senior Men's 20/20 championship series will be played is on February 1: Kaikohe vs Kaitaia at Northland College, and (unlikely) Mangonui vs Kerikeri at Taipa.