EVEN STEVENS (5 October 2024)
The usual staggered start to the new season saw the club play just the three morning grade 2-Day matches on Saturday. All three were left reasonably evenly balanced after the first day, with the Premier Men letting slip a more dominant earlier position to bring Riccarton back into their match on Sydenham 1. In contrast, out at Edgar Macintosh Park, the Championship side did the opposite when a 2nd innings unbeaten 62 from Nathanael Paltridge clawed his team back into their match with Merivale Papanui. Division 1 was slightly more off the pace in conceding a 1st innings lead of 37 but were still very much well in their match against East Shirley on Sydenham 3.
A number of the photos in this publication are also courtesy of Ash Hart’s Hartland Images.
Scott Insurance Brokers Insurance Premier Men
Relegation is a challenging experience for any club, so it was great to welcome Riccarton back into the Premier grade after bouncing back after one season in the Championship grade last season. Sydenham took on Riccarton in the first round of the new season, a 2-day match on Sydenham 1.
The late-week moisture always favoured bowling first, and it was Riccarton who won the toss and invited Sydenham to bat. The resultant Sydenham innings owed much to the controlled start of its two openers, Max Clarke and Fraser Harding. The pair put on 51 for the first wicket before Max (27) was run out by a smart piece of fielding from Cole McConchie. It was a good start on a frustratingly slow outfield, which had been unable to get its second cut due to the week’s rain and boundary shots; as a result, being lucky to make for a two.
Fraser Harding
But that initial solid position started to unravel quickly as two more wickets were lost at that score, including Fraser for 23. There were only minor partnerships and regular wickets from there. Michael Rippon was gone 71-4, and after trying to be a bit more forceful, Aarush Bhagwat (19) joined him at 85-5. Srirag Harsh did a good job attempting to right the ship with his 25 off 55 balls, but he struggled to find a partner. Dylan McArdle was unfortunately run out making his 2-day Prem debut, and when Michael Rae departed, the side was not well placed at 105-7. The experience of Mitch Gardner, and especially Tom Agnew with 24 off 28 balls towards the end, partially resurrected the innings, eventually closing all out for 154 in the 55 over.
Srirag Harsh
In truth, the slow outfield probably made that score closer to 180-190 and looked even more so when Riccarton didn’t get away to a good start, losing their first two wickets for ten runs as Michael Rae struck early, taking the first two of four of his wickets. Mitch Gardner then had McConchie well caught at slip by his provincial teammate Rippon at 37-3. Shreyas Debur battled hard for Riccarton, but the introduction of Tom Agnew kept the Sydenham momentum going. With the ball swinging, Tom carved out the Riccarton middle order with his 3-13, which had the batting side limping through to be all out for 65. The other feature of the innings was the three-sharps chances snapped up by Michael Rippon at slip.
Michael Rae
However, the rest of the afternoon was Riccarton’s as they fought back strongly in the match. Sydenham’s 89-run lead started to look nowhere near enough as Riccartons’ Kidwai tore through the Sydenham top order, leaving it at 22-3 after the first five overs and teetering at 57-6 at the close of play. It could have been far worse, but for Dylan McArdle, who battled hard for his unbeaten 20 off 47 balls.
Tom Agnew
A lead of 146 with four wickets in hand sets up an intriguing last day where both sides now have what they would have wanted: a chance for a first-round win.
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The Championship boys took on Merivale Papanui at Edgar Macintosh Park but, like their Premier side, also lost the toss and were asked to bat first. The two openers, Nathanael Partridge and Joah Gard, the latter a CD U19 player making his Sydenham debut, initially did a good job in getting their side through to 19 before Josh (13) was out in the 6th over. Nathanael departed for 16 off 47 balls in the following over and the innings folder from there. New skipper Tom McDonald tried vainly to stem the flow with a determined 30 off 69 balls, but other than Charlie Finnie with a 12 batting at no. 10, no one else managed double figures. All out for a disappointing 97.
Nathanael Paltridge & Tom McDonald
Merivale’s reply was unequally uncertain with opener Ling’s 48 the only thing preventing a similar capitulation as Daniel Watt tormented the early batsmen with his 4-33 off 14 overs. At 58-2, Merivale Pap always looked like taking a first-innings lead, but the two promising young Sydenham spin bowlers, Nathan Chin (4-11) and Benji Bell (2-21) kept the pressure on, and with the later batsmen struggling to push home the advantage, Merivale Papanui finished all out for 119, taking a modest lead of 22 runs.
Daniel Watt & Benji Bell
The Sydenham 2nd innings then righted the ship again when the two openers put on an unbeaten 66 for the 1st wicket in the remaining 20 overs. Nathanael Paltridge played a significant role with an invaluable 62* off just 72 balls but was well supported by Taylor Irie, who held his end up with a patient 4* off 48 balls.
So, the first day closed with the match still evenly balanced, and Sydenham 44 runs ahead with all of its 2nd innings wickets intact.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202425/mens-championship/game-centre/f3dcc925
Division One
The Division 1 lads were still well in their match as well against East Shirley on Sydenham 2, be it slightly on the back foot. Sydenham won the toss and had the luxury of being able to ask Easts to bat first.
The home side got immediate reward when Prashant Singh, making his Sydenham debut, had one Easts opener out caught behind second ball and another at 14-2 in the 6th over. With the father and son combination of Richard and Zack Howe clamping down on the run rate, Easts struggled for another 19 overs before losing their next at 58-3. Zack was bowling particularly well and kept chipping away at the East’s middle order, finishing with excellent early season figures of 4-35. However, although the batting side was desperate at 6-66 and then 7-67, their no. 9 Saumil Patel got them out of a hole with a 50* that took his side through to 144-9 at the close of the 45th over.
Zack Howe
The story of Sydenham’s innings that followed was one where many of the batsmen got into the teens and twenties but got bogged down with a slow run rate and failed to push on. Cam Connolly, with 24 from 54 balls, was backed lower down the order by Zack & Richard How (22 & 13 respectively), and then Gaurav Jadhav (15 off 34 balls) and Isaiah Prasad (22 off 22). But they didn’t really look like threatening the East’s total, and from 7-87, they finally fell 37 runs short at 107 by the end of the first day’s play.
Cam Connolly
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202425/mens-division-1/game-centre/c65c168e