ASSURED STRATEGY KEEPS NORTH SHORE ON TOP

December 13, 2017. There it was, not long into the second day of Tom Hellaby action between Waitakere and North Shore, the old saying heard around cricket grounds most Saturdays. Cricket is a funny game. North Shore began the day so far on top that when I asked a couple of their players what the plan was for the day I was surprised neither offered up cricketing clichés.

While there was still a long way to go and anything could happen, the confidence to say 330 for the bonus points – a new addition to the competition structure – suggested North Shore weren’t particularly in a laughing mood.

It was not a miracle I went to see. I fully expected North Shore to take first innings points, set the game up and shoot for outright points. With that in mind it is never easy taking twenty wickets on the Peninsula. The boys from Devonport knew that.

What I went to see was a Graeme Beghin hundred (and to see if I could find the chair I had left at Te Atatu Park a few weeks ago). Though he was two-thirds of the way there, I should really have known better.

Sadly, Beghin only added one to his overnight score before Rob Evans straightened one up on him and found his outside edge. It ended a partnership of 132 with Asiri Wickramanayake who followed soon after unfathomably guiding a wideish delivery to first slip. Two new batsmen and Waitakere had the opening they would have spoken about all week.

Michael Olsen and Ryan Thomson set about quashing any hint of a collapse. They weren’t up for any funny business. Boundary balls were regularly on offer and the pair remained patient enough to capitalise on them leading their side into a first innings lead.

As lunch approached, Travis Ngatai threw the ball to Nathan Fletcher for a tilt. Questioned what Fletcher bowled by the North Shore players, I quipped that he wasn’t afraid to charge in and was likely to get a wicket. Two balls into his first over, he strangled Thomson down the leg-side and that was lunch. A third flourishing fifty ended, but not before the gritty left-hander had dabbed and driven Waitakere’s bowlers to frustration. Olsen walked off to warm applause from both sides.

At lunch, having spent the first session with the North Shore team reminiscing about players we played with and against in our high school days, Carl Brungar asked which club I was supporting. I claimed to be a neutral fan there to enjoy the cricket and said I could get behind a CB six-for if he felt particularly inspired. Brungar quickly offered up his leggie, Tendai Chitongo, as the hero for the occasion.

North Shore were still a few short of 330 at the break, so the declaration speculation had not yet begun. A hundred was still on the cards, but the man they call Admin would have to get a move on.

Beghin wasn’t entirely impressed with Shore’s approach in building their lead, with three opportunities offered in the space of a couple of overs – one run-out and two catches. Even during happy times, Shore clearly have a set of standards Beghin would like to maintain. Half a decade of coming agonisingly close to promotion can do that to a club. It is admirable, really.

The hundred never came. After 105 balls at the crease, Olsen was bowled by Todd Wannan on 69. At 399/7, the declaration came after Angus McKenzie and Ben Wall had combined for an unbeaten 59 runs. There was mention of batting another over to pass 400, but the race was on to snatch maximum points.

Waitakere came out to bat 153 runs in arrears. The wheels had looked like falling off in the field for the home side and with half the day remaining, there was still plenty of time for things to go awry. Brungar grabbed both openers early and the outright was on only for Jared Challis and Brad Nash to knuckle down and get through to tea.

As the players came from the field, I retired for the day. I had already been slouching in my chair and a nap was imminent. The match headed for a draw. In the end Waitakere got themselves in front on the back of Challis’ second half-century of the match and North Shore ran out of time. The start of Challis’ innings was quite something as he claims to have never hit the ball so cleanly. It certainly looked that way as his first ball was beautifully driven all the way along the ground wide of mid-on.

Despite Suburbs New Lynn’s mauling of Birkenhead inside four sessions, North Shore maintain a slim advantage at the top of the Tom Hellaby Trophy as the competition breaks for Christmas.