LOWEN CENTURY STUMPS WAITAKERE

January 14, 2019. The Te Atatu Park pitch is famously flat. The wicket often does a little bit in the first hour and flattens into a state highway. It has a lightning fast outfield at this time of the year and with the strip for Saturday’s game on one side of the square, it made for one short boundary. Waitakere hosted Auckland University in the Jeff Crowe Cup and like many encounters before – see Anaru Kitchen, Dusan Hakaraia, Barrington Rowland and Marc Ellison – there were again runs big runs on offer.

University won the toss and elected to bat first. Off-spinner Jared Challis opened up with a maiden, before Todd Wannan (3-66) found the outside edge of Ben Beecroft in the fourth over. It was a good length delivery that Beecroft couldn’t quite get in line with. Vijay Anand and Finn Allen aggressively went about using the conditions to their advantage hitting seven fours in the next six overs; pulls, cuts, glances, drives – the early exchanges had it all.

Challis returned to the attack in the 11th over conceding 12 runs including an Allen six eased over long-on. The powerful right-hander attempted the shot again only to pick out a juggling Jack Henderson. The catch was eventually taken and Waitakere had an opening. Anand took control of the innings at this point, but he was also dismissed with the bowling somewhat at his mercy. Anand walked off wondering how did I miss that after his sweep shot ended with the umpire giving him out leg-before.

By now, Charles Lowen was in. He had patiently worked his way to 13 off 19 deliveries. It was his turn to take up the mantle of senior batsman and that is exactly what he did. He dominated a fourth-wicket stand of 120 between himself and James Ellis.

All of the shots came out. While it started with a beautiful on-drive along the ground, it was Lowen’s confident aerial strokeplay that impressed most. When Waitakere eventually blocked his sweep, Lowen went the other way and pierced the gap between short third-man and backward-point on several occasions.

Ellis (32) wasn’t afraid of the aerial route either hitting boundaries over both mid-on and mid-off. Travis Ngatai and Blake Robinson pegged the middle back by taking the pace off even if the ploy to do so came a little late in the piece. The strike deserted Lowen on 99, but the classy right-hander would appropriately reach his first University ton with a sweep to the fielder on the deep mid-wicket boundary. The University camp rose as one to applaud their skipper.

Wickets tumbled after Lowen (104) was well caught on the deep mid-wicket boundary by Brad Nash. Beau Dench was left with the task of getting University past 300. Some strange fields left the off-side open to Dench and he was good enough to find the sizeable gaps on offer. Four boundaries came from his blade in a run-a-ball 36. 330+ was dragged back to 318 all out with Wannan the beneficiary of death wickets and a run-out on the last ball.

Waitakere’s chase started brightly. A chase of over 300, however, is never easy and it usually requires one player to bat for at least forty overs. At 53/0, a platform was set. Shozib Mirza ticked the strike over to Nathan Fletcher, who was mixing aggression with sound decision-making. After sweeps, cuts and lofted drives, Fletcher (42) hit Waitakere’s first six – a full-toss clobbered over the bowler’s head. An inside edge ended Fletcher’s promising knock and a first-wicket stand of 62.

Jonathan Low (3-32) entered the attack and dragged Waitakere back over by over. The young off-spinner flighted the ball bravely and was rewarded with the top order wickets of Nash and Mirza (47). Challis had the chase on course at the halfway mark, but Lowen’s day was not to be spoilt. Medium pacer Anand slid one down the legside and keeper Lowen sharply removed the bails standing up to the stumps. There was no question that Challis was out and Lowen’s handy glovework accounted for another key wicket.

Travis Ngatai was the last hope for the hosts. Requiring 172 off the last 20 overs was a huge ask even with the captain’s unquestionable power. When Ngatai was unluckily run-out off the bowler’s hand, the match was officially in miracle-territory. Two tidy stumpings dropped Waitakere in further trouble as the tail scrapped at five-to-six an over.

Nick Stobart slipped another one down leg and there Lowen was again collecting the scraps and finishing the match with a fourth stumping. Spectators and players go seasons without seeing a legside stumping, let alone two in the same inning. It was a comfortable win for University in the end. The brilliant Lowen innings went unmatched and University’s bowlers promptly broke any developing partnerships to register a dominant 108-run victory.