Cricket: New Plymouth Marist secure red ball title

Ian Snook

There were plenty of left and right jabs and deft footwork throughout this absorbing three-day final, with the odd uppercut from both teams, and the referees scoring fluctuating throughout.

But ultimately Nag N’ Noggin New Plymouth Marist United gained the unanimous decision as the teams headed into the final few rounds of the Expert Turf Premier Red-Ball Championship.

NPMU’s victory only tells part of the story of this final. There were head shaking aspects, dramatic changes of fortune, some amazingly good skills, a weather pattern that had a big effect on the scoring, a pitch that no batsman seemed to master, and up-and-down periods of supremacy.

If you took your eye off the ball for a minute, something was bound to have happened by the time you had re-focussed.

With inclement weather on Thursday the game was delayed until 2 o’clock on Friday, with Merit RV New Plymouth Old Boys winning what appeared to be a crucial toss and asking NPMU to bat on a grassy surface.

NPMU were immediately under the pump to bat through until the second day, as two of their best players were unavailable that afternoon. A modern-day decision to be sure, but there were only two sessions to work through.

And at tea they had things well under control, with big smiles all around one would imagine.

Robson Chapman had been given out caught down the leg side, but the wily Kurt Leuthart and talented Chester Oldfield were looking very comfortable as they walked off at tea with the scoreboard reading 92/1.

NPMU 1 – NPOB 0

After tea the smiles quickly disappeared.

NPOB’s sixth bowler Jarrod Ritson was thrown the ball, and the game took a dramatic turn in fortunes.

Ritson bowled full, swung it inwards and cleaned out Oldfield. Three balls later he repeated the dose, and the experienced Robbie Yule had his stumps uprooted.

This encourages Freakish Ben Frewin bowling at the town end and there is extra zip in what he does.

Bang. He digs it in, encouarges Leuthart on the hook, and running in and diving to take a quality catch is none other than Ritson. This was real cricket in action.

Shortly after Frewin blasts through Taene Nelley’s defence and the score is 115/5.

The NPMU boys are probably wishing they weren’t two batsman short at this stage.

But things soon got worse for the batting side. The left arm of Lucas Vassiliou was causing problems for the batsmen as he swung it both ways and he soon had the key wicket of skipper Jacob-Leuthard-Richards comfortably pocketed by Frewin at square legs as he clipped it off his toes.

Josh Barrett and Lenny Chapman batted as their lives depended on getting through to stumps facing plenty of balls but scoring few runs. But then Vassiliou beat Barrett and Jordy Gard castled Jack Southern and NPMU had been dismissed for 132, adding only 40 runs since tea.

With ten overs to be bowled NPOB needed to go to stumps with no wickets lost. It was not to be.

Jack Parker, Josh Borrell and night watchman Callum Stuart had all walked back to the pavilion, three LBW’s in fact. Barrett and Angus Frew were bowling full and straight, and with moisture in the air and a good layer of grass still on the pitch, they were causing problems.

Apart from Leuthart’s 57 for NPMU no batsman had got beyond 26. It seemed to be a shaky existence at the crease with NPOB 36/3 at stumps.

NPOB 1 – NPMU 1

The weather again caused a delayed start to day two but one had the feeling that three full days would not be required.

NPOB were only 96 runs in arrears with seven wickets in hand and the talented Davis Mills and Rupert Young were at the crease. There was no cause for concern in the batting group.

However, the pitch offered a lot more pace and bounce as day 2 got under way, and with a decent humidity the ball was also swinging.

In no time at all Barrett added to his overnight tally of two by dismissing Mills and Ben Mitchell with the total having reached only 50/5.

The former Manawatu paceman Yule then followed Barrett and got through Rupert Young’s defence and it was 79/6. This was an important wicket.

Gard and Frewin then settled into a partnership which was allowed to flourish after a crucial catch was floored when Frewin was on 2. They would put on 42 before Gard was dismissed.

At this stage NPOB only needed 12 runs to get ahead and secure the vital first innings decision.

Frewin and Vassiliou managed this, but on 142 Frewin was dismissed and before you blinked twice NPOB were all out for 148.

They were ahead but they would have been looking to be fifty or sixty in front at the beginning of the session, not a mere 16.

The game was still well and truly ‘on’ for both sides.

At tea NPMU were 15/0 so the scores were all square.

NPMU 2 – NPOB 1

With Michael Blanks and Bernet back in the lineup NPMU settled into a bit of rhythm with R Chapman and Blanks posting 26; Blanks and Oldfield adding 16 and then a crucial 53 was added by Oldfield and Yule.

Oldfield’s 43, along with his 26 in the first innings suggests he was one of a few who mastered the conditions.

Then big Jarrod Ritson stole the show once again.

In a spell of seven overs, he produced figures of 4 wickets for 11 runs. This was surely the winning of the game.

Oldfield was caught behind. Yule was castled. Leuthart was caught behind. Leuthard-Richards was safely caught by Mills in the outfield. The score was now 103/6, only 83 in front.

Youngsters Nelley and L Chapman had the task of taking NPMU through to stumps and they fronted up against the most venomous bowling of the game as Frewin set his field for the hook and plastered the two batsmen with short deliveries.

It was fascinating stuff with a real feel of cricket at its best.

The youngsters hung in well in conditions that were obviously lighter in the middle than they were from looking on from the sidelines.

As the day ended the little magician Liam Carr was thrown the ball for the last over. Of course he did his job – Chapman bowled Carr. NPMU 112/7.

NPOB 2 – NPMU 2

Day three was another late start, this time delayed until midday. With the weather as it was the pitch had not dried out and there was still enough in it to encourage the bowlers, and once again the overhead conditions encouraged the ball to swing.

The big money had to be on NPOB. NPMU were 96 ahead but only had three wickets left. NPOB had a powerful batting lineup, capable of chasing down any total on their day.

The calm youngster Nelley set about building partnerships, firstly 16 with Bernet, and then a biggie in the context of the game of 28 with Barrett.

With a bit of a flourish from Barrett the score moved to 162 before Ritson came back and removed the veteran. Ritson’s 5/41 and Parkers five catches behind the stumps were the highlights for NPOB as they set about chasing the necessary 147 to lift the trophy.

What happened next made no sense.

While Jack Parker hit a composed 46 and looked in no trouble, before he was dismissed by a full-toss to make the total 67/5, three batsmen had been dismissed for zero. And these just weren’t just any batsmen. They were three of the best in Taranaki.

As Gard settled into his captain’s knock two more batsmen were dismissed for zero, there were two absolutely outstanding catches by Barrett and Oldfield, and two more players had fallen to full tosses. It can be a tricky ball that low full toss.

At tea NPOB were eight wickets down with Gard valiantly working out a way to eke out the remaining 48 runs. He had tailenders Kyle Pillay and Stuart to help him, both capable players.

NPMU 3 – NPOB 2

NPMU had edged ahead with the big question now being whether NPOB could go the full fifteen rounds and deliver the knockout blow.

Pillay faced 38 balls in a 20 partnership and Stuart held on for 24 balls, but eventually the wise heads of Barrett and Bernet would beat the bat and NPOB were dismissed for 108.

The bowler of the innings was Bernet with his slow left arm drifters taking 5/34 from 17 overs.

It was an enthralling contest because of it’s evenness, as the supporters waited for one team or the other to take control. This didn’t happen until very near the end.

So, what gave NPMU the advantage and their fifth trophy from six over the last two seasons; maybe a few older, wise heads who handled the conditions and the occasion with composure.

They were able to take advantage of the most big moments – but not by much.

It was a great contest to finish the season.

Full match scorecard available at the Cricket Central app or here at PlayHQ: https://www.playhq.com/.../expert.../game-centre/126656a7