Rep cricketers stage remarkable recovery

The Marlborough rep cricket side staged a scarcely-believable comeback to claim first innings points against their Nelson counterparts in the Hawke Cup cricket zone three qualifying match at Saxton Oval.

The home side batted through the first day of the two-day clash, being dismissed early on Sunday for 264, Marlborough paceman Nick Weaver’s six-wicket haul doing most of the damage.

Marlborough made a horror start to their reply, but a staunch rearguard action from their lower order, anchored by a gritty, disciplined chanceless century from skipper Matthew Stretch, enabled them to grab the vital qualification points in fading light on Sunday evening.

Stretch, who ended unbeaten on 117 from 219 balls, came to the wicket with his side struggling at 18-4 and produced arguably his finest knock for the rep side. He hit 14 fours and two crucial sixes, both in the penultimate over of the day which began with Marlborough needing nine runs for what had seemed a highly-improbable victory during the first session.

Marlborough head coach Jarrod Englefield said that, despite his side losing five quick wickets, he never lost belief. "We have had a strategy to bat deep for a while now so I still believed - but it gets hard when you are in that position."

"Matthew played the innings of his life, his first Hawke Cup century, and that enabled us to bat around him. It was just reward for a guy who works harder than anyone on his game.

"Nick was patient on the first day, just putting the ball in the right places. He loves bowling with the red ball. He just kept charging in and was rewarded for it. With the bat he showed he can occupy the crease and put the bad ball away - it was awesome."  

Jarrod said that, after a couple of narrow losses to Nelson recently, today's result was a most welcome morale boost.

"Losing becomes a habit," he said, "so to get the belief that we can get through those tight situations does the team no end of good. It was a really important day for us - especially with four guys on Hawke Cup debut."  

On Saturday morning, the start of the match was delayed until 2pm due to wet conditions, Marlborough winning the toss and electing to field.

Weaver grabbed a couple of scalps to put early pressure on the home side at 26-2, but a 69-run third wicket partnership between Nic Clark, who scored 55 from 58 balls, and Jonty Raxworthy, 69 from 72, gave Nelson much-needed momentum, the pair pushing the scoring rate up.

Spinners Stretch, who dismissed Raxworthy, and Tim Petrie, with the wicket of Sean Neal for 22, managed to put the brakes on the home side’s scoring, while Weaver kept picking up wickets, finishing with the superb figures of 6-62 from 21 overs.

At 213-9 the end looked imminent for the home side, but a stubborn 51-run 10^th wicket stand between Ollie Jones-Allen and Mitch Bailey, unbeaten on 45, frustrated the Marlborough attack.

When Nelson were finally dismissed, they had scored at over four runs per over, meaning Marlborough needed a solid and safe start to their 90-over run chase.

They got neither. In the middle of the 11^thover they were reeling at 21-5, openers Joel Lavender and Cam Collins, plus Cooper Roberts, Tom Sutherland and Tarin Mason, fresh off a T20 club century, all back in the shed.

The battle to avoid potential embarrassment began with a 41-run partnership between Stretch, batting at six, and Corey Bovey. Bovey departed for 23 off 50 balls, then Akhil Pant joined Stretch for a 45-run combination before he fell for 25 from 45 balls.

At 107-7 in the 42^nd over, Weaver, Saturday’s bowling hero, strode to the middle to join Stretch and the pair dug deep to frustrate the home side who had the scent of victory firmly in their nostrils.

Batting with intelligence and grit, they carried the score to 249, just 20 runs short of victory, before Weaver was dismissed for a character-filled 58 from 160 balls.

Number 10 Tim Petrie came and went quickly, then it was left to No 11 Tom Leonard to hold up his end as Stretch orchestrated a grandstand finish.

"It was Tom's first Hawke Cup game," said Jarrod. "It is easy to get flustered by the moment but we just asked him just to bat 30 balls, just get through that and stay there. And that's what he did."

Marlborough's next qualification game is against Buller in Westport on January 15-16.