Howick Pakuranga Cricket Club’s premier men have left themselves a mountain to climb to achieve a first-innings result against East Coast Bays.
Sunshine and a fixture at home was a perfect start to the day for the HPCC premiers, but shortly turned sour after losing the toss and being asked to bowl against the top-of-the-table East Coast Bays.
Things started rocky with East Coast openers Ryan Schierhout and Luke Watson forming a partnership of 41 runs before the loss of their first wicket.
HPCC pulled it back with the help of constant performing legspinners Harmeet Singh (4-83) and Kimesh Chetty (2-34) taking six wickets between them.
East Coast Bays were dismissed for 205 with the top scorer being Louis Delport with 62 runs off 69 balls.
Things looked promising at the beginning of the innings with openers Liam Winn and Daniel Young posting 19 on the scoreboard before the loss of the first wicket.
A middle-order collapse saw HP lose four wickets for 14 runs and finish the day with 74 runs on the board for the loss of seven.
HPCC’s openers Liam Winn (11 off 34 balls) and the in-form Daniel Young (41 off 112 balls) were the only two to score double figures.
The men need a big effort this Saturday, requiring 132 runs for a first-innings win with only three wickets remaining.
Rutvik Botadra and Kimesh Chetty will begin the day, both undefeated on zero runs.
Meanwhile, the club’s premier women had a tough day at the office on the weekend, coming up against a strong Auckland University side.
HPCC batted first and lasted the 50 overs to post a total of 158 for the loss of seven wickets.
Opener Radhika Patel was HP’s standout batter, scoring an impressive 65 runs off 80 balls.
It proved to be a difficult day for HPCC bowlers, with Auckland University chasing down the total without losing a wicket.
University’s opening batters and domestic players, Elizabeth Buchanan (68* off 63 balls) and Naomi Matthews (69* off 75 balls) showed their professional strength and gave Howick Pakuranga a few headaches.
The women currently sit in third place for the premier Prichard Cup limited over competition. They now have a weekend off cricket before facing local rivals, Papatoetoe, on March 4.
Premier Cricket Results
Premier Men Hedley Howarth Two-Day Competition | Round 5
Parnell 148 (D Presland 61; M Gibson 5-32) & 29/0 (J Plummer 15 not out) won first innings against Cornwall 79 (U Patel 19; D Van Deventer 4-18, N Perera 2-3) after day one of two.
Eden Roskill 240 (P Ram 69, H Johal 63; D Bhatti 5-60) against Papatoetoe 54/3 (B Rowland 27 not out; H Johal 2-18) after day one of two.
Auckland University 111 (Private 32; W Clarke 5-32) & 130/6 (S Sharma 64; T Chitongo 5-30) lost first innings against North Shore 112 (S Hinds 53; A Olliver 4-7) after day one of two.
Takapuna 262 (R O’Donnell 146; A Patel 4-50, A Ashok 4-81) against Suburbs-New Lynn 34/4 (T Tailor 18; M Jones 2-1) after day one of two.
Premier Men Tom Hellaby Two-Day Competition | Round 5
East Coast Bays 205 (L Delport 62, R Schierhout 49; H Singh 4-83) against Howick Pakuranga 74/7 (D Young 41; L Delport 5-25) after day one of two.
Hibiscus Coast 258/8 (J Ramachandran 81, R Lakmal 67; P Narsimhan 4-63) against Ellerslie after day one of two.
Grafton 313/9 declared (N Bhana 46, S Gunawardane 46; M Masand 3-68) against Birkenhead City 36/7 (S Verma 12; T Bayly 3-1) after day one of two.
Kumeu 137 (S Jaan 39; S Variath 6-51) & 19/0 (S Jaan 10 not out) won first innings against Waitakere 72 (N Lombard 21; K Ahir 5-27) after day one of two.
Barfoot and Thompson Royal Oak Premier Women Prichard Cup Limited Over Competition | Round 7
Howick Pakuranga 158/7 (R Patel 65, A Lambat 20; N Matthews 2-28) lost to Auckland University 159/0 (N Matthews 69 not out, E Buchanan 68 not out) by ten wickets.
Papatoetoe 83 (J Veale 37 not out; A Todd 3-12) lost to Cornwall 84/2 (Fill-in 27 not out; M Pearson 1-20) by eight wickets.
Howick Pakuranga Cricket Club Upcoming Fixtures
Round 5, Day 2 Tom Hellaby Two-Day Competition- Howick Pakuranga Premier Men VS East Coast Bays CC Premier Men at Lloyd Elsmore Park- Saturday February 25, 11am.
