Cricket: Third day will be the decider

Ian Snook

Day 1: Taranaki 4-98
Day 2: Taranaki 254. Bay of Plenty 5-70

The connoisseurs of cricket will be loving what is evolving at Pukekura Park as the local Whitaker Civil Engineering Taranaki side battle for supremacy against an equally determined Bay of Plenty XI.

A betting man would have his money on Taranaki to take the first innings win and retain the Hawke Cup, with Bay of Plenty still 184 runs in arrears, and five wickets down, but I doubt whether any of those bettors would live in the Bay of Plenty.

They would be backing the Bay team who will still believe that they are in this game – one big partnership, or one big score could do it.

It has been hard going though.

Taranaki’s two overnight batsmen, the wristy lefty Trent McGrath, and the cool and calm Rupert Young, were Taranaki’s best hope of heading towards 300, a total that would be hard to accumulate for the team batting second; and they set about doing this in a determined and methodical manner.

Just as the morning session was shaping up to be Taranaki’s, Young made an error and Taranaki were 5-158. A 60 partnership was a biggie though as the BOP pace attack, well organised by skipper Ollie Curtis, and spinners White and Peter Drysdale, kept things in check.

Recent centurion Mattie Thomas joined McGrath and Taranaki went to lunch at 5-177. They would have been upbeat at only losing one wicket, and BOP would have been equally as happy, only allowing 79 runs in the session. It was cat and mouse stuff.

Between lunch and tea, the tenacity of the BOP attack, backed up by an energy in the field, saw Taranaki dismissed for 254. Five wickets had been grabbed for only 77 runs as Ben Vyver and Josh Earle knocked over a strong tail end of Taranaki batting.

Prior to that, White with his left arm spinners, deceived McGrath and the real hope of a big Taranaki total looked to be slipping away. It was another 50 for the tenacious little left-hander though, who suffered a knock or two on the body for his troubles, which just hardened him for the job ahead.

Big quickie Ryan Watson then stepped forward and hammered 29 from as many balls, producing a vital 34 run partnership with the little magician Liam Carr. Carr indeed looked a most accomplished number eleven with his classical drives and straight bat defence.

There were 35 overs left in the day for both teams to make a statement and with wickets at 19, 19, 42, 69, and 70 Taranaki would be the happier of the two groups.

Apart from a brief flourish, as White attacked the bowling for 17 in 21 balls, the Taranaki attack maintained a consistent pressure on every batsman and didn’t allow any one player to get on top.

Watson was the king. In his seven over spell, he whipped out three of the very best, including the dangerous looking White. He was sitting on 3-22 as he put his feet up, smiled, and had a well-earned drink back in the shed.

Niven Dovey has looked comfortable and is on 15 not out, and with the likes of centurion Drysdale and keeper-batsman Mike de Beer still to enter the batting game, this contest is far from over.

Every session is a big one in Hawke Cup cricket.

The team that takes control in session one on day 3 will be feeling the best at lunchtime.

Then we can make another evaluation.

As Sun Zi states in the ‘Art of War’ when discussing a well-trained army – “The troops require no asking them to do what is expected of them.”

Go for it lads.