Games v. Northland (Summary)

Northland turned on the BBQ and the weather for a great day of cricket for our last game of the season. Everyone made the two hour trip in good spirits and the boys looked excited and keen to show off the skills they have developed over the season.

Northland have not had the opportunities that our boys have had and it was a credit to them that they were able to organise two teams from a large region. They were clearly excited about the chance of playing their first representative game and were a really enthusiastic bunch who played the game in the right spirit and kept fighting to the end.

At the end of the day, we had won both of our games easily and I was impressed by the way that we went about winning the games. We have come a cropper a couple of times this season against teams that we shouyld have beaten and it was satisfying that the boys concentrated and saw out the victories in both games. We played the full 30 overs, even though we had won the game, and it was great to see that this fact did not stop the Northland boys from giving 100%.

Andrew's XI
Northland batted first and there was a flurry of early wickets which had everyone thinking that it might be over sooner rather than later. However, they mustered well and one of their boys, Jake, set about going after our short pitch bowling. We were playing on full wickets and boundaries and many of the boys were not used to this, so it took a while to get our bowling lengths sorted. However, we did and Angus Nicoll and Steven Newey finished off a very strong end to the season with a fine bowling performances. The bowling was backed up by some very fine fielding - 10 catches and a run out! Having toppled their batting order in the 23rd over, we offered them the opportunity of making sure that everyone got a good bat and went on to 30 overs - which is why they ended up with 94/11.

It was a total that could have caused us a headache or two - the danger was that we would get bogged down thinking that we had plenty of time and not knock the runs off. However, Matt Strain and Chris Woodard started superbly and ticked the score over with some aggressive running between the wickets. After 10 overs we were 48/1 and were well on our way - in the end we were only to lose three wickets and managed to score 159 in our 30 overs. Everyone got a bat, even Faisal - who kept telling me he was never going to get a bat at number 11!

Northland 94/11 (Angus Nicoll 2/5, Steven Newey 2/7, Donald Coleman 1/13, Harry Bartlett 1/3, Rory Douglas 1/13, Chris Woodard 1/6, Matt Strain 1/9 and Luke Dewar 1/4) North Harbour Andrew 158/3 (Chris Woodard 32, Matt Strain 12, Kieran Seedal 22*, Rory Douglas 17*, Donald Coleman 11*)

Colin's XI
A similar story was unfolding on the other pitch although the wickets were not tumbling quite as quickly. The bowling and fielding was good, as the young Northland side struggled to get to grips with the higher level of cricket. A very creditable performance by Northland and, in particular, one young lad, Lewis, who fought bravely and retired on 33*. Everyone contributed in some way, however, they lasted the 30 overs and with 3 wickets in hand and it would have been nice to have bowled them out.

When it came to batting, we needed 93 to win from our 30 overs, this is the sort of total (as above) that can be awkward. We started slowly and probably could have learnt from Andrew's XI about pushing the singles. That being said, Northland were throwing themselves around in the field and did very well to keep the pressure on and Scotty Gannaway and Evan Cronje gave us a good start when we did not want to lose early wickets. They had some useful bowlers but, once our boys started to get on top, it was just a matter of time. As with the other game, everyone got a chance to bat, even though the game was finished by the 19th over. At the end of the innings we had scored 176/3 with some really strong batting performances from Evan Cronje, Eru Hudson, Max Lewis, Bjorn Wojt, Cole Briggs and Asher Robb.

Northland 92/7 (Bronson Marshall 1/6, Max Lewis 1/2, Evan Cronje 1/11, Jack Stevenson 2/12, Sam Hinds 1/14 and Cole Briggs 1/6) North Harbour Colin 176/3 (Scott Gannaway 12, Evan Cronje 27*, Eru Hudson 17*, Max Lewis 25*, Cole Briggs 12*, Bjorn Wojt 25* and Asher Robb 18*)

And finally ...
At the start of the day I asked the boys for two things - firstly, I wanted them to finish the season on a high with some good cricket and secondly, and most importantly, I wanted them to enjoy themselves. I am very happy to report that both were "ticked off". It has been a privelage to work with the boys over the season, they have been like sponges. I looked at the Northland sides and saw us about six months ago and then looked at how far they have come over this time. This is down to hard work from the boys and the commitment from you, the parents. It was a great way to end the season and hopefully you all have enjoyed it as much as I have. When I glanced over at Andrew's XI and saw that they had 8 slips and a gully in position for the final over, I gathered that they might be enjoying themselves a little bit.

Finally, I would like to thank Don Hastie and Colin Marshall, without whom it would have been a complete nightmare. We worked together as a team and discussed, sometimes late in to the night, technical (and not so technical) issues. Don't let them fool you in to thinking that they were back room staff - none of this would have been possible without them. Equally, Sue/Andrew/Nigel/Peter/Chris as scorers/umpires/photographers and you guys as support on the sidelines have been fantastic - do not underestimate the importance that you have all had on the development of the team.

Right! 2008/2009 Season is now officially closed - see you all in a couple of months time!

All the best,

Rupert

Gazebo?

Apparently one of the pitches we are playing on does not have any shade - if anyone has a gazebo shade thing and wants to bring it up, that would be great.

Games v. Northland (29 March 2009)

We are all go for this Sunday's game against Northland up at Kensington Park, Whangarei - the start time will be 10:30am, so we will need to try and be there for around 10:00am. I realise that this means an early start and it looks like a few people are looking at starting very early (7:00am - 7:30am) and then stopping at the BP Service Station (coffee) and then in Wellsford (breakfast) or something similar.

Kensington Park is massive, so the directions we have are: Entering Whangarei (Gull petrol station on left) stay on SH1 for approx 5kms (past Burger King on right) still on SH1 (aka"western Hills By-pass), as the dual lanes get to top of hill, turn right into Kensington Avenue (park should now be on your left). Just after the netball courts turn left into Park Avevue, past the new athletics track and you will see the Marist Rugby Club on your left - pull in to the carpark and you will no doubt see us/them hovering around there.

We will be using the Inter-Squad teams as the basis for these games and Colin Marshall and Andrew Nicoll will be managing these teams:

Colin's XI
Asher Robb
Bjorn Wojt
Bronson Marshall
Cole Briggs
Eru Hudson (Capt)
Evan Cronje
Jack Stevenson
Kit Freeman
Max Lewis
Sam Hinds
Scott Gannaway

Andrew's XI
Angus Nicoll
Chris Woodard
Donald Coleman
Faisal Ganchi
Harry Bartlett
Jake Skellern
Kieran Seedall
Luke Dewar
Matt Strain (Capt)
Rory Douglas
Steven Newey


Unavailable
Reid Hastie
Ben Reidy
Oliver Peterson

Inter-Squad Game (Slideshow)

... fantastic day!

Inter-Squad Game (22nd March) - BBQ

BBQ Update - I think that this is going to be quite difficult to organise effectively at this stage, so will just say that there will be a BBQ available and we will leave that everyone should bring their own (particularly if they are bringing the family or have special dietary requirements) and I will try and make sure that we have sasuages and bread for the players to have something after the game.

Inter-Squad Game (22nd March)

The inter-squad game will be selected from the following players:

Asher Robb
Angus Nicoll
Bjorn Wojt
Bronson Marshall
Chris Woodard
Cole Briggs
Connor Stuart
Donald Coleman
Eru Hudson
Evan Cronje
Faisal Ganchi
Jack Stevenson
Jake Skellern
Kieran Seedall
Kit Freeman
Luke Dewar
Matt Strain
Max Lewis
Oliver Peterson
Rory Douglas
Sam Hinds
Steven Newey

Unavailable
Reid Hastie (Umpire)
Ben Reidy
Harry Bartlett

Season 2008/9 - Part 2.1.1.1

Sunday 22nd March; Inter-Squad Game @ Devonport Domain #4 (9am Start)

Sunday 29th March; Games v. Northland @ Kensington Park, Whangarei (TBC)

Please keep an eye on this, as it will change!

Games v. Western Districts (15 March 2009 Slideshow)

Once again a big thanks to Chris. I keep forgetting to thank him in advance at the games but, as always, he brightens up my chat. The only photo opportunity he missed was the "Family Umpire" ... Don and reid umpiring at the same time from the same end on different pitches (obviously). Would have been great to have got them both giving a batsman out at the same time - Chris you need to think about these opportunities or at least get photoshop working all night!

Games v. Western Districts (Summary)

Before the game we spoke about how we wanted to do the basics right and how important it was that we worked together as a team. I am extremely proud to say that boys took everything we discussed on board today with both teams producing excellent performances. We will come across stronger sides than Western Districts but, we still need to work hard at our game to make sure that we play effectively and put these teams to the sword. This we did today and everyone contributed in some form or another. Well done to you all.

North Harbour Black

Having been beaten by this side a couple of weeks ago, there are a couple of ways that a team can react. Fortunately, North Harbour has the type of boys who know that they can do better and this was a particularly impressive performance. I have noted, in previous blogs, that the key to success lies in the strength of the team. We really proved this today with everyone giving their all in the field and in supporting their team mates.

The bowling was good although we did just lose a little focus after the drinks break and, if I was being hyper critical, I would still target the 18 wides and 9 no balls as an area that I would want us to work on. However, that aside, we seemed to take a wicket every 10 runs and at drinks we had them 68/6 but, like I said, the time after drinks is such a key period - you can either kill off the game or let them back in ... and we did the latter. Nothing dramatic but, at 82/8 it would have been nice to keep them under 100. Everyone bowled well and it was good to see Jake Skellern (2/11), and Connor Stuart (3/14) take wickets. As always, Angus Nicoll (1/27), Asher Rob (1/18) and Faisal (1/6) bowled with fire and brimstone - nothing better than quick bowlers charging in and hitting the deck hard.

We were left with a chase of 124 and Kit Freeman (15), Connor Stuart (24) and Kieran Seedal (26) did the majority of the damage - at 108/3 it left a little mopping up by the rest of the team with everyone doing what was asked of them. What was particularly impressive, was the way we were able to move things on - we did get bogged down but, just after the break we began to enjoy ourselves - like I said above, the break can be crucial and this time we used it to our favour and we finished the game off in the 25th over.

Once again a big thanks to Connor Stuart and Scott Gannaway for stepping in - both of whom have represented North Harbour a couple of times and have shown the strength in depth that North Harbour have. Scott Gannaway bowled and fielded very well but, did not get a chance to show his batting skills and Connor Stuart, as you will have read, had an excellent all round game - well done!

Western Districts B 124 All Out (Angus Nicoll 1/27, Faisal Ganchi 1/6, Asher Robb 1/18, Jake Skellern 2/11, Harry Bartlett 1/6, Connor Stuart 3/14) North Harbour Black 125/6 (Kit Freeman 15, Connor Stuart 24, Kieran Seedall 26)

North Harbour Black won by 4 wickets

North Harbour Burgundy

Batting first, having won the toss, Eru Hudson and Donald Coleman lead the team out with hopes of reaching the dizzy heights of 200 plus like our last game against Western Districts. This time it was not to be, they had strengthened their side and, had they not dropped so many catches, could have had us in a great deal more trouble. Eru was run out to a decision that I would have liked to have seen referred to the third umpire but, this is cricket and you are always going to get decisions that you don't agree with. Eru took it on the chin and to be fair the umpire was in a better position to see than we were. This meant that Chris Woodard was brought to the middle earlier than we would have liked. Chris has had good club form and for no real reason, struggled a bit at NH, so it was great to see him bat well and score a classy 24. At the other end Donald was peppering their fielders and made a useful 16 but, needs to learn to keep the ball on the ground.

Evan Cronje, similarly looking for NH form, and Steven Newey put on an excellent partnership and moved us to 84 before Evan (18) was bowled. After the departure of Evan and then Steven (25) we lost our way a bit and, credit to Western Districts, they really put the pressure on us. Our target total kept dropping ... 170 - 160 - 140 - 120!

Finally, we were turned over for 118 and we knew that we were going to have to bowl and field well. However, this is not a side that gives up easily and our strength throughout the season has been in this area. The boys did not disappoint! As is becoming our trademark, we put on a really spirited performance in the field. Right from the first ball we were on target and by drinks (17th over) they were 27/3. Everyone bowled well and the fielding was of the high standard that I have, almost, come to expect. At the end of the game, we had given away only 9 extras. It is difficult to single anyone out in particular but, Steven Newey and Chris Woodard both had double wicket maidens. However, the bowling figures were all outstanding and we bowled them out for 62.

I spoke to their coach afterwards and he talked about their missed chances, in particular early in our innings, but he had to admit that our bowling and fielding gave them absolutely nothing - they just could not get in to the game because we gave them nothing to hit.

North Harbour Burgundy 118 All Out (Donald Coleman 16, Chris Woodard 24, Steven Newey 25, Evan Cronje 18) Western Districts A 62 All Out (Oliver Peterson 1/12, Steven Newey 2/2, Max Lewis 1/14, Bronson Marshall 1/1, Jack Stevenson 1/14, Chris Woodard 2/0, Donald Coleman 1/4)

North Harbour won by 56 runs

Season 2008/9 - Part 2

Unfortunately, it looks like our games against Northland and Hamilton will not now be happening. So that leaves us with the game this weekend against Western Districts ... however, I have managed to book Devonport Domain #4 (grass wicket) for the 22nd March and would like to finish the season with an inter-squad game.

I think that this would be an appropriate way to finish as this is how it started way back in October. What I would like to do is to mix the teams up and make sure that those that have not had much of a bat get to do so and similarly, those that have not bowled get a good chance to show what they can do. I might try and get the BBQ down there and perhaps, we can have a drink and a sausage after the game - let me know what you think.

For this weekend, we will make any calls on weather by 7am to allow for travelling time to Rosebank Road. Keep an eye on the old blog - only a few more weeks to go and you can get rid of me!

Games v. Western Districts (15 March 2009)

This Sunday's game will be played at Eastdale Reserve in Avondale. We are looking at starting at 8:30am, so will need you guys there for just before 8am. Once again, if this changes or if the weather starts looking grim, I will keep you updated through the blog.

Bad news, I am afraid: Reid has broken his thumb and will be out for the rest of the season. I am sure that you will all join with me in wishing him a speedy recovery and hope that he will still come and cheer us on from the sidelines. This is a big loss to both North Harbour and ECB White, he has been a great captain, player and team mate - it has been a pleasure to have him in the squad. Further to this, I have just heard that Ben Reidy will be out for the rest of the season as well - equally, I would like to thank him for his valuable contribution to the squad. Fortunately we have no one else with "Reid" in their names, so we should be OK for the rest of the season.

North Harbour Burgundy
Eru Hudson (Captain)
Sam Hinds
Chris Woodard
Jack Stevenson
Evan Cronje
Oliver Peterson
Donald Coleman
Bronson Marshall
Cole Briggs (wk)
Max Lewis
Steven Newey

North Harbour Black
Angus Nicoll (Captain)
Kit Freeman
Kieran Seedall
Rory Douglas (wk)
Harry Bartlett
Jake Skellern
Bjorn Wojt
Asher Robb
Faisal Ganchi
Connor Stuart
Scott Gannaway

Unavailable
Reid Hastie
Matt Strain
Ben Reidy
Luke Dewar

Games v. Western Districts (Slideshow)

My blog would be a very boring place if it wasn't for Chris Newey's photographic skills - I would like to thank him personally for his commitment to making this season's blog a much more interesting place to visit. Please remember that he misses half of Steven's game to take these photos - so don't be frightened going up to him at games and thanking him.

Games v. Western Districts (Summary)

North Harbour Burgundy

What a difference two weeks make! I kept going on about it but, you guys looked like cricketers - you were organised, sharp, worked well as a team and looked like you were enjoying it. Excellent effort by everyone and in particular congratulations to Sam Hinds for a fantastic 50.

We won the toss and Reid Hastie decided to bat; a brave decision on a wet wicket/outfield particularly as, second ball, he was castled by one that kept low and skidded off the surface . However, the belief was in our ability to defend a total and it was justified as a good decision (unfortunately he was forced to leave the field early with a dislocated thumb and was not there at the end to enjoy his team's success) - we all hope that it is not too serious and he will be back soon.

Eru Hudson, who looked much better than his total suggested, Steven Newey (15) and Matt Strain (10) made useful contributions. But, it was the partnership(s) that Jack Stevenson (48 Not Out) and Sam Hinds (57 Not Out) put together that allowed us to score an incredible 205 of our 35 overs.

Western Districts were left with a massive 6 an over required run rate to win. They were never really in it and were finally bowled out for 73 in the 31st over. We were very good in the field, with some excellent ground fielding (3 run outs) and some fine catching. Everyone bowled really well - if I was being hyper critical; there were a few too many wides and I would like these to be eliminated from our bowling. However, that aside, Jack Stevenson can be proud of his day's work with 4 wickets to add to his batting. All the other bowlers were miserly (Bronson Marshall (0/7 from 5 overs) Eru Hudson (0/4 from 3 overs)) and it was good to see Max Lewis, Steven Newey and Chris Woodard all chip in with wickets.

All in all, a very fine performance by a team that looked like they were enjoying their cricket and showed the potential that they have. A very promising sign for the future of North Harbour cricket.

North Harbour Burgundy 205/9 from 35 overs (Sam Hinds 57 Not Out, Jack Stevenson 48 Not Out, Matt Strain 10, Steven Newey 15) Western Districts A 73 All Out (Jack Stevenson 4/14, Max Lewis 1/3, Steven Newey 1/10, Chris Woodard 1/11)

North Harbour won by 132 runs

North Harbour Black

The step between club cricket and representative cricket requires either regular exposure or developing a strong team bond - preferably both. Unfortunately, North Harbour Black has lacked the consistency of a regular side and a recent weather affected club season, so it has been difficult to build on the obvious skills that they all have individually and create a really strong competitive unit. This being said, I thought that they did extremely well today and set the Western District side a good total, which would have been much better if they had taken all the singles on offer. However, at a required rate of 4 an over, the bowlers and fielders need to really be on their best game and we bowled too many loose and wide balls.

We started off batting steadily (Kit Freeman, Connor Stuart, Luke Dewar, Rory Douglas and Kieran Seedall all looked very comfortable - until they got themselves out) but, really needed to push on and put some pressure on the field. I have said it before, and will say it again (I am sure!), we must look at turning dot balls in to 1's and 1's in to 2's. The running between the wickets was poor and we were still going at just over 3.5 per over after 28 overs. However, Jake Skellern (21) and Bjorn Wojt (20) finally put on the afterburners and we gave our bowlers something the work with. Donald Coleman (18) and Asher Robb (11) were the next highest scorers but, everyone looked like they were in good form and it is just a case of what could have been if we had pushed the score along and run hard.

So with a "par" total of 145, we needed to bowl full and straight. Unfortunately, despite Colin's plea at the start, it took us till too late to realise this. We bowled too many wides and too many short balls - they ran well, particularly in the middle of their innings. At the end they had wickets in hand and, despite some full bowling (finally) from Asher Robb (2/14) and Bjorn Wojt (1/17), they were able to have a swing and, on a small pitch, knocked the runs off with ease.

So lessons to learn; our strength is in our team and we must start working together as a unit. This means that we need to start running/calling better when we bat. Our fielding/bowling needs to take a step up and we cannot keep bowling wides and short stuff.

North Harbour Black 145 All Out (Jake Skellern 21, Bjorn Wojt 20, Donald Coleman 18 and Asher Robb 11) Western Districts B 149/4 (Asher Robb 2/14 and Bjorn Wojt 1/17)

Western Districts won by 6 wickets

Finally, well done to both captains (Reid Hastie and Ben Reidy) and for the Black team there is a chance for revenge (Burgundy need to not get cocky - you guys have set a very high benchmark!) in two weeks time; we have a re-match at their ground!

v. Western Districts (Today)

7:15am Update - The weather looks to have cleared and as the boys missed cricket yesterday, we are going to give it a go today. See you all at Wainoni Park shortly.