Nelson Out Bowled

The Nelson Pine Griffins cricket team were beaten by a better team in their Hawke Cup qualifying fixture with Canterbury Country at Saxton Oval over the weekend.  The match was probably won on Saturday when the visiting bowling attack was able to apply unrelenting pressure throughout the day as they all consistently displayed immaculate line and length.

After the early losses of opener David Zohrab and experienced skipper Greg Hay, a number of players got starts but were not able to box on.  Patrick Howes and Thomas Zohrab exceeded 40, while Willie Luddick, Josh Clarkson and Felix Murray all went past 20. But none went on to the big score which is usually required in Hawke Cup matches. This was because the experienced Canterbury Country bowlers were able to use the pitch conditions to their advantage.  No batsmen really gained the ascendency as first Wil Williams, who made the initial breakthrough, and the full Country bowling armory exerted immaculate control to ensure no major partnerships were able to develop.

In contrast, while the home bowlers had good periods, at times the Country batsmen were let off the hook and solid partnerships allowed them to win with consummate ease. The Nelson bowlers had a nice period just before lunch on Sunday where they were able to apply pressure but defending such a small total became too difficult. Ben Hartland led with the bat and remained undefeated but all the top four were solid.

While coach Ryan Edwards was understandably disappointed with the result, he was by no means despondent about Nelson’s chances in this campaign.  He gave full credit to the visitors and said that Nelson was not bad, but that Country was very good.  Nelsons next game is against Buller in two weeks’ time and while Edwards said that this weekend’s fixture was not a “train smash”, competition points will definitely be required in Westport in that fixture.

Nelson Pine Griffins:      187         Patrick Howes 45, Thomas Zohrab 40, Willie Luddick 32, Felix Murray 21, Josh Clarkson 20, Wil Williams 4/30, S. 2/10, Harrison Cox 2/40, Shanan Stewart 2/34, Fraser Sheat 2/40

Canterbury Country        192/3     Ben Hartland 48*, Shanan Stewart 47, Jack Boyle 45, Will Hamilton 40

Canterbury Country won by 7 wickets

NELSON, NEW ZEALAND – DECEMBER 1: Nelson Pine Griffins v Canterbury Country Hawke Cup 1/12/18on December 1 at Saxton Oval 2018 in Nelson, New Zealand. (Photo by: Evan Barnes Shuttersport Limited)