Success for Napier Tech Old Boys in first round of national club cricket champs

by Hawke's Bay App
Wednesday, Apr 03, 2019 8:51 AM

Napier Technical Old Boys have made a power start to their NZCT National Club Championship defence with a 10-wicket round one win over Greerton that was over before the lunch dishes had been put away.

Bowling first on the Cornwall number one ground, the "Texans" took advantage of early swing to roll the team from Tauranga for just 71 in 31.1 overs.

Captain Liam Rukuwai put himself on an early unconverted hat-trick that was averted by number four Brett Hampton. Morten Freer would also put himself on an unconverted hat-trick later on in the same innings, and with a top individual offering of just 18, Greerton was just never in the contest.

Freer finished with 4-11 off his six overs and Rukuwai, Todd Watson and Jayden Lennox each picked up a brace before NTOB openers Christian Leopard and Matt Edmondson bashed their way to the target in just 7.4 overs.

Dunedin’s Green Island meanwhile celebrated their return to Nationals by stunning Parnell to the tune of a 185-run victory on the number three ground.

The closest match of the round by far was a thriller on number two between Wellington’s Eastern Suburbs and Christchurch’s St Albans. The two strong teams wrestled until the penultimate over of the match, when "Easts" needed just one more wicket and St Albans just two more runs for victory.