Cricket: Stratford win one-day premier title after 100 years

Taranaki Cricket

It’s been 100 years between drinks, but Stratford put on a show worthy of the occasion to walk away as winners of the Expert Turf Premier One Day trophy this afternoon.

Centuries to opener Stirling Monk (114), and captain Liam Muggeridge (101 not out), pictured, were the showpiece of the afternoon as Stratford’s formidable total of 324/4 proved too great for Civil Logistics Inglewood to overcome.

Monk and Riley Bettington opened up from the get go, with Bettington riding his luck on his way through to 71 off 64 balls – featuring five boundaries and four sixes.

His effort set the tone and Stratford was all the way through to 117 in the 21st over before Sean Till finally had him caught.

A second quick wicket brought Muggeridge to the crease and by the time Monk departed, having hit his 114 off 135 balls, Stratford was on 254 and ready to launch with seven overs to play.

Muggeridge wound up and brought up his hundred off just 64 balls including 8 towering sixes to close out the innings.

Till had been the pick of the Inglewood bowlers – taking two wickets at the comparatively economic over rate of 4.5.

They would have been well satisfied heading to lunch knowing the pressure was firmly on Inglewood.

But a casual bystander wouldn’t have guessed that scoring runs has been a problem for Inglewood this year when openers Aaron Taylor and Brent Stevens got them off to a positive start.

Once Taylor was the first to go though, with the score at 65, sharp fielding and tight bowling saw Stratford begin to turn the screws and the weight of run rate pressure began to tell.

Stevens departed for a well-made 55 to sharp Bettington catch off the bowling of Prabesh Fernando with the score at 114 and from there the wickets started to fall too regularly and too cheaply for Inglewood.

Bailey Wisnewski (101 not out) held up his end and finished with a hard-earned century of his own, but with the rest of the batters struggling the task became too great and his achievement was in a lost cause.

Wisnewski needed a big hitter to join him as the run rate climbed steadily north, but they were already back in the sheds and the final overs wound down towards the inevitable Stratford win. Muggeridge capped off his century with three wickets with his left arm spin, Bettington (2/20) was excellent with the ball and Stratford walked off as champions by 46 runs.

It has been long awaited. Stratford last had its name etched on a TCA top-level trophy in the 1930s when it shared a title with Tarurutangi in 1931, and have only once before won a competition outright – a century ago in 1925/26.