THE BIRTHDAY, THE CAKE AND THE TROPHY

March 6, 2018. Consistency. Confidence. Conviction. Just a few of the many traits that see teams through to finals. Add in the winning of big moments, special performances and some luck along the way and you can find yourself one win away from glory. All roads lead to Cornwall Park as the home side once again took on Takapuna in a Jeff Crowe Cup Final rematch.

Clubs remember finals. This was Cornwall’s fourth consecutive Big Dance. Clubs remember triumph. Takapuna were hoping to be the first side to go back-to-back since Howick Pakuranga’s three-peat (2005-2007). There was a lot on the line for two experienced sides.

Cornwall won the toss and elected to bat first. To open proceedings, Ross ter Braak steamed in with his usual vigor to Amit Dhadwal. After four dots and a dabbed single, Brian Barnard slashed the first boundary of the match past a diving second slip. In between driving handsomely, Dhadwal survived a loud shout to a ball that struck his back pad. Barnard provided an early exhibition in dabbing, cutting and gliding to get his innings underway.

By the fourth over, Cornwall were officially off to a flier. Barnard took advantage of width as he drove and cut Jordan Sussex for three boundaries through the off-side. Ross ter Braak received similar treatment with back-to-back boundaries to finish the fifth over.

Seamer Daniel James and left-arm orthodox spinner Matt Jones were summoned into the attack to stem the flow. With Barnand a bull out the gate and with his helmet off, Takapuna slowly dragged it back and in the 12th over James had Dhadwal well caught at third man. ‘That’s what happens when you put a plug in a bath,’ one of the fielders said in celebration. While unnecessary, it highlighted Takapuna’s fightback.

Barnard swiped his first six across the line to bring up a controlled 34-ball fifty. In the same over, Jones chimed in with the wicket of Sam Crooks when the right-hander top-edged his leg-side heave to the short boundary.

Barnard carried on. When any pressure built on him, and at times it did, he would relieve it. A slog-sweep. A cut. A drive. A Takapuna fielder remarked ‘he doesn’t like the dots’ and it may have been true, but in the early part of his innings he wasn’t facing many of them.

Ross ter Braak came back into the attack after the first drinks break. He immediately troubled Barnard. Two aerial miscues into the off-side suggested something was going to give. When it did, a simple catch to Craig Cachopa at mid-off went down. Barnard had a life on 61. The partnership between Barnard and Teja Nidamanuru was given the opportunity to continue. The threat of Elliott Herd was doused with regular singles.

Sussex bashed away at a length to squeeze the accumualtion overs, but Cornwall were content with singles. Another chance went down. This time Nidamanuru as Cachopa ran around behind the bowler from mid-off. Cachopa did the hard work, but couldn’t quite hold on to his diving attempt. Nidamanuru composed himself after living dangerously to despatch Sussex over the catering wing of the clubhouse. Barnard followed suit hitting what looked like a chance out to wide long-on. It eventually sailed over the boundary and Cornwall were again on the move.

With the second drinks in sight, Nidamanuru (43) moved across his stumps to access the leg-side. He failed to connect and umpire Allen raised his finger. Barnard made his way to 99 at drinks. Upon return, Jones appeared to sneak one into his front pad. Allen’s finger went up again and Barnard was one short of a magnificent birthday hundred. Takapuna’s Guy Harley joined the expectant crowd in disbelief. There were suggestions of an inside edge.

The final sixteen overs were all Takapuna. A series of contributions ensured Cornwall’s start would not go to waste despite only hitting the one boundary after Barnard’s departure – and that a beautifully lofted cover drive in the final over. After two fine run outs from Will O’Donnell – a direct hit with one stump to aim at and a long well-collected throw from the deep – Jamie Hayes (36*) and Jack Cassidy combined to close the Cornwall innings. The innings break saw players from both sides share in a boisterous reindition of Happy Birthday to Barnard. There was also a wonderfully decorated cake, but what Barnard really would have wanted was to get his hands on the trophy.

Takapuna would have been pleased with their efforts to keep Cornwall to 264/7, but it would take some chasing. The runs were on the board. Though Lance Rodrigues first over was somewhat untidy, Cornwall got on top early. If Cornwall had earlier got off to a flier, Takapuna did not. Off-spinner Nidamanuru opened up at the other end and struck early; Dan ter Braak overstretched and Cassidy was quick to take of the bails.

After 10 overs, Takapuna had crawled to 23/1. It wasn’t the Takapuna way. While not disastrous, it certainly gave Cornwall all of the motivation they needed. Oddly, the field spread as O’Donnell and Harley went about a resurgence. Harley found the cover boundary to break the shackles.

Swapnil Karnik was introduced early and bowled a length that looked like it should have been punished. Instead the ball skid on and rushed the batsmen. By the 15th over, runs were flowing for Takapuna with both batsmen playing positively. To the disappointment of a sledging onlooker from the base of the bank – Cornwall’s preseason fitness coach – Rodrigues dropped Harley at mid-wicket.

Drinks came and went. Having run boundary-to-boundary for 30 overs in the field, Harley was showing signs of tiring. Just as he found some consistency to his hitting, he picked out Crooks at deep mid-wicket. It wasn’t the worst thing for Takapuna as Cachopa had a busy start to his inning. He showed his class on a slowing wicket latching on to anything overpitched. A big 25th over – two fours and a six – really gave Takapuna a lifeline. O’Donnell had soaked up some pressure and went past a well-earned fifty.

A reverse-sweep and a beautiful off-drive for boundaries. Singles. The odd two. Real confidence came out of the Takapuna camp. Cornwall struck again. Nidamanuru delivered from around the wicket and Cachopa (35) went to reverse-sweep. He missed out and was given out leg-before. He stood at the crease for a moment. A send-off was given. Words were exchanged. Takapuna were three down.

O’Donnell forged on, but he desperately needed an ally. Nidamanuru maintained his discipline to drive up the required run-rate. He grabbed his third diving forward scooping up a low return catch hit back by Hendrik van Vuuren. A ball after clearing the leg-side boundary, O’Donnell (76) was too late in trying to awkwardly pull out of a similar stroke. He should have gone again, but he was caught and Takapuna were in trouble.

With the required run-rate hovering around eight an over, all eyes were on the hard-hitting Herd to see if he had some magic in him. He threatened, muscling two powerful sixes over the leg-side – one into the top-deck of the clubhouse. Sam Anderson then found Herd’s outside edge with what looked like one of the many leg-cutters he delivered and the catch was well taken by Cassidy behind the stumps. Cornwall understood the significance of the wicket and celebrated accordingly.

It all unfolded rather quickly after that. James and Ross ter Braak soon followed to Rodrigues and Cornwall were cruising home. Some late hitting from Jones and Sussex only offered false hope before Nidamanuru appropriately completed a 25-run victory by running Sussex out at the bowler’s end.

In the late overs when the result was all but wrapped up, Barnard admitted to Crooks on the boundary that he felt like 264 wasn’t going to be enough. When O’Donnell and Cachopa were going strong, I didn’t think so either. It was a shame the contest fizzled out towards the end, but Cornwall won’t be concerned about that as they have booked themselves a ticket to the National Championships in April.