The Star: March 02, 2023

The Star Thursday March 2 2023
22
SPORT
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Captain century leads
Veterans claim
series win
over old foes
• By Jaime Cunningham
NEW ZEALAND seized a series
win over Australia in the over-40s
one-day international series in
Canterbury.
The three-match series was the
first of its kind, as over-50s, 60s
and 70s cricket grows in popularity
ahead of the planned over-40s
World Cup set to take place in
September.
New Zealand’s 14-man squad
included former Black Caps’ brothers,
Hamish and James Marshall,
and ex-Ireland international Peter
Connell. Five squad members were
Canterbury representatives.
The second game was abandoned
due to rain, but New Zealand
were able to win on Tuesday
and Friday. Hamish made 59 off 79
balls in the first game at Rangiora,
then James scored 70 off 83 in the
series decider at Ohoka.
Australia struggled to get
past 200 in both matches, only
surpassing the milestone in a
warm-up against New Zealand A,
which they lost by 72 runs.
Scorecards
•Game 1: Australia 197/7 (45
overs), Joseph Price 61, Hamish
Marshall 2/13, Peter Connell
2/42 lost to New Zealand 198/4
(34.4 overs), Hamish Marshall
59, Scott Marra 54, Richie Wyld
1/37. Game 2: Abandoned
Game 3: New Zealand 232/9
(39 overs), James Marshall 70,
Dane Stevenson 3/51, Danny
Batra 2/35 beat Australia
198/10 (35.1 overs), Ash Hardy
35, Adam Hastilow 3/14, Ben
Rapson 2/29 (DLS method).
OBC to second title
• By Jaime Cunningham
A SUPERB knock under
pressure from Old Boys’
Collegians captain Jack Lewis
helped his side to a second club
title this season.
OBC were able to beat
Burnside West in the one-day
competition final by four-wickets
after a shaky start to their chase
at Burnside Park on Sunday.
With OBC at 7/3, chasing
Burnside West’s 219, the home
side looked likely to continue
their unbeaten streak in the oneday
format until Lewis, 25, came
to the crease.
Lewis said his sole focus was
to build a partnership with
Australian batter Dylan Hunter.
“I just wanted to spend some
time at the crease with Dylan. I
wasn’t thinking too much about
scoring runs,” Lewis said.
Hunter was then caught on 40,
leaving OBC four down with 155
to win.
Although OBC were missing
key players who were with
the Canterbury A side, Lewis
was able to build a 93-run
partnership with Thomas
Graham in the middle overs of
the chase.
Burnside West took two more
wickets, but couldn’t stop Lewis
bringing up his first premiership
century then hitting the winning
runs.
“I was just focused on getting
the team over the line, I couldn’t
be happier,” Lewis said.
OBC opener David Wakefield
and Lewis were the only
remaining players from the
2016/17 team that last won the
one-day competition. It was
also Lewis’ first season with the
premier side.
But it was his second final of
season as captain of the premier
side, after OBC won the T20 final
against Sydenham in December.
“It’s pretty awesome. It’s
something I’ll always cherish,
looking back on this season,”
Lewis said.
With only two-day matches
left this season, Lewis said
his priority will be giving the
club’s newest premier players
experience at the highest level of
club cricket.
“The focus is getting the
younger boys from Christ’s
College and [Christchurch Boys’
High] out, and giving them a
good run,” he said.
With Elmwood Park set to
get a full field reconstruction on
Monday, OBC will have no home
games after the weekend.
Lewis said the premier side
will be training at Christchurch
Boys’ High ahead of the
remaining two away matches of
the season.
•Premiership
final scorecard:
Burnside West
218/7 (50 overs), Carl
Huyser 70, Dylan Hunter
2/32, Harrison Cox 2/44,
lost to Old Boys’ Collegians
220/6 (45.1 overs), Jack
Lewis 109 not out, Will
O’Brien 3/24, Curtis Millard
1/27.
STALWARTS: Jack Lewis made his first premiership century
in the club cricket one-day final on Sunday,
Left – Lewis and David Wakefield with the one-day
competition trophy.
Ling nets her 100th premier interclub win
• By Diane Keenan
NOTCHING UP her 100th
singles win in the premier
women’s interclub and helping
to secure her team a place in the
final gave Kerrie Ling cause for
a double celebration.
Ling’s Burnside Park Bishopdale
finished top of the table
and will take on the winner of
Saturday’s semi between Cashmere
Red and Te Kura Hagley
in the final in two weeks.
Ling, 43, can’t remember how
many competition finals she
has played in but says it’s a lot.
She played representative tennis
through the junior ranks in the
1990s then took a break before
returning to the court. Her
first recorded “top dog” points
earned in the premier interclub
were in 2007 when she was
playing for Burwood.
Ling was set to reach her 100
wins before Christmas. “But I
cut the top off my thumb off in
the kitchen and couldn’t play
for a few weeks,” she said.
But she reached the goal last
weekend when all the premier
teams were playing in the annual
away fixture at Ashburton.
As usual, she was playing
alongside Joelene Feneon and
Feneon’s daughter, Jade.
Said Ling: “I was with Joelene
when she reached 100 wins
two seasons ago and we were
playing together last Saturday.
Her advice was to go out there
and play my own game, which
I did.”
Ling is not phased by the
many talented juniors who “like
hitting the ball hard on their
forehands.” They are often baffled
by Ling’s all-round game,
which includes strength at the
net and mixing ground strokes
with slice and spin.
“Even when I’m down, I never
give up. I just change my game
plan if I need to and keep fighting,”
she said. Ling said she will
definitely continue to play tennis,
but may follow in Feneon’s
footsteps and concentrate on
doubles. The pair won a national
masters title in January.
Pool play in the women’s
competition was keenly contested
with Burnside Park (125
points) well ahead of Cashmere
Red (104), Te Kura Hagley (98)
and unlucky Elmwood (97)
which missed the playoffs by a
point.
Te Kura Hagley has a strong
pool of players to draw on for
the semi-final. Cashmere Red
lost all their matches to Burnside
Park Bishopdale last week,
but will be back to full strength.
Several Cashmere players were
absent due to commitments
at the South Island secondary
school championships at Wilding
Park.
The men’s competition has
two more rounds of pool play
before the play-offs. Leader
Elmwood play Te Kura Hagley,
while Cashmere face Edgeware
Waimairi and Bishopdale play
South Brighton. Burnside Park
have the bye.
Points
•Men
Elmwood 133, Burnside
Park 114, Cashmere
107, Bishopdale 93,
South Brighton 75,
Te Kura Hagley 60,
Edgeware Waimairi 42.
•Women
Burnside Park
Bishopdale 125,
Cashmere Red 104,
Te Kura Hagley 98,
Elmwood 97, Cashmere
Back 42, Waimairi 35
ACHIEVEMENT: Kerrie Ling
won her 100th singles match
in the premier women’s
interclub.