How much is being spent on slushie machines for prison guards ferry service to be put to the test to save Wynyard in the latest NZ Herald headlines. Video / NZ Herald / AP
There’ll be little let-up for most of the Hawke’s Bay Turkeys who gobbled-up third place in indoor cricket’s Club World Series which ended in Sri Lanka at the weekend.
Played 8, Won 7, Lost 1 (the semi-final). The Turkeys after winning the playoff for third and fourth at the Club World Series indoor cricket tournament in Sri Lanka. They had just one loss - the semi-final. Photo / JFL Media
Having arrived back in New Zealand early on Tuesday morning, with travel spanning two days from Colombo, the team, which wonthe NZ indoor cricket championship last September, will be straight back into it.
A new season starts with some involved in NZ team trials being played in Napier this weekend.
In the six days on-court in Sri Lanka the Turkeys, mainly Hawke’s Bay players with a core from the Napier Tech Old Boys, won seven of their eight games.
They were unbeaten in six tier 1 pool matches, only losing a semi-final to a team they’d already beaten, and then winning the playoff for third and fourth.
In a significant coup, in a tournament which had several professional cricketers and internationals, 20-year-old rising Central Districts (outdoor cricket) hopeful Bayley Latter, a Massey University student, was named Batter of the Tournament, with the award presented by Sri Lankan cricketing great Sanath Jayasuriya.
Turkeys player Bayley Latter, presented the Batter of the Tournament award by Sri Lankan cricketing legend Sanath Jayasuriya. Photo / JFL Media
They opened the competition by beating home side and eventual winners the Colombo Lions 62-47, and in other pool games beat composite international side the Barbarians 83-79, United Arab Emirates hope SFS Hawkeyes 95-75, Indian side XLR8 116-53, England team Jamia 83-62, and finished up with a near 100-points win, beating second Sri Lankan side Kandy Blasters 154-62, one of the biggest wins of the week.
The only loss was when beaten 74-58 by the Barbarians in a semi-final, but they recovered to hammer the Hawkeyes 125-65 in the playoff, in which Turkeys player Samuel Pawson was Player of the Match.
Co-coach Mike Pawson, father of team members Samuel and Charlie Pawson, said the Hawke’s Bay team, was probably the only “genuine club team” in the competition, but the players “backed themselves,” despite the quality of the opposition.
Based on the success, he conjectured they’d all be keen to go again next year, when the third annual tournament will be played in Dubai, home of rights-holder U-Pro Sports.
With 17 men’s teams and four women’s teams, they expect the tournament to grow
The Turkeys were captained by Hawke’s Bay Hawke Cup cricketer Todd Watson and, along with Latter and the Pawson brothers other members were Brayden Gardner, Bronson Meehan, Dion Joll, Ben Jackett, Baylee Foote, Liam McCarthy and Toby Findlay, who was unable to play because of an injury.
The team was managed by Paul McCarthy and Craig Findlay. Mike Pawson and Scott Findlay coached and Ash Watson travelled as “masseuse”.
Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke’s Bay Today, and has 50 years of journalism experience in news gathering, including breaking news, sports, local events, issues, and personalities.
