Another win for Napier Tech Old Boys at national club cricket champs

by Hawke's Bay App
Thursday, Apr 04, 2019 7:33 AM

The Jesse Ryder-coached defending champions, Napier Technical Old Boys, again helped themselves to a quick victory on day 2 of the 2019 NZCT National Club Cricket Championship at Auckland's Cornwall Park.

In yesterday’s one-day round robin, Napier Tech Old Boys backed up their 10-wicket opening-round win with an eight-wicket drubbing of Wellington's fancied Eastern Suburbs today.

Three teams remain unbeaten and three teams are increasingly hungry to get off the mark heading into Day Three of the competition today.

Dunedin’s Green Island and Christchurch's St Albans also chalked up back-to-back wins in the second round.

Green Island's clash with Tauranga club Greerton on the small number three ground was notable for its 38 sixes blasted in the match, with Green Island top order pair Brad Wilson (who retired from the Otago Volts and first-class cricket just two weeks ago) and Ant Harris sharing a mammoth 208-run stand as they both took toll on the Greerton attack for a century each.

Even so, Green Island's big chase -- they had needed 350 to win -- would boil down to the penultimate over, before yesterday's centurion Christi Viljoen pelted the final six of the game to win the match by five wickets, with just six balls to spare.

Green Island will finally get to play on the Number One ground tomorrow.

Auckland representatives Parnell are meanwhile still hunting their first win after going down to the tune of 110 runs to St Albans.