SESSIONS: SANDHU SCYTHES THROUGH WAITAKERE

November 3, 2018. Red balls. White clothes. Close-in fielders. Marathon innings. Lengthy spells. Two-day cricket provides different challenges to different people. It requires preparation, focus and prolonged execution. For Three Wicket Drill, it is a tricky format to cover. So here goes – Sessions – a quick look at a session rather than the six that makes up a two-day fixture.

​ Morning Session – Eden Roskill vs. Waitakere at Keith Hay Park. Tom Hellaby.

Round One of the Hedley Howarth and Tom Hellaby Trophies was greeted with blustery and overcast conditions and wickets promptly tumbled around the grounds. It was no different at Keith Hay Park where Eden Roskill won the toss and asked Waitakere to bat first. The day started with a camera battery left at home. It was cold and overcast, but that didn’t stop Eden Roskill from striking early.

Raja Sandhu gave his jumper to the umpire, marked out his run-up and opened up the innings. When Shozib Mirza comfortably steered the first delivery through the off-side, there were few signs of what was to come.

Sandhu found his fire and his rhythm soon followed. He extracted some extra bounce in his second over and was rewarded with a pair of wickets. The skipper twice found the shoulder of the bat as catches looped to be taken – the first to gully and the second back down the wicket.

Brad Nash authoritatively pulled Waitakere’s first boundary in the fourth over. That’s the feeling of finishing exams, coach Brad Cachopa quipped. Mirza and Nash negotiated Sandhu’s opening burst and began the rebuild.

Nash was dropped twice – low at second slip and a diving chance at mid-wicket. His luck ran out after drinks when his attempted drive flew to a juggling second slip. Waitakere were 40/3 and in trouble again. In the 20th over, one of the fielders chirped, This guy has been here too long. Hurry up. He was referring to Mirza who had found a way to survive the pressure. Maybe it was his penchant for the backfoot. Maybe it was good fortune.

Sandhu came back into the attack around this time and made the opening session his own. He used his short ball effectively to test the Waitakere batsmen. Mirza’s (38) stay ended in similar fashion to his teammates as another ball leapt up to the top half of the bat.

A fine diving catch at gully and a fend to short-leg followed. Sandhu had a five-for and had to wait an over for a potential hat-trick. It was a terrific spell and you got the sense he was about to put a big number beside his name. While Jared Challis safely defended the hat-trick delivery, Sandhu had taken three wickets in seven balls to leave Waitakere reeling at 72/6. Challis counterattacked somewhat pulling ten runs from four deliveries. With lunch fast approaching, Eden Roskill went in search for one more. Back-to-back overs of spin before the break was just the ticket as a Barrington Rowland googly went through Challis’ defence. Waitakere went to lunch in disarray at 87/7.

Evening Session – Suburbs New Lynn vs. Takapuna at Ken Maunder Park. Hedley Howarth.

Arriving at a game when so much has happened is intriguing. You wonder. Why a team may have collapsed? What is the pitch like? How have we got to this point in the match? Suburbs had rolled Takapuna for 125, but it doesn’t appear your standard capitulation. Takapuna faced 60 overs. This meant Suburbs arrived at tea on 10/0 and ready to make their way towards first innings points.

It was still overcast and there was light rain about as the players resumed their battle.

Ross ter Braak threatened the outside edge on several occasions, but it was a short delivery that led to his first wicket. A rising short delivery caught the glove – or possibly handle – of a leaping Sineth Gunawardene and the catch was safely taken on the off-side.

Nine overs into his fiery opening spell, ter Braak struck again. Takapuna needed it as Raj Majithia had gone a long way towards extinguishing early hope. Matt Jones then replaced ter Braak – who had given as much as he could – and the left-arm spinner struck immediately, trapping Joe Cracknell in front. Takapuna had a sniff.

Just as experienced duo – James Parslow and Victor Davies – put the groundwork in for a match-defining partnership, skipper Davies drove one firmly back to the bowler. Jones took a sharp catch. Suburbs were wobbling at 67/4 and the Takapuna celebrations were growing in animation. They were well and truly back in the game. It left nine overs for someone to make a difference and put their respective side in control.

The next six overs past by with a loud shout or two. Parslow was stout in defence and left what he needed to. He was rewarded for his patience in the last three overs when width offered him the chance to drive and cut handsomely through the off-side. 20 runs came from the 18 balls before stumps and it has left Suburbs in the box seat to take first innings points when play resumes at 98/4 next weekend.