Auckland Men, Women claim titles at Senior Provincial Championships
The Open Men were victorious in a last-ball thriller, whilst the Open Women won comfortably to avenge last year's defeat. Central Districts' Under-22 Men went back-to-back, and the Wellington Under-22 Women were also victorious.
Auckland sit atop provincial indoor cricket in New Zealand after both the Open Men’s and Women’s teams were victorious at the Senior Provincial Championships, which concluded today at Hutt Indoor Sports in Wellington.
Open Men
Auckland 86 (24-4-31-27) [Mark Wright/Darrin Crook 31; Dion Joll 3/-5, Tyler Annand 2/4] defeated Central Districts 85 (38-6-16-25) [Charlie Pawson/Bayley Latter 38; Victor Davies 3/1, Michael Barry 2/2] by one run
Plate Final:
Canterbury 116 defeated Wellington 89 by 27 runs
The Auckland Men repelled the charge from defending champions Central Districts in an enthralling Open Men’s final, holding their nerve for a one-run victory. Auckland put up a competitive 86 in their innings, and Central’s response saw the match in the balance with 27 needed off the last four overs. Two runs could only be managed off the final ball though, which saw Auckland hold off Central by the narrowest of margins.
Auckland had earlier come through the Preliminary Final against Canterbury by 102-80. Canterbury defeated Wellington in the Plate final.
Open Women
Northern Districts 62 (32-22-2-6) [Marama Downes/Ayaan Lambat 32; Claire Crooks 5/-6, Brooke James 2/1] were defeated by Auckland 120 (26-33-35-26) [Lucille Matthews/Claire Crooks 35, Angela Clark 1/3, Neena Woollaston 2/8] by 58 runs
Plate Final:
Wellington 107 defeated Canterbury 49 by 58 runs
The Open Women’s final was less closely contested, with Auckland defeating Northern Districts by 120-62. Northern appeared to be on target for a big total with 54 in their first eight overs, before being restricted to 62. Auckland then put in a consistent effort in their chase for a comfortable 58-run win. It followed their victory earlier in the morning in the Major Semi-Final against the same opposition, and saw them stay undefeated throughout the tournament.
Wellington defeated Canterbury 107-49 in the Plate final.
Under-22 Men
Central Districts 126 (34-37-19-36) [James Ryniker-Doull/Bruno Moriarty 37; Cory Henderson 1/9, Marco Otto 1/9] defeated Auckland 100 (25-11-37-27) [Brandon Matzopoulos/Rikesh Patel 37] by 26 runs
Plate Final:
Northern Districts 125 defeated Auckland 124 by one run
Central’s Under-22 Men won their second successive Championship, after a 26-run win over Auckland in the final. After Central piled up 126 in their innings, Auckland held their own with the bat, but ultimately the target was too far out of reach.
Auckland had earlier defeated Northern 124-101 in the Preliminary Final. However, Northern defeated Wellington in a high-scoring Plate final, winning off the final ball of the chase, 126-125.
Under-22 Women
Northern Districts 52 (28-7-15-2) [Jessie Canty/Zaara Sain 28; Anvi Verma 3/-8, Addison Jetly 2/3] were defeated by Wellington 91 (29-27-18-17) [Frida Larsen/Rose McGuigan 29; Kiri Anderson 3/-4, Zamera Ikiua 2/4] by 39 runs
Plate Final:
Canterbury 106 defeated Auckland 85 by 21 runs
Wellington sealed a 39-run victory over Northern in the final to claim the Under-22 Women’s title. Holding Northern to just 52 in the first innings after conceding 28 in the first four overs, a solid batting effort saw them overcome the target comfortably, 91-52.
Wellington had earlier won through to the final after defeating Auckland in the Major Semi-Final, whilst Northern also defeated Auckland in the Preliminary Final. Canterbury defeated Auckland 106-85 in the Plate final.
Wellington’s Women’s sides were the best represented at the tournament, with each Women’s division containing two sides.
Final Results, Scorecards, Statistics and Points Tables
Live Streaming
Image: Ashan Wanasinghe @aw.media_nz)
