ANZA V JW
DAY 1 Saturday started well. Choosing to bat on a flat turf deck facing the home team’s cunning bowling attack was a great move which led to some very good batting. Graeme, AB, and Himanshu all got runs, but the innings of the day was from Jack. Treating good balls with respect and sending bad balls into the surrounding greenery, he was ultimately told to stop and retire on 52 not out. With a full 35 overs bowled, ANZA scored a very good 187 for 8, leaving plenty of work for the Wallabies, who faced the prospect of the full ANZA pace attack.
The first 5 overs of bowling went well. Rammy and Stuart dotted up the first 3 overs for Maidens, and with the Wallabies on 0-5 after 5 overs, they looked to be well behind the eight ball. Rammy was lasered onto the stumps, supported by Stuart and Jack, the club speedsters, who bowled exceptionally well off full run-ups.
At the halfway mark, the Wallabies had only 75 runs on the board and needed 110 off the last 18 overs, which was a big ask. Quick singles, a few partnerships, and cameos appeared to put them back in the game. The tension rose, and with the grind continuing, it all came down to the last over. Five runs were needed with 2 wickets left and their captain on strike.
As fate has it, fortune favours the brave. Some lusty swings after a few dots saw the ball through to the fence for a Wallabies win of 34.4 overs!
ANZA v Spirits CC
DAY 2 saw Spirits face ANZA. A slower track meant a lower score was expected. ANZA asked Rammy and Reddi to play for Spirits, and they proceeded to show why they were missed. Reddi scored 34 not out and Rammy 37, putting Spirits on the way to a fighting score.
Jack and Stuart bowled well again, but the secret was out about their pace, and they were blocked. Stuart finished with 6-1-21-0 and Jack 6-2-11-2. The medium pacers and spinners, who took advantage of the worn track, came on. Vinay bowled exceptionally well for 3-0-7-3. Himanshu 6-1-9-2, ABS 6-0-15-1 were very tight, and Peter spun his web with 4-0-13-1. Eventually, Spirits couldn’t keep up the pace with no big hitters to finish their innings. They were all out for 128.
Chasing 128 off 30 overs, ANZA let slip. Fast wickets at the start meant the score dropped to 3-35 off 11 overs. Jay Kotha, an ANZA junior playing with Spirits, bowled fast and held the runs down. However, ANZA knew what to do and pulled out their secret weapon – Peter.
Batting brilliantly, the 5th wicket partnership was a big one, and it eventually took ANZA over the line in the 27th over.
A few beers alongside a curry laid on by Marlborough College marked the end of the day. The weekend concluded with a result of 1-1.
NETs stuff to know
NETs kick off each Wednesday at The Cage Sports Park, Dempsey, from 7pm. We assemble 5 – 10 people through our WhatsApp chat to roll the arm over. It’s not a problem if you don’t want to play games, don’t have equipment, and/or just want to do NETs. They are social NETs for all abilities.
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