BAD SANTA – 21 DECEMBER 2024
In truth, the Sydenham sides final matches before the Christmas break proved to be more about the Grinch than Santa. The poor weather on Thursday and Friday saw all afternoon grades cancelled on Friday afternoon, and then some of the morning grades’ sides never got started on Saturday due to wet wickets or wicket blocks. The Sydenham Championship match against Heathcote was one of those abandoned early.
However, the three sides that did play, the Premier Women’s T20 final, the Premier Men’s and Division 1’s first one-day matches, all resulted in heavy losses.
Some of the photos in this publication are also courtesy of Ash Hart’s Hartland Images.
Scott Insurance Brokers Insurance Premier Men
Sydenham commenced their one-day campaign with a match against Heathcote at Heathcote Domain. Whilst the late-week weather saw the other three Premier matches abandoned early in the morning, conditions at Heathcote were surprisingly good. Despite a start delay to mid-day, the match got underway with no overs reduction, and Sydenham electing to bowl first.
Josh Wedlake
Bowling, medium pace in particular, has been the Premier Men’s strength this season, but this match didn’t produce one of their better efforts. It started well enough for both sides, with Heathcote around 40-0 after 10 overs and Sydenham in control of the run rate. However, Caleb Donaldson was starting to get well set and able to quietly work the ball around with the comfort of knowing that a short wide was coming. By the 20th over, the batting side had the score up to 100 without the loss of a wicket and didn’t lose one until the 26th when Srirag Harish claimed Hocquard’s wicket with the score at 134-1. It wasn’t until the 33rd over before Sydenham claimed its second, Donaldson out caught by Ryan Jones on season debut, a screamer at short mid-wicket, with the score at 157-2.
Caught long-on off Srirag Harish
Despite some good spells from some of the bowlers, Josh Wedlake in particular, Sydenham struggled to make sufficient breakthroughs to stem the flow of runs. Heathcote had a good base to work from, and their latter top order contributed as they finished off the innings well to set a commanding target at 306-8. Srirag Harish (10-3-57) and Archie Goodrick (10-3-71) were the top wicket-takers, but all the bowlers took some punishment on the day, with the exception of Josh Wedlake, who bowled a little fuller and was unlucky not to get more success with his 0-34 off his eight overs.
Nathaneal Paltridge and Eliyas Verghese
To be fair to the bowlers, batting conditions were excellent, with a quality wicket that provided little for the bowlers and a lightning-fast outfield that always rewarded. A successful run chase wasn’t out of the question if there was a good start. Indeed, Sydenham got that in the first six overs anyway, when opener Nathaneal Paltridge and debutant Eliyas Varghese put on 43 for the first wicket. Nate was gone for 22 off 19 balls, which saw another solid 2nd wicket partnership between Eliyas and Ryan Wallace, which took the score to 79-1 before Ryan was out in the 13th over for a run-a-ball 18. Eliyas fell in the following over, and the run rate turned down as the batting side tried to consolidate.
Ryan Wallace
A number of the batsmen got starts, but as the run rate drifted, more wickets started to fall as the pressure came on to get the innings back on track. The wickets turned into a flood as the latter batsmen succumbed to the increasingly difficult task, losing their last six wickets for 45 runs and falling well short, all out for 130.
Thanks to umpires Darren Thomason and David Herber
Cricket now takes a break until 11 January. The side closed the first half of the season with some solid performances across the matches, reaching the T20 semi-finals, mid-table in the 2-day competition, and with an obvious slow start to the 1-day one.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202425/oem-audio-mens-premiership/game-centre/2f82cb86
The Birdwood Premier Women
Match report courtesy of Linda Pettigrew
Sydenham 96/8 lost to Old Boys Collegians 97/2 (17.1)
Having qualified for the T20 final, our women were looking forward to meeting OBC in the final on Hagley Oval. After anxiously watching the rain tumble down during the week there was relief to see the weather clear for Saturday and for the match to go ahead.
Charlotte Clatworthy
Sydenham won the toss and elected to bat. OBC gained the upper hand early, with both openers dismissed without scoring. Kate Craig (19) and Beth Dodd (37) settled the innings, quietly accumulating a platform. Unfortunately, Kate’s departure in the ninth over brought on another cascade of wickets brought about by some exceptional fielding by OBC, creating pressure. The final push saw Rachel Davidson and Molly Loe combine in a solid partnership to finish the innings on 96/9.
Emma McLeod
To defend 96, Sydenham needed to claim key wickets early. The innings started well with Molly Loe’s first ball claiming the first wicket in the second over and the other OBC opener being run out in the third. Unfortunately, the elation was short-lived, as Sydenham could not pick up a third wicket. OBC batted well, giving no chances, and chased the total in the 18th over.
Congratulations to OBC on the win. They were the better team on the day.
Molly Loe & Darcy Rose Prasad (wicket keeper)
Thanks to umpires Shreyash Kalyan and Kaushik Padmanaban
The Premier Women take a break, returning on 18 January.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202425/ev-power-premier-women/8a20cc28/FR1
Division 1
Match report courtesy of Richard Howe
Sydenham played Sumner at St Leonard’s Square. We headed to Sumner, uncertain whether we’d get a game in – the Champs had already been cancelled. There are no worries with the pitch or ground, both in good nick, the outfield quite firm, straight boundaries not as short as Syd 2, but still short. Sumner won the toss and elected to bat.
Our team was again a blend of youth and experience. Youth bowlers Cadell Durdin and Potiki Hamilton-Morrison opened but were unable to make a breakthrough. Brothers Isaiah and Sam took over with Sam going bang bang in his second over and Sumner were 69 for in the 14th. Opener Dan Vann had started aggressively but was removed for 42 in the first over from our twin-leggie attack of Thisum Lawrance and Richard Howe, a well-taken catch by Sam Johns, who repeated the effort a couple of overs later. We felt we were clawing back some ground, but needed to get new batter Gagan out early, as we had been on the receiving end of 123 from him in a T20 a few weeks earlier. Add to that an injury to Gourav Dudeja, whose right (dominant) hand had swollen up from a diving stop earlier, and we had plenty to think on at drinks and an urgent call for another fielder.
Gagan again looked menacing, timing the ball well and hitting some big straight drives. We needed this guy out quickly! He was starting to find his range with the spinners, so pace was reintroduced. The carnage continued until Sam Prasad took a well-judged high catch to dismiss Gagan off Potiki’s bowling for 124. Potiki and Sam cleaned up the tail, but Sumner had amassed an imposing 294 off their 45 overs.
There was some good fielding, and youth Keeper Will Herd, in his Div 1 debut, was tidy behind the stumps. The fielding star was probably Sam Johns, with some good catching and a number of diving stops. Outfield catching and ground fielding, in general, was excellent.
All our bowlers took some stick, with only one going for under 6 per over. Wicket takers: Potiki (6.2 4- 46, Sam P (6 -3-39) and Richard (8-3-38)
Although Zack Howe had replaced Gourav in the field for the last 15 or so overs, he was unable to bat, and Gourav’s suspected broken hand meant that unless we got close, he wasn’t going to be allowed to bat (captain’s orders). It was a cruel blow as he recently returned to cricket after a serious ankle injury. At least you got some cricket after the Champ’s game was cancelled Zack; thanks for helping us out,
Div 1 has struggled with the bat this season, and unfortunately that continued today. One batter down was always going to make the challenge even harder, but we just haven’t been able to get batsmen putting big scores together. Three scores in the 20s and one in the teens was never going to threaten 294. Manish (25) was playing well until he picked out a fielder in the deep. Sam Prasad also looked good until he trapped LBW for 24, and Cadell Durdin continued his good form with the bat and, unfortunately, ran out for 26. The 141 final total was a long way short.
Hopefully after a good break we can return refreshed (and well-practiced) for a better 2nd half of the season. But for now, have a Wonderful Christmas!
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202425/mens-division-1/game-centre/574002fd
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