HORNE HITS HUNDRED IN A HURRY

October 16, 2017. The early weeks of the Jeff Crowe Cup – Auckland Cricket’s Premier 50 Over club competition – tend to throw up few surprises. The availability of professional cricketers, short boundaries, soft run-ups and, above all, the use of artificial wickets make thrilling finishes near impossible. There are merely too many variables. I didn’t expect a surprise when Parnell travelled out west to play Waitakere City at Parrs Park, but I did hope the home side would give it a fair crack.

Waitakere are again rebuilding after another substantial exodus. The Parnell Peaches are not; they remain a clinical outfit ready to challenge for silverware. After a half an hour delay and the loss of two overs per side, the Bird’s new skipper Travis Ngatai won his second toss in a row and elected to bat. He put faith in his top order to deliver a score to defend. It was a bold move.

City did however get off to a flier – 45/1 after five overs – courtesy of an aggressive Nathan Fletcher hitting straight and hard. He lost Shozib Mirza in the second over and Bradley Nash in the eighth as Ganesh Ratnasabapathy found a way through the defences of both batsmen.

Jared Challis joined Fletcher. While the pair took time to consolidate, Parnell seized control courtesy of a stingy five-over spell from captain Dave Goddard. Though it took 26 overs to go past three figures, Waitakere had managed to keep wickets in hand and protect an inexperienced middle order. Fletcher showed great maturity to put the team on his back, but such an approach requires some brave hitting from the other end.

Unfortunately for Waitakere, and you have to give the Parnell bowlers a lot of credit here, the onslaught never came. Clever field sets, tricky lengths and a team fielding effort made it difficult to find the boundary with any regularity. JChallis took a liking to the leg-spin of Henry Glogau, but just as he looked to up the rate, he miscued an attempted slog-sweep. Andy Lane ran in to claim the high ball from the mid-wicket boundary to give Mitch McCann a well-deserved wicket.

Fletcher battled on. The inning was out of character for the opener and he should certainly take a lot from it. With wickets falling at the other end and the need for a big finish, the race was on for his first Premier hundred. Coach Brad Cachopa has put an incentive on the line for the first hundred of the season and he was all but ready to hand it over. Sadly, in the 48th and final over, with Fletcher on 95, he picked out Glogau on the midwicket boundary. It was a fine knock and he really did deserve to raise his bat.

Waitakere ended up on a respectable 226/8. With short boundaries and a stacked batting line up, it was probably a hundred short of competitive.

Waitakere snared the early wicket of Jesse Simpson caught at first slip by JChallis; they probably needed four quick ones to have any real chance. Parnell’s two Bens – Rainger and Horne – consolidated as the chase simmered.

That tension lasted for all of about 12 overs. The pair took charge and the gulf in confidence and experience showed. Rainger offered the backbone with patience and at times some wristy strokeplay allowing Horne to take the game on and take the game on he did.

Once they survived Ben Lister’s initial burst, no bowler was spared. Horne hit seven sixes in all including a reverse slog sweep over the supporters tents, but the defining moment of Horne’s entertaining innings may well have been when Ngatai brought long off up into the circle. The idea came from Rob Evans out at deep mid-wicket who yelled, ‘he’s not going to hit it there; bring him up.’ The skipper obliged.

Horne then charged down the wicket, deposited the ball over the long off boundary and took a moment to look in the direction of Evans . His gaze lingered for a few seconds. There was nothing subtle about it and it highlighted Horne’s dominance.

The young Aces wicketkeeper batsman then raced through to a dynamic, chanceless ton from just 68 balls bringing up the milestone during a stretch of 42 runs in 12 balls (4 6 . 4 . . 6 6 . 6 6 4). His innings ended tamely, but not before he walked off with 118 runs beside his name. It was the type of innings Waitakere needed. He had taken the chase by the scruff of the neck, all the while Rainger ticked over the strike and finished the job off with 76*.

Parnell eventually cruised to an eight-wicket victory and claim a drastic boost to their net run-rate finishing with 11.3 overs to spare.

The Hedley Howarth and Tom Hellaby two-day competitions are due to start this week. With the immediate availability of grass wickets up in the air, we might be set for some more Jeff Crowe Cup action.