Nelson cricket reps finish on top

Nelson’s cricketers claimed boasting rights after the first rep matches of the season were played on Sunday.

At Saxton Oval, Nelson, the home side beat their Marlborough counterparts by 80 runs in the first Newman Shield match of the season, while, at Horton Park in Blenheim, Nelson’s women prevailed by four wickets in a low-scoring encounter.

The Marlborough men won the toss in Nelson and elected to bowl. Despite losing an opener early, Nelson consolidated through Jonty Raxworthy and Jack Aldridge, who put on 92 for the second wicket. Raxworthy departed for 47 while Aldridge went on reach 63, his side’s top score. Michael Olsen chipped in with 55, then Kurt Ward added an unbeaten 43 down the order to push the home side to a solid total 243-9.

Pace bowler Zariab Karkaria made a notable debut, claiming 3-26 from eight overs, while Baxter Croad (2-36 from eight) and Luke Holdaway (2-53 from nine) were the other main wicket-takers.

Needing just under five-an-over, Marlborough began their chase positively, but lost openers Greg Knowles and Aidan Conroy cheaply, with just 35 runs on the board.

Kirk Nicholas and Andrew McCaa steadied the ship, taking the score to 75 before Nicholas fell for 22. McCaa soldiered on but was unable to find a partner as wickets fell regularly and the scoring rate slowed.  When the player/coach was the seventh batter out for 40, with just 112 on the board in the 31st over, the writing was on the wall. Number eight Jaden Adams hit out for an unbeaten 33 but it was far too little, too late, as Nelson wrapped up proceedings in the 43^rd over, dismissing Marlborough for 163 and retaining their firm hold on the Newman Shield.

The women’s game was a tighter affair.

The home side batted first, after being inserted by the Nyxons, and struggled from the outset against a strong visiting attack. At 5-26 they were in deep trouble before Eden Pettigrew steadied the ship, her unbeaten 28 from 45 balls helping the home side reach a barely-defendable total of 75, scored in 28.5 overs. The next highest scorers, Carly Englefield and Pania Dellarosa, both scored just seven while extra totalled 22.

Lily Clark, with 3-19 from five, Kate Gaging, 3-6 from four, and Summa Pratt, 2-21 from five, were the main wicket-takers.

To have any chance of defending such a meagre score Marlborough needed to get rid of Nelson’s Central Districts reps, Gaging and Claudia Green, cheaply and Stella Cornelius obliged, bowling both players, plus trapping Clark lbw and effecting a run-out, to leave Nelson reeling at 4-32.

Tyler O’Donnell chipped in with a fifth wicket but Nelson were able to consolidate through the middle order and eased their way to victory in the 21^stover, despite losing a sixth wicket within sight of the target.

Cornelius, with 3-18 from six, was the home side’s top performer with the ball in what was a tough opener for the locals, but will have provided optimism for the remainder of their season.

Meanwhile, the opening match in the Town v Country senior cricket series on Saturday became a one-sided encounter.

The Town side, involving players from the Wairau and Celtic clubs, took on their Country counterparts, a side made up of players from the Wairau Valley and Renwick clubs.

The idea is to give leading players a taste of 50-over, white ball cricket, with an even contest envisaged.

However, after last weekend’s opening round was washed out play got underway at Horton Park on Saturday, but was anything but even.

Batting first, Town amassed the daunting total of 343-3, two of the batsmen going on to three figure scores.

Then the Town bowlers took over, dismissing the Country side for 80 in the 23^rdover.

Town’s batting line-up began steadily, Aidan Conroy and Sam Young taking the score though to 30 before Young was bowled by Sukh Aulakh. Luke Holdaway joined forces with Conroy to push the score to 67 before the latter was dismissed for 18, Holdaway following 10 runs later for 20 in the 15^th over.

That was where the good news ended for Country. Griffin Carter and Tarin Mason began to forge a partnership which began slowly but soon blossomed into all-out attack as the Country bowlers wilted, delivering 52 extras.

When the 50-over mark was reached, Mason was unbeaten on 120, with 14 fours, while Carter was also not out, having compiled 114, with eight fours. The pair had put together an unbroken 266-run partnership.

The Country bowling figures did not make easy reading, Aulakh’s 1-10 from three overs the best of the bunch.

Country made a reasonable start to their chase but wickets fell regularly as they attempted to match a demanding run rate. Opener Aulakh, with 17 runs, ended up top scorer, with only two other players reaching double figures.

Zariab Karkaria, recently chosen in the rep side, bagged a couple of early scalps, Luke Petrie picked up an outstanding 3-6 from his five overs then Ben Armstrong claimed a brace at the end of the innings. Town also effected two run outs, their fielding efforts capping a dominant day.