COTTER CENTURY HEADLINES STRONG RESULTS – 15 MARCH 2025
Jacob Cotter’s unbeaten century for the Premier Men proved enough to overcome a dogged fightback from the St Albans batsmen on the second day of their match at the Nursery Ground. The side now goes into the last round of the 2-Day competition with a chance to finish second. The Premier Women also had a convincing seven-wicket victory over Lancaster Park thanks to another Beth Dodd half-century and 28 from Julia Manton.
The only real disappointment of the day was the Championship side that fought hard but just failed to capture the final two St Albans wickets required to take badly needed outright points on Hagley 5. Division 1 wasn’t well placed after the first day against Marist and was well beaten on the second.
The afternoon grades had a great day, with only the Masters Cardinals failing to get over the line in a high-scoring match against OBC on Elmwood 2. Niranjan Mani’s 56 was a key innings in a middle-order recovery that got the Div 5 Tamil’s over the line in a tight match against Marist Harewood, and Jacob Koster with 39 and 4-6 was an important all-round performance in the Div 5 All-Stars win. Tim Suddaby’s unbeaten 68 and Jinto Mathew’s 28* featured in the Hospital’s win on Lancaster Park. The Cavalier Cardinal victory also now sees them play off for the competition title on the season’s final day.
Results were a little harder to find in the youth section this week, with the only win going to the Year 10 lads and the 1st XI falling just short in their run chase against the Christ’s College 2nd XI. In a losing effort, Youth 3rd XI batsman Sam Wild followed up an unbeaten 82 in his last innings with another unbeaten 71 in his side’s loss on Saturday to NYYCC.
Some of the photos in this publication are also courtesy of Ash Hart’s Hartland Images.
Scott Insurance Brokers Insurance Premier Men
Sydenham started the 2nd day of their match against St Albans in a strong position, 87 runs ahead on the 1st innings with two Saints 2nd innings wickets already gone for just 14. With usual wicketkeeper Aarush Bhagwat unavailable due to an injury sustained in the mid-week Canterbury A match, Michael Robertson took over the gloves and had immediate reward when he caught the remaining opener Cochran standing up to Tom Agnew in the first over of the morning.
Keeper Michael Robinson takes one off Tom Agnew
At 14-3 and still 73 behind, St Albans had a major task to remain in the match from there, but the fact that the match lasted until the penultimate over of the day was a great credit to their batting from there. Saint’s Paltridge and Brown initiated the recovery with a 130-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Sydenham wasn’t bowling well and struggled for a breakthrough, but when Mitch Gardner finally dismissed Brown, the pressure returned to the St Albans batsmen. Flavell fought well, but when Archie Goodrick affected his dismissal, a flurry of wickets from Archie and Tom seemed to dispel Sydenham concerns. When Mitch Gardner took the next wicket, at 192-9, St Albans were only 105 runs ahead with plenty of time available in the match, it looked destined for an early finish.
Archie Goodrick
However, the last St Albans pair, Souness and McKerrow, had other ideas and did a sterling job for their team. They spent the next 14 overs frustrating the Sydenham bowlers, who were clearly tiring in the heat and put on 70 for the 10th wicket. Eventually, Sydenham’s increasing anxiety was relieved when Dylan McArdle broke that stand when he caught and bowled McKerrow, with Saints finishing all out for 262. Mitch was the best of the bowlers with 4-54 off 19 overs, supported by Archie with 3-56 from 12, Tom with 76-2 from 20 and Dylan with that vital last wicket in his 1-46 from 9.
The Saints batsmen had done a great job, and the target of 176 off 36 overs, close to 5’s, had almost got them into declaration territory. The chase would require a good start, and it indeed came from the two Sydenham openers, with Jacob Cotter and Akshan Gulati putting on 64 for the 1st wicket at over 5’s.
Although then losing Akshan, closely followed by Michael Robinson, Ryan Wallace and Dylan McArdle, Jacob was again looking well in charge – but at 108-4 into the 23rd over, he needed a partnership. That initially came from Nathaneal Paltridge with 16 off 20 balls to take the score to 128-5, and then an important cameo of 17 off 27 balls from Cullen Crowe had the side within spitting distance of the total at 163-6.
Jacob Cotter
Eventually, Jacob and Tom Agnew took them to the win with an over to spare at 178-6, Jacob batting through the innings and remaining unbeaten on 110 off 107 balls. After top scoring in both innings in the previous round against Heathcote, Jacob surely knows how to make a great early impression on a new club and competition. He is an exciting prospect with an abundance of talent already and an 18-year-old who will only get better over the next few years as he develops further.
Although Burnside West University would seem to have the 2-Day competition title now well in the bag, the weekend’s results leave Sydenham and Lancaster Park both in contention for second place. Both are set to play each other in the last round starting Saturday at Sydenham Park.
Special thanks to umpire David Henderson, who had to stand alone in the match in 27-degree heat
Full scoreboard & video highlights: https://live.nvplay.com/play/?tab=m_summary#m6fc22629-27b8-45db-acff-f310006957d3
The Birdwood Premier Women
Our premier women had a convincing win over Lancaster Park to set up an exciting final round of match play next Saturday. The win positions Sydenham at the top of the table, 2 points ahead of North West and 1 point ahead of OBC, with each team looking for a win to secure a final spot.
The premier women had to wait to start their match due to wet outfield. Reduced to 43 overs, Sydenham took to the field. Following up on last week, Sydenham again bowled very economically with all bowlers going at under 3 an over and obtained early wickets. Molly Loe picked up 2 wickets in her opening spell, finishing with 3/22 from her 8 overs. The change brought on Rachel Davidson who had another brilliant match, picking up 3 for 12 from her 9 overs. Zoe Ellerton-Kelly came on late in the piece to clean up the tail with 2 for 3 off her 1.4 overs.
Needing 120 to win, Sydenham took a steady approach to the chase. Two early wickets left Beth Dodd and Julia Manton at the crease. Beth and Julia put on a brilliant partnership with Beth carrying her bat through to 53* and Julia supporting with strong batting to finish up 28* with the total chased down in 18 overs.
Thanks to umpires Altamash Askari and Alan Hill.
Scott Insurance Brokers Championship
Match report courtesy of Matt Bell
The Saturday match faced an early setback as dew on the grass delayed the start until midday, reducing the available overs and making it more challenging for Sydenham to secure an outright victory.
The match began promisingly with Josh Westlake securing early wickets, though Manpreet Sharma’s resilient 92 runs off 150 balls proved to be a constant challenge for the bowling attack. A crucial turning point came when Tom Sulzberger made an excellent catch at deep cover off Benji Bell’s bowling, securing vital first innings points for Sydenham. The bowling attack performed admirably, dismissing Saints for 161 in 50 overs, with notable performances from Josh Wedlake (3/36), Charlie Finnie (3/36), and Carl Hooper (2/27).
Josh Wedlake
With a 10-run lead, Sydenham’s batters approached their innings positively. Tom Sulzberger (21), Matt Bell (24), and PK Bhagat (18) laid a solid foundation. Cameron O’Leary emerged as the standout batter with a quick-fire 42 off 41 balls, well supported by Captain Tom MacDonald’s 23. Declaring at 152/7 after 33 overs, Sydenham set Saints a target of 163 runs with approximately 42 overs remaining.
Carl Hooper’s outstanding opening spell claimed three quick wickets, including the crucial dismissal of Boston Fielding, thanks to Josh Wedlake’s excellent catch at square leg. Josh Wedlake’s passionate bowling performance (3/25) and Benji Bell’s two wickets brought Sydenham tantalisingly close to an outright victory, needing just two wickets in the final six overs.
Despite falling short of the outright win, Sydenham dominated throughout the match, particularly impressive given the loss of roughly 25 overs to wet conditions across both Saturdays. Saints finished at 98/8 after 33 overs, and Sydenham now faces a crucial challenge against Halswell Vikings, where an outright win would secure their place in the championship grade for the upcoming season.
Cam O’Leary
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202425/mens-championship/game-centre/a8de4990
Division 1
Match report courtesy of Richard Howe
A lovely day beckoned with just some late morning dew to be burned off in the outfield as Sydenham fronted up to the second day against Marist Harewood at Sydenham. We were still 46 behind. The plan was to get a solid start and hope the dew helped the ball lose it’s shine a bit faster than usual and then look to get a lead where we could push for a win. Best laid plans…
Nathan Chin
With some tight swing-bowling and the odd bit of help from the pitch, we were in real trouble in just the 14th over, 6 down for 22, still needing another 25 to avoid an innings loss. Ajith Shetty looked very good until one ball jagged back, kept a little low, and skittled him for 10. At 32 for 8 Richard Howe joined Nathan Chin. Nathan was striking the ball well, but Marist had a well-set field and plenty of shots weren’t adding to the score. However, the fielding team were getting frustrated as overs ticked by in the heat, and the pair closed in on the deficit and then moved ahead. The partnership ended when Richard departed for 10, replaced by James Stackhouse who did his best to stay with Nathan who was hitting gaps and looking good, but was out for 4, leaving Nathan not out 23, and Marist needing just 29.
James Stakehouse
James Stackhouse opened the bowling and picked up 1 for 12 off 4 overs, with Gaurav Jadhav taking a catch under the trees at mid-off. Cam Spriggs was unsuccessful in his 3 overs, and Mitch Suddaby unlucky that an edge from his out-swinger split keeper and first slip. Marist needed 8 overs to knock off the runs jus he one down.
Two very poor batting innings for us. Hopefully a move away from Syd 2 next game will spark a batting revival!
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202425/mens-division-1/game-centre/71880c1d
Division 4 Goats – WON
Match report courtesy of Ollie Philpott
I love I love I love my little calendar boys. Twice this year already the Goats had fallen prey to the sultry wares of Burnside 4th grade. You can argue the merits back and forth all day about which team is best in this grade, but there is no arguing the undeniable facts. Heathcote are poor, and Burnside 4th grade 2024/25 is the best-looking bunch of young gentlemen north of the Avon. Mercy me!
However, a new fact has emerged on this steamy heater of a day in the throes of a dreary autumn. The Goats don’t loose on Sydenham one (check the history), no matter how perky the buttock, or defined the cheekbone may be. A fact that was hammered home hard as the Goats once again got the job done, at the business end of the season, to set up yet another late run to glory with a hard-fought victory over fanciful facaded favourites Burnside.
Toss won, tick. Having played on improving pitches all over the city this season, we expected nothing but an absolute road on Syd 1. Sadly, this rugby mad town had already fleshed out the outfield into a quagmire of no reward for crisply struck shots the game over. So batting first, we were slightly perturbed at a run rate hovering around 2 until the first drinks break. Turns out, Tony and Joe Taylor had summed up conditions perfectly…and any run rate above 2.5 an over would be a task too great to surmount.
So, the Goats battled away against the spritely bowling of Mr January and Mr August (The Cowley brothers, who incidentally combine in a duo shot to make up the numbers as Mr. December – hot) . Many starts, most of them laboured, Kyle hit our first boundary in the 20th over for goodness sake. If that doesn’t encourage a lawn mow before our next outing on Syd 2 I just don’t know what will….Without ever really launching (other than Paddy proving to Marty he is now an off side master blaster with two sensational strikes through cover) the Goats farted their way to 116 all out. Eight batsmen bowled! You wouldn’t read about it. Then you realise that when you lock eyes with Mr September (Burnsides T. Greig) as he floats down gentle outswing, you’re left with no choice but to let him and his perfectly crafted man boobs castle you. Such graceful rhythmic bouncing, there is no defense.
Chris Douglas
As per, the tail wagged – C.Douglas & P. Wickes along with D. Laughton, J.Taylor, K.Clark, T. Dannenberg & A.Douglas all scoring in the teens to gift us a modicum of respect, and possibly defendable total if we were amazing with the ball…turns out. We are.
A wayward start, with smart use of the generous wide lines, was soon righted as Paddy had their makeshift opener finally connecting and striking it straight to point to get us underway. Burnside made our sluggish start look unrelentingly rapid as they struggled to find any runs at all. After Chris had dealt to the rest of the top order, things were looking chipper with Burnside slumping to 3-9 after 8 overs. Wigley and Philpott continued the pressure with a couple of wickets each thanks to the soft and silky catching of T. Dannenberg at slip (seriously there is no noise when he pockets a catch…does he moisturise his meat hooks? Is it some fanciful concoction of cooking oil and afterbirth? Does he soak them overnight? How do they remain so ageless?? Fascinating) and a sharp stumping from K.Clarke – who toughed it out with two cracked ribs today (no injuries in 4th grade) At 7/47 we were feeling not only each other but also on top of the situation – except for one pesky lefty.
A partnership grew to nearly 50 and at 7/88 we needed something. Turns out that something was Johnny Cash. More specifically the Folsom Prison Blues opening lines. The return of P. Wickes saw Mr. June – a lanky Burnside left hander deposit him over cover to bring up his 50 and see a few Goats heads drop. But only a trained lip reader watching closely could see what Wickes was muttering to himself as he rounded the top of his mark….” I hear the train a-comin’, it’s comin’ round the bend.” And that train was right on time as the very next ball Wickes castled Burnside’s realistic last hope and the game lurched back in our favour with a resounding “CHOO CHOOO!” that echoed through space and time and the empty vacuum between the batters two ears.
Next over saw J.Taylor rewarded for a masterful eight straight return to the bowling crease with a wicket, and it took Chris but a single delivery to wrap things up for the Goats and finish with a classically miserly 3-7 performance.
A hearty recital for the Goats in what was essentially a quarter-final after last week’s “wash-out”. Special shout out again to Jacob “the wall” Harrington for some outstanding cover fielding that really lays in juxtaposition to his general sloth-like vibe. Also, to J. Bennet for getting at least two buttons done up and looking extremely fetching in the dick of the day shirt (as well as a tight spell of bowling and red ink of course), and to the Beautiful Burnside Calendar boys who all made it back to the club rooms for a beer and good old munch of Chisey’s sausage(s).
Burnside 4th grade calendar for season 25/26 will be available from their clubrooms in late April. $29.95 all proceeds go to their WAGS to cover their travel costs and lululemon yoga attire.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202425/mens-division-4-top-4/game-centre/ca8af6ab
Division 5 All-Stars – WON
Match report courtesy of Abe Atherton
The Richmond Rhinos took a strategic gamble, winning the toss and opting to bowl first at Bradford Park #1. As the sun bore down on the lush outfield, the Sydenham Allstars took their positions at the crease, looking to set a formidable total.
Jaedyn Ward and Jacob Koster opened the innings with a patient yet determined approach. Ward, showcasing resilience, ground out 47 runs from 73 balls, anchoring the innings with his steady hand. His knock included four well-timed boundaries. Koster, at the other end, mirrored his partner’s patience, crafting a solid 39 off 68 deliveries before being caught, bringing an end to his composed innings.
With the foundation set at 112/2, the Allstars needed someone to shift gears. Enter Tom Elliott and Gurinder Singh. Elliott, known as The Executioner for his destruction of all bowling attacks, played a watchful but fluent knock, finishing unbeaten on 46* off 51 balls, keeping the scoreboard ticking with four crisp boundaries. However, it was Gurinder Singh who provided the late fireworks. With an aggressive approach, he smashed his way to 42* off just 37 balls, sending three deliveries racing to the ropes and clearing the boundary once with a towering six.
After putting up a respectable 195/3 in their 40 overs, the Sydenham Allstars took the field with fire in their bellies, ready to defend their total. What followed was nothing short of a bowling clinic, as the Richmond Rhinos found themselves trapped in a relentless web of pressure, skill, and sheer dominance.
Abe Atherton
With the new ball in hand, Abraham Atherton wasted no time in making inroads into the Rhinos’ top order. He struck twice in his fiery opening spell, giving away just 12 runs in four overs and forcing the opposition onto the back foot. At the other end, Tom Elliott joined the party, delivering six overs of controlled aggression. He rattled the Rhinos’ batting lineup with three wickets, conceding only 22 runs (45% of their total) as he consistently found the perfect line and length.
Just when it seemed like the Rhinos might attempt a recovery, Jacob Koster stormed in and extinguished any remaining hopes. Delivering an impeccable spell of 4.1 overs, he ripped through the lower order, claiming an astounding four wickets for a mere six runs. The opposition had no answers to his precision and pace, and Koster celebrated each wicket in style. Jaedyn Ward captured one wicket for seven runs.
The Rhinos’ batting card was a tale of despair. Seven batters were clean bowled, their stumps left in disarray. Two more succumbed to well-judged catches from wicketkeeper Gurinder Singh, and one wicket trapped LBW, rounding off a complete demolition job by the Allstars’ attack. The Rhinos were skittled out for a mere 49 runs in just 16.1 overs.
The Sydenham Allstars could not have asked for a more dominant performance. Their batting was sublime, their bowlers were clinical, their fielding was sharp, and their strategy was executed to perfection. Final Result: Sydenham Allstars win by 146 runs
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202425/mens-division-5-bottom-4/game-centre/d9ad2aae
Division 5 Tamils XI– WON
Match report courtesy of Chidambaram Palaniappan
The Tamils played Marist at St James Park. After winning the toss, Sydenham Tamils chose to field and started steadily. Ashok Muthukumar (2/29) struck early, removing both openers with just 26 runs on the board. However, two dropped catches allowed one-down batsman Matty to capitalize, scoring a crucial 65. The biggest breakthrough came when Niranjan Mani (3/53) dismissed Bonzy just as he was gaining momentum. At 47/3 in 14 overs, we felt well ahead, but a strong partnership between Matty and Phil helped Marist post a competitive total of 173. Arun Ravindranath opened the bowling alongside Ashok and delivered an economical spell, finishing with 2/23. Jagannath Radhakrishnan(3/28) cleaned up the lower order with three brilliant deliveries rattling the stumps.
Chasing 173 Our openers, Chidambaram Palaniapan (10) and Mohanasundaram Kumar (16), got off to a promising start, hitting a few boundaries off their opening bowlers. However, both fell in quick succession, leaving us at 32/2 in 5 overs. To add to the trouble, Arun Ravindranath departed for just 1. Arun Velusamy (12) and John Immanuel (11), our steady anchor, built a small partnership, but both perished with the score around 65. With half the side gone, the target seemed far, but we had faith in our deep batting lineup.
David Jayapaul, returning from India for his first match this year, played a crucial role. Alongside John & Niranjan Mani, he steadied the innings, contributing a vital 27 before getting out. At 100/6, the game looked grim. Then came the most crucial partnership – Niranjan Mani and Gopinath Karuppiah. Their composed yet aggressive batting took us from 100/6 to 158, bringing the target within reach. Niranjan played with exceptional timing, scoring a well crafted 56, while Gopinath provided solid support with 21 runs.
Just when victory seemed imminent, both Niranjan and Gopinath fell in quick succession, leaving us at 158/8. With 12 runs needed, Jagannath and Vignesh Balan held their nerves, making every single count. With six runs to win, Jagannath sealed the victory in style, pulling a short ball for a six – a true Dhoni style finish!
A thrilling game, a fantastic team effort, and a well deserved win for the Tamils!
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202425/mens-division-5-top-4/game-centre/c0cd2673
Cavaliers Cardinals – WON
Match report courtesy of Janie Livingstone
The Cardinals reconvened after a niggly few weeks of no action due to a combination of weather, enforced byes and teams folding in the grade to play the East Shirley Side Collective. Clare Park was eventually the confirmed venue and there was concern that East’s hadn’t got the message as the Cardinals sat waiting at ten to two. With East’s finally arriving a quick toss was completed and the Cardinals inserted.
Andre and Geo led the way, with Andre going hard before being caught. Cole got set before giving his wicket away with an ugly hoick. Wolfy also looked in touch before getting trapped in front. The Cardinals were looking at a below-par total before Geo and Smitty proceeded to put the East bowlers to all parts, with Geo retiring for an impressive 50 and Smitty not far behind retiring on 48. Camo and Stokesy saw the innings home with the Cardinals setting 158.
Nick Smithson retired 48
The East’s batsmen came out with intent but Queenie bowled an excellent four on the trot claiming three wickets and ending the game as a meaningful contest. Geo, Smitty and Andre all got in the action seeing the East’s bundled out for 60. An impressive win for the Cardinals seeing us ensure a spot in the title game for the grade in two weeks. Also of note a massive outfield saw five of nine Cardinals run threes, including a heavily strapped skipper. Credit also to Billy for playing on one leg for the entire game.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202425/mens-division-5-bottom-4/game-centre/d9ad2aae
Masters Cardinals – LOST
Match report courtesy of James McKay
After another hard week of recruitment 11 players were assembled at Elmwood Park on an absolutely stunning day. A gentlemen’s agreement at the toss saw both teams get their preferred outcome with the Cardinals opting to begin by batting. Lead by the skip James and full time NZC player, part time Cardinals Kelvin Scott the innings began well with boundaries flowing freely on a very fast outfield. As usual the skip punished anything to leg side while Scott was elegant around the ground. After a solid opening partnership of a Bert Walker approved 69, skip was bowled by McIntyre for 39. Walker straight into his work and Kelvin continued well, eventually holing out to a flighted ball from Stan Woolscroft for a fine 63. Chris O’Connell in next and batted within himself while Phil who had scored around the ground departed, bowled Woolscroft for 32. Grant Ross(31) then enjoyed the fast outfield, cutting and driving well until on from M. Murphy got through. Finishing strong was Rapley (10 N.O.) and O’Connell (49 N.O.) who blasted the last 2 balls for straight 6’s, Cardinals 244/4 from 40. Of the 9 bowlers used the pick was probably Stan, 2/39 from his 7 overs.
McIntyre and the ever dangerous McConnell opened for OBC, a subdued first couple of overs then got away to fast start with boundaries free flowing and forcing bowling changes. After some strong hitting McConnell (37) gone caught O’Connell off Scott bringing Jono Davidson in. McIntyre seemed to be middling everything while Davidson (8) was caught by the immortal Bert Walker off the bowling of Jim Simpson (great fill in for the Cardinals) at backward square leg using most body parts including the groin. Unfortunately, this brought Nigel Collins to the crease and he seemed to be playing a different game to everyone else, clubbing all bowlers to all parts of the park, usually over the fence.
At the other end McIntyre (35) was caught in the deep by Rapley for Simpson’s second wicket and Hastilow (9) was bowled by Scott. Simon Murphy combined well with Collins who was dropped in the 70’s with a very tough C & B chance and again on 99, though it would have possibly been caught at long off if Flem had not decided to get in the way of it. S. Murphy (18) caught at mid off by Walker off Fleming. M Murphy (8 N.O.) finished off with absolutely dominant Collins (123 N.O.) saw OBC get to 244/5 after 32 overs. Pick of Cardinals bowlers Jim Simpson 2/41 off 6.
Good game played in good spirits and a great BBQ followed hosted by OBC but disappointing effort not filling in our scorebook or PlayHQ stats….
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202425/joes-garage-masters-top-8/game-centre/f06cc462
Masters Hospital – WON
Match report courtesy of Matthew Gilling
Sydenham Hospital faced Lancaster Park on a very hot day at the glorious Lancaster Park ground. LPCC won the toss and decided to bat. A steady start saw them be 40-0 after 8 overs, but then the bowlers put on the squeeze and the runs dried up. 73-1 at drinks. The LPCC plan would have been to push on here, and there was some thoughts that a big score could be on, but continued tight bowling from all 5 bowlers, keep the scoring low (and the 6th bowler out of the action). Wickets regularly falling including 2 in one over for John Hampton, helped maintain the pressure, the other bowlers all got 1 each.
LPCC 147-6 from 40. Dowds 59, John Hampton 8-1-23-2
Sydenham Hospital started the reply solidly not losing their first wicket until the 12th over at 44, and the second in the 19th over at 71. At drinks, Hospital was exactly half way to their run chase. Another 10.2 overs were required to quickly wrap up the win. Some lusty blows by Jinto Mathew and Tim Suddaby, who carried his bat. Sydenham Hospital won. Tim Suddaby 68*, Jinto 28*, Stace Styles 7-0-23-1
A great game played against a great bunch of guys who are always fun to hang out and have a chat with.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202425/joes-garage-masters-bottom-6/game-centre/f77774d6
Youth First XI – LOST
Match report courtesy of Daniel Herd
Sydenham 1st XI played Christ’s College 2nd XI at Christ’s College. Sam Johns stepped into the captaincy today and it was his turn to lose a tools and still get to bowl.
Jamie Anson (3/23 off 14) and Quinn Helms (3/46 off 11) took a wicket each earlier to reduce Christ’s 2/15, giving Sydenham an early advantage. A 40 run partnership from Christ’s followed, before wickets began to tumble again and Christ’s were reduced to 6/98. With Anson and Helms picking up their second wickets, and Josh Chapman (1/29 off 8) and Conway Andrews (2/17 off 5) chiming in. Unfortunately, this period was followed by a 50 run partnership before Leif Kitto (1/26 off 6) broke it, taking his first 1st XI wicket and three catches on debut. Sydenham chipped away and Christ’s were out for 187 in the 52 over.
Sam Johns (16 off 14) started the chase positively before being caught. Fin Hill (36) and Isaac Tutt (27) worked to establish a platform to attack the total from, with the partnership broken at 66 when Hill got out. The usually reliable Sydenham middle order all struggled to get established. It took a quality 58-run 7th-wicket partnership from Josh Chapman (30) and Archie Nielson (28) to give Sydenham a sniff. They got the team to 158 needing a run a ball to win. Unfortunately, that’s where it ended with the final three wickets all falling with the team total on 159.
This means Sydenham go into the final round robin match next week needing a positive result to secure a spot in the Championship in the second half of the year.
Youth 3rd XI – LOST
Match report courtesy of Bevan Williamson
Sydenham played NCYCC 1st XI on an absolutely beautiful Canterbury day at Southbrook domain in Rangiora. NCYCC won the toss and elected to field, exactly what we had wanted to do….
Braithan Davies, on loan from the colts, along with Utkarsh Singh, got us off to a great start before Utkarsh tried to drive one that did a bit and lost has castle. Nischay Singh joined Braithan at the crease, and the two of them batted brilliantly together until Braithan was dismissed to a very sharp catch in slips for 25. Nischay and Reuben Williamson got us successfully through to the first drinks break and we were looking really good at 3/51. Unfortunately, a mixture of some dubious umpiring decisions, some very good bowling by the NCYCC side, and some poor shot selection, had our boys on the ropes going from 5/70 to 9/118.
Samuel Wilde was then joined by Callum Walsh, and the two of them appeared to make a conscious decision to put some respectability back into our total with Samuel again being the aggressor, dispatching the ball to all corners in a display of timing, skill, and brute strength. The innings came to a close when Callum was dismissed for a fantastic 13 off 30 balls which left Sam not out on 71 off 61 balls giving us a total of 181 from 40.5 overs.
We felt confident that we could defend our total from the beginning, and this was reinforced with some beautiful bowling at the top from Callum, Hirun Clements, Reuben, and Sam to have NCYCC in some discomfort with 3/31 at drinks. At drinks there was a real belief amongst the boys that we could do this!
What followed was something of a mystery….
Reuben, at this point had figures of 1/11 off 4 overs but he pulled up lame mid over with back pain and had to take some time off the field for some attention. Now, whether it was a lack of a killer instinct, or relaxation kicked in, but NCYCC definitely owned the second 17 overs to be 5/139 at the second drinks break. Some hard but true statements were made during this break with impetus put on the fact that we needed to want it and show some hunger. This did seem to work as our lads went about clawing things back with some more of the bowling and fielding missing since the first 17 overs. We reduced NCYCC to 7/170 and we had a sniff…. But unfortunately, we had left our fight back too late with NCYCC scoring the winning runs in the 49th over to win by 3 wickets.
Overall rating for the game: 7/10 – Some very valuable lessons were learned in this match, especially around keeping the pressure on when in a dominant position. Lessons that can only be good ones.
Youth Yr 10 – WON
Match report courtesy of Mark Williams
The early morning cloud had cleared as we approached midday, so it was pretty warm, with the prospect of a hot afternoon ahead, and a good contest on offer as Sydenham played Shirley Boys HS at Cashmere HS. Syd won the toss and chose to have a bowl on a pitch that appeared to be under prepared.
Shirley started off at a decent clip with the opening pair reaching 31 as we conceded too many extras and missed a couple of chances. A change in bowling brought a change in fortunes though, with Jonathan and Dylan combining for a 12 over spell that applied the screws at both ends and blew the top and early middle order away. Wickets fell fast, with 31-0 becoming 41-6, effectively for 7 when a batter retired hurt after being hit on the foot. Jonathan ended with figures of 3-21 whilst Dylan pocketed 3-11. Both had catches go down, albeit tough ones, so could have had more poles, but this was an excellent spell. The Shirley tail enders then dug deep to keep us in the field, and assisted by extras, managed to scrap to a total of 96 off 26.1 overs. Nakul (2) and Benny (1) shared the rest of the wickets.
This looked like a subpar total, but the pitch was misbehaving, and we have had wobbles chasing low totals before. Our innings plan was for someone to anchor the innings and the rest of the team bat around them. However, we lost an opener early and found runs really hard to score, losing more wickets to poor shot selection and not finding any real momentum. At 4-32 the low Shirley total was looming as a big ask. Angus and Beckett then came together, steadying the ship. They knuckled down and built a partnership through solid defense, aided by extras, and some intelligent shot selection. They moved the score to 79 – within sight of victory.
Unfortunately, the late innings jitters then arrived in force as we lost wickets on 79, 80 and 81. Angus was stuck at one end watching wickets fall at the other. When the 8th wicket fell on 88 things were tense. A flurry of extras helped push us over the finishing line to scrape a win by 1 wicket. Both teams conceded a lot of extras. Syd 35 and Shirley 46, these were top scorers on the day and definitely represent a work on for us.
All in all, in a game where overs and run rate were ultimately irrelevant, the 2 teams produced a low scoring match that really had us on the edge of our seats as both teams were in the game right to the finish. The game was played in good spirits with both teams displaying good sportsmanship.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/2025/cricket-express-year-10/game-centre/fa34e3a9
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