In spite of bad weather shortening playing time the Marie Raos Ray White HPCC Premier men still managed to overcome the challenge offered by the highly rated University Xl with comparative ease.
After being invited to bat first by the opposition Howick’s Opening pair of Bill Walsh and Dan Young compiled an opening 122 run partnership on a slow wicket and moist outfield before Walsh was dismissed one run short of his half century.
Andrew Morrison joined Young in a second wicket stand yielding 121 runs before Young was bowled by slow left armer Patel for a chanceless 119.
After Morrison went shortly after for 58, Brian Barnard and Dale Phillips took the total to 297/3 whereupon Skipper Walsh declared.
Apart from a 60 run partnership for the third wicket University failed to handle the strong Howick Pakuranga bowling attack, which included Danru Ferns and Jamie Brown two current Aces, Donovan Grobbelaar, Rudi Botadra and Adam Jones and were dismissed in 64 overs for 149.
Ferns bowled with real hostility to take 5/30 well supported by Grobbelaar 2/38 and Brown 2/19.
Asked to follow on University had to play out 37 overs to save the match and for a while looked like doing it easily but when two wickets fell at 76, University collapsed to be 91/7 with 9 overs to go.
However staunch defence saw University see the day out at 102/7. The pace bowlers all chipped in with a wicket each but it was Adam Jones who made the crucial breakthroughs with 3/15 off 12 overs.
However the 15 points taken from this match have seen Howick Pakuranga lying second in the table just one point behind Suburbs New Lynn.
