MATURE MCKENZIE TAKES AUCKLAND TO GLORY

January 23, 2018. There are certain grounds, as a cricketer, that always have a special place in your heart. For me, Te Atatu Park no. 2 is one of them. It is where I debuted in Premier Cricket – some time ago now – and where I played a fair bit for the famous Waitakere Lions. Saturday, though, was the turn of the Auckland U17s to make some memories of their own as they hoped to secure back-to-back National titles against Wellington U17s.

It had been more than a decade since I had been to the National U17 tournament, having been towed along to Nelson Park in Napier for the 2002/03 and 2003/04 editions. It still surprises me to think I spent the majority of the week mucking around in the nets as several future test players battled just metres away out in the middle.

As the players wandered out, I did wonder if I was watching similar talent this time around. Wellington had won the toss and elected to bowl – with, as I overheard in the scorer’s tent, no consultation from the coaching staff.

It didn’t take long for Wellington’s Nate Wiggins to get stuck in. As Connor Ansell flicked a boundary over square leg, Wiggins said, ‘Good batsmen go twice.’ There was nothing overly intellectual about it, but it seemed like such a clever thing to say. The very next ball, Ansell was caught at midwicket. Did he try to go again? Probably not, but Wiggins will certainly claim victory in that contest. A ball later, Josh Mallon trapped Dylan Taylor and he was threatening to tick ‘witness a hat-trick’ off this season’s bucket list. Quinn Sunde survived his own flashy drive and loud oohs and ahhs from the men around the bat.

Before the powerplay ended, Jock McKenzie had been accused of playing a village innings; this despite having crunched the crispest of drives to the extra cover boundary. A few dots enticed Wiggins back into the action. ‘He can’t get it through the off-side, lads.’ McKenzie then caressed a square drive past Wiggins at point and a diving cover sweeper as the Auckland lads twice appreciated the shot’– once off the blade and again as it crashed into some of their supporters.

It was about now one of Wellington’s coaching staff relayed a message to one of his boundary fielders.

Coach: Ask the skipper if he can count to five.

Player: Why’s that? Do we not have five (fielders) out?

Coach: Just ask him.

Player: Coach said to put five out.

At 75/2 after 10 overs, Sunde passed what appeared to be concussion test as he took a throw from the deep to his grille. Auckland were set for a big score, but on a slow wicket, neither batsman could quite break free. Wellington had several opportunities to snatch a run out with some tight, and at times reckless, singles. Wickets did fall regularly however as Jesse Tashkoff joined the dots fielding upwards of an over worth of deliveries from his own bowling.

It wasn’t until a classic lofted off-drive into the traditional Neil Ave breeze in the 17th over that McKenzie brought up his half-century. He then took it upon himself to make the most of the platform he had set by stepping across his stumps and peppering the short leg side boundary two overs later. Late boundaries – one four and three sixes – propped McKenzie to 79 not out and Auckland to 162/5.

Wellington knew it would take some chasing and certainly looked up for the challenge. Intent, however, did not translate into the fast start they required. A first boundary came via the outside edge as one of batting’s current buzzwords came from the Wellington tent – access!

The first ten overs raced by as Auckland built the pressure. At 53/3, the run rate had already blown out above eleven an over. Sam Rainger cartwheeled Henry Fraser’s middle stump, McKenzie dribbled a direct hit from 35-40 metres out and Nikith Perera successfully juggled a caught and bowled to dent Wellington’s top order. Tim Robinson was then well caught by a running Lucas Dasent to compound Wellington’s problems.

Wellington’s five and six duo of Micah Conroy and Hugh Morrison kept their side in it with some brave hitting. While the big overs never stacked up, the required run-rate took some time to get out of hand. With 58 runs required from the final five overs, the game was in the balance.

Simon Keene then bowled a momentum and game changing over; he may have conceded a boundary, but also finished the over by having the dangerous Conroy caught just feet inside the wide long-on boundary.

From there, it was Auckland’s game to lose and the pressure was too much for the incoming Wellington batsmen. McKenzie was called upon to defend 21 runs from the final over and see if he could add some more stats to what had already been quite a day. He did just that as Dasent took another brilliant knee-sliding catch. Auckland professionally closed out the match by 13 runs to confirm themselves as back-to-back National U17 Champions.