Cricket: Hawke’s Bay too strong for Whanganui in Furlong Cup penultimate round

Central Districts professional Ben Smith has returned to the Whanganui side after injury. Photo / Bevan Conley

Hawke’s Bay moved swiftly to secure first innings points over Riverview Motel Whanganui in a wet Napier for the Furlong Cup’s penultimate round.

Pay Excellence Hawke’s Bay, traditionally New Zealand’s strongest minor association team, managed to force a 1st Innings points result in the rare time available between cloud bursts at Napier’s Nelson Park.

Sent into bat on Saturday, Whanganui managed to make their way to 119-5 before rain forced the teams off the good batting strip by mid-afternoon, being unable to return before the scheduled close of play.

In his comeback match from groin surgery, Central Districts professional Ben Smith opened and made a good start, hitting four boundaries, before losing his stumps to Tyler Annand.

That led to a recurring issue for Whanganui – losing wickets in pairs and threes - where the partner of the initially dismissed player would soon follow him, leaving a fresh pair at the wicket to face an attack with their confidence raised.

“Some positives with the bat, but still some dumb stuff,” coach Warren Marr said.

“It was a good wicket – good pace and carry.”

Skipper Greg Smith (25) started well with five boundaries until being caught out, while the in-form Mark Fraser (80) hit 13 boundaries and two sixes in a 69-ball knock.

Helping Fraser was the dogged defence of young Daniel Burgess, who assisted in the 71-run partnership by seeing off 60 deliveries, including several rip-snorters from pace bowler Liam Dudding (2-30), being hit on the body.

It got to the point where Burgess received applause from the Whanganui camp at the end of every over he faced.

“That’s what we’re looking for with the young guys,” Marr said.

Starting again on Sunday, both men from that partnership fell one after the other to leave Whanganui 162-7, and although a couple of players in the lower order got starts, they finished shy of the 200-run mark, with Jayden Lennox (3-12) on clean-up duty.

However, with further rain likely, it seemed Hawke’s Bay may not have had the time to overhaul Whanganui’s 188, let alone bat on to secure key batting bonus points by reaching 300.

But in-form opener Jack Boyle carried his bat for 114 not out in 134 deliveries, sharing in a first wicket stand of 160 with Jonathan Whitley (62).

Marr said Whanganui had hoped to keep Hawke’s Bay to three runs an over or less in the session, but felt his bowlers had come from playing on surfaces where they could get away with the odd bad ball. However, Boyle played each delivery on its merits and scored “without being reckless and without being dumb”.

Ben Smith (3-40) managed to break the partnership and get more wickets by also being consistent – bowling stump-to-stump.

But by then, Marr said Hawke’s Bay, being “ultra-positive”, had “just come out to boof it”.

William Clark (43) faced only 18 deliveries, putting four of them over the boundary and three more to it.

Hawke’s Bay declared on 302-4 in just 45 overs and, with the weather packing back in, that was enough.

Whanganui now have a break until their final Furlong Cup game with neighbours HMC Horowhenua-Kāpiti at Levin’s Donnelly Park on January 14-15.

“We still know we need to keep working on things. We’re trying to set higher standards than we have in the past,” Greg Smith said.

“It was adjusting to the conditions. [Hawke’s Bay], they’re a very good team – it’s all well and good knowing it, but applying [that is another].”

Scoreboard

Whanganui 1st Innings

S Roebuck b J Lennox 12

B Smith b T Annand 18

H O’Leary ct T Annand b L Dudding 1

G Smith ct fielder b W Clark 25

S O’Leary ct W Clark b L Dudding 10

M Fraser ct J Whitley b B Stoyanoff 80

D Burgess lbw unknown 11

C Sharrock ct B Johnson b J Lennox 10

O Mabin b J Lennox 10

L Hall ct fielder b unknown 2

C O’Leary not out 0

Extras: 9

Total: 188 (60.3 overs).

Bowling: L Dudding 16 overs, 10 maidens, 30 runs, 2 wickets; B Stoyanoff 16-6-45-1; T Annand 6-1-21-1; W Clark 4-0-27-1; J Lennox 6.3-3-12-3; B Johnson 2-0-22-0; Unknown 8-2-18-1; Unknown 2-0-4-1.

Hawke’s Bay 1st Innings

J Whitley ct S O’Leary b B Smith 62

J Boyle not out 114

W Clark ct H O’Leary b B Smith 43

Unknown ct S Roebuck b B Smith 11

D Thompson ct G Smith b L Hall 11

Unknown not out 49

Extras: 12

Total: 302-4 dec (45 overs).

Bowling: C O’Leary 6-0-30-0; L Hall 8-1-71-1; O Mabin 9-1-50-0; J Allpress 6-0-22-0; S O’Leary 4-0-37-0; H O’Leary 6-0-47-0; B Smith 6-0-40-3.

Result: Draw, Hawke’s Bay win 1st innings points.

Combined Twenty20

Some of the Round Four games for the Cricket Whanganui Combined Twenty20 competition were able to be completed despite the weather on Saturday.

At Marton’s Cenntenial Park, Matt Burke Engineering Marton Saracens picked up an important seven-wicket win over Wanganui Renegades in the first of what was scheduled to be a double-header of games.

Property Brokers United Blue had a comprehensive 126-run win over the Kaitoke Knight Riders at Springvale Park.

Scoreboards

Property Brokers United Blue 198-2 (B Walker 117no, C Hobbs 52) bt Kaitoke Knight Riders 72-8 (Kusano-Whetton 17no; M Pennefather 2-4, D Keane 2-28) by 126 runs.

Wanganui Renegades 109-9 (J Trillo 34, J Donaldson 21, R Donaldson 18; T Westwood 3-23, B Cunningham 2-16, O McVerry 2-17) lost to Matt Burke Engineering Marton Saracens 110-3 (D Rayner 35no, T Westwood 29, C Clare 22) by seven wickets.