BEACH PEACHES TAKE JEFF CROWE GLORY

March 7, 2019. On Sunday, 50,000 people were expected at Eden Park. Japan Day may have brought the crowd and the noise, but it was Parnell and Suburbs New Lynn who brought hope and expectation to the biggest day on Auckland Cricket’s club calendar. The Jeff Crowe Cup was shining in the Outer Oval sun as both clubs made their final preparations.

Parnell batted first on a wicket that had already seen 744 runs from 80 SuperSmash overs between Auckland and Central Districts. Speaking to Peaches wicketkeeper Harry Miller, Parnell came into the match hoping to nail the processes. It had been a focus all week and now it was time for players to understand their roles and play their parts. What success looked like was not the concern; enjoying the moment was the only priority.

If Suburbs planned to do the same, the Back Brothers – Ben Rae and Ben Rainger – were about to test their commitment to the process. Suburbs road to the final showcased the club’s resolve – losing in both Round One and Two and rallying late in an epic 14-run semi-final victory. A steady start for both sides eased any early tension.

Rae drove elegantly through the covers for a rear Outer Oval three before climbing into the Suburbs’ attack. Seven fours and a six flowed from the right-hander’s willow. Rainger smartly handed over the strike. Rae bravely found the boundary as Parnell breezed past fifty in the seventh over. Rae (40) was caught down low by wicketkeeper Jonny Bassett-Graham during the next over as Eli Meenhorst found his channel.

Andy Lane, fresh off a two-day ton, came to the wicket and played like a man who understood he couldn’t carry on from where he left off. He took his time before punching a boundary through a packed off-side field. Lane took up the mantle of doing the bulk of the scoring as Suburbs kept their slips in. Despite such an explosive start, Victor Davies couldn’t allow his side to slip into a defensive mind-set.

Then Rainger (27) hit one back at Dane Watson, testing the off-spinner’s reactions. Watson was comfortably up to the task and while Suburbs had both openers, Parnell had 110 runs to start the 18th over. Ollie Pringle, who had also tonned up in the Peaches’ most recent two-dayer, joined Lane. The pair complimented each other beautifully. Lane continued to take his time; Pringle chipped away at a run-a-ball. Meanwhile, Watson built away at the pavilion end dragging Parnell’s run-rate back to six an over.

What Suburbs needed was wickets. Parnell kept building and Pringle got going. Sam Devereaux returned to the attack with some control, but a pair of boundaries ended his promising spell. Mitchell Murray loomed as the golden arm. The left-arm spinner came on from the Kingsland Station end and Pringle welcomed him into the attack by depositing him twice over the boundary. Something changed for Parnell in that moment.

Whether it was Pringle sensing an opportunity to bat Suburbs, all but, out of the game or the lanky lefty felt comfortable at the crease, he put his foot down. Two sixes followed in the next two overs as Pringle pushed towards a fast fifty. There was little hiding for the Suburbs’ attack. Watson finished his unchanged spell with figures of 1-40 having again fielded impeccably off his own bowling.

Pringle’s fifty came from 32 balls. Lane’s came off 72. Oddly enough, the pair’s innings then went in opposite directions. Pringle (74) slowed and was eventually caught attempting to clear the short long-off boundary, while Lane indicated he was now ready to take the game on. When Lane slammed Murray down the ground for a four and a six, there was a hundred with his name on it. Murray pitched up once more, but this time Lane (84) sliced it out to a running Joe Cracknell at wide long-on.

Miller had spoken about how Parnell don’t tend to put a number out there for what a good score may look like. If all goes to plan, as it had to this point, the top order set the innings up and the bomb squad finish it off. Aniket Parikh joined skipper Brad Rodden and the pair took Parnell within a boundary of 300. Rodden’s brisk 39 would be eventually overshadowed by Parikh’s (54) composed execution. Coming out at six, the all-rounder played finisher finessing 3 fours and crashing 3 sixes. Parnell racked up 362/5.

If anyone at the ground thought the game was over, nobody told opener Cracknell. The young right-hander matched Rae’s earlier efforts in racing Suburbs out to 60/0 – including a 24-run sixth over. Game on. Eight runs later, Ganesh Ratnasabapathy pulled off one of the most spectacular scrambling catches running in from the fine-leg boundary. It ended in one hand and Cracknell was back in the hut for a dynamic 50; Parnell broke what would have been a worrying partnership.

Michael Barry came to the crease and while the Aces’ all-rounder was at the wicket, Suburbs were a chance. Raj Majithia is also no stranger to a match-defining knock and Suburbs still had plenty of class and experience in their middle order. Henry King removed his second opener when Majithia looked to force the issue. The stroke may not have been entirely necessary, but Majithia couldn’t be blamed for taking a positive option with such a daunting chase ahead of his side.

While Barry chipped away at the total, the required run-rate began to balloon out of control. King took his and Parnell’s third before Parikh came into the attack for the first time. His ten overs of off-spin were always going to be important and with the weight of runs behind him, he was free to give the ball some air. Davies drove firmly back at Parikh, who made no mistake in taking a sharp return catch.

Then Parikh added a second wicket to his already impressive afternoon. By now Barry had gone past fifty and, in any other innings, Suburbs were in reasonable shape at 164/5 after 30 overs. But on this day, Barry and Bassett-Graham would need to go at tens for the remainder of the match. Hard ask.

By Watson’s own admission – as the next man in – there wasn’t much to come in the batting order. Barry (70) crunched a wristy flick to mid-wicket. Before Rodden had time to think, he took a reflex grab. In doing so, he split one of his knuckles. The skipper wiped himself off, wrapped his hand and readied himself for the next delivery. Ratnasabapathy delivered a full delivery in the go-zone and Watson drove it firmly into the covers. Rodden snaffled his third catch and, in between ringing the pain from his hands, celebrated with his teammates.

There was no Ratnasabapathy hat trick or King five-for after a chance went down, but that wasn’t going to dampen the Orchard’s spirits. A run-out at the bowler’s end confirmed a 151-run victory for the Parnell guys, fellas, lads and gents on a day many Peaches will remember for some time to come.