SHOW WEEKEND AND RAIN GUTS CRICKET – 14 NOVEMBER 2025
With Show weekend already taking out all women’s and the Master grades cricket, Thursday’s heavy rain accounted for many other matches across the city on Friday. The rain led to the abandonment of the T20 grade matches, which were scheduled earlier for Thursday, and many other grades with uncovered wickets were cancelled for Friday, including most youth grades and part of Division 2. The rest of the afternoon grades still played, but all were moved onto artificial wickets. Our Division 2 match at Heathcote Domain remained scheduled but was then one of several abandoned early on the day.
All Premier Men’s matches had delayed starts, except at Lancaster Park, where the much-anticipated return to the newly rebuilt ground ended in disappointment when their match against Burnside West was also abandoned on Day 1 due to water issues. The Sydenham Premier match progressed better than some, producing a low-scoring contest in which Sydenham secured first-innings points, but with the match finely poised heading into next week. In that match, Aarush Bhagwat stood out with one of his most determined innings for the club under challenging conditions. He was well supported by quality bowling from Tom Agnew, Archie Goodrick, and Cullen Crowe, each claiming three wickets and making full use of the bowler-friendly conditions.
Kyle Clark
In the afternoon grades, the Division 3 Tamils were indebted to Chidambaram Palaniappan, whose half-century and three wickets drove their victory. For the Goats, a superb century from Kyle Clark and a confident 66 from George Wigley led to a dominant 177-run win, capped off by excellent figures from Geordie Dann (5–20) and Ollie Philpott (4–4). Kyle’s ton was one of two centuries on the day, with Karamjeet Singh posting an unbeaten 125 and Trusharkumar Desai taking four wickets in the Division 4 Royal Challengers’ win over Lancaster Park.
The 1st XI was the only youth side to get on the park. Sydenham struggled with the bat against CBHS 2nd XI, with only Al Derry (44) and Sam Johns (20) reaching significant scores.
Some of the photos in this publication are also courtesy of Ash Hart’s Hartland Images.
Premier Men
Sydenham 136-9 (50 overs) & 26-2 (15 overs)
Heathcote 101 (25.5 overs)
Despite the week’s heavy rain, Sydenham Park held up remarkably well. The covers had done their job, the outfield dried quickly, and only some muddy patches on an adjacent old strip delayed the start of Sydenham’s match against Heathcote. Play eventually began at midday—although, in hindsight, another short delay might have been warranted. The pitch retained enough moisture to make the toss far more influential than usual. In the opening hour, divots formed—particularly at the southern end—producing variable bounce and sharp turn that made batting a constant challenge.
Sydenham, having lost the toss, was sent in. The pitch could not be blamed for the opening dismissal: a mix-up from the second ball saw Michael Robinson run out after a sharp push into the covers. Two balls later, Ryan Wallace checked a shot as a delivery from Muller held up, lobbing a catch to mid-off and leaving Sydenham reeling at 4–2 after one over. When Akshan Gulati fell for 12 in the 12th over, the score slumped to 22–3, and survival—let alone run-scoring—was proving difficult. Leaving was vital, playing and missing was just the order of the day.
Aarush Bhagwat
The innings stabilised when Aarush Bhagwat joined Matt Tromp for what would be the match’s highest partnership, a valuable 46 for the fourth wicket. The pair applied patience and sound judgement for 15 overs before Tromp was dismissed for 29 off 42 balls with the total on 68–4. Aarush continued to anchor the innings superbly, compiling a determined 43 from 108 balls, resisting any temptation to force the pace. His effort gave Sydenham a platform, and when he departed, Tom Agnew added a brisk and important 22. Further wickets were lost, especially when the batsmen attempted to hit out with a plan to declare early to keep the match alive. That declaration came in the 50th over at 136-9.
Matt Tromp
Heathcote found the conditions no more forgiving. Mitch Gardner struck in the first over, and Tom Agnew followed with three wickets to leave the visitors faltering at 33–4. Daniel Stanley briefly turned the momentum with a typically brutal counterattack, clubbing four sixes in a 49 off 37 balls. But the surface held its grip on proceedings: Stanley slashed at one from Archie Goodrick and was well caught at point by Agnew. Goodrick went on to take three wickets, as did off-spinner Cullen Crowe, and Heathcote collapsed to 101 all out in the 26th over.
Daniel Stanley strikes at Tom Agnew
Sydenham’s second innings reinforced the difficulties of the day. In just the third over, Akshan was trapped LBW by one that skidded low, and soon after, Ryan Wallace—attempting to leave—saw a ball rear up, strike his body, and deflect onto the stumps. At 18–2, there was a risk of undoing much of the team’s earlier recovery work with the ball. Nightwatchman Mitch Gardner saw off the final five overs with composure, while Michael Robinson showed excellent discipline to finish 16* from 43 balls, guiding Sydenham to 26–2 at stumps.
Sydenham will resume next week with a lead of 52 runs and eight wickets in hand. With pitch repair expected to return it to its usual reliable best, the match remains very much alive for both sides next week.
Thanks to umpires Shreyash Kalyan and David Miller
Full scoreboard & video: https://live.nvplay.com/play/?tab=m_summary#m9268f57a-8b32-4bef-85a0-2a888838ddda
Division 3 Tamils XI – WON
Match report courtesy of Jagannath Radhakrishnan.
Sydenham 152 (33.2 overs)
Hornby 150 (33.3 overs)
Sydenham Tamil’s vs Hornby Amarok Homes at Warren Park. The Tamil’s won the toss and chose to bat first. Batting first, Chidambaram gave a good start, well supported by Ram (17) and Gopi(18), who reached 87-3 by the end of the first 20 overs. Chidhu continued his good form and went on to score 54. He got good support from Partipan (31). Then a lower middle order collapse, got Tamil’s to a decent score of 152 in the first innings.
Defending this score, opening ballers Arun(2 wickets) and David( 2 wickets) did a fantastic job by picking quick wickets and blocking the flow of runs. Then a good partnership by the Hornby team got them close to the score. Niranjan (1wicket), Vignesh (2 wickets) and the best balling performance from Chidambarqm (3 wickets) sealed the win for Tamils. Final score Tamils 152 Hornby Amarok Homes 150. Tamils won by 2 runs.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/cmca-adult-summer-202526/mens-division-3/game-centre/885ea34d
Division 4 Goats – WON
Match report courtesy of Joe Taylor
Sydenham 238-7 (40 overs)
Riccarton 61 (18.1 overs)
Sydenham Goats played Heathcote on the Polo Grounds 1A. A fair amount of rain caused ground changes throughout the grades for a Friday show-day game. Our game is moving to the Polo Grounds artificial turf. With regular skipper Jon away, stand-in Ollie, with a prior engagement and needing to leave early, handed the reins to Joe. A toss win and choosing to bat was the only positive thing Joe did all day, snicking off for a royal golden. Nonetheless, this brought Kyle Clark to the crease fresh off his 1st goats 50 last week. He proceeded to run out on Tony not long after, pulling his hammy. The “other Joe came and went briefly in between. This did not slow Kyle down, with George, one of our other form batsmen, joining him. At 41-3, the innings was in the balance; however, between Kyle and George, the next phase of play took the game to Heathcote, both batsmen extremely punishing on anything loose. Kyle was starting to struggle, but a positive chat from stand-in skipper Joe while umpiring brought up a magnificent 1st century for the Goats.
Kyle Clark
A magnificent innings when the field was spread, the majority of his innings he regularly scored with ease. Partner in crime George was equally punishing with a great supporting 66. Both batsmen fell in the late overs, and looking to really ram home a big score, Geordie and Dan, with quick cameos, saw us post 238-7 after 40.
Geordie Dann
Runs have flowed this year for the Goats, but our classy bowling unit and fielding have been hit and miss so far, not quite firing on all cylinders. After a brief team chat, we all wanted to turn this around today… and we sure as heck did. We knew Heathcote needing 6 an over would come hard, and we weathered the initial attack from them. Geordie, opening up this week with Chris nursing a niggle did not miss a beat, ripping through the heart of the Heathcote lineup, including their Champs ring-ins. Ollie, needing to leave early, was thrown the ball early and, between the two of them, decimated their order. Some great fielding and most importantly holding our catches, including some athletic ones, assured Geordie to fantastic figures of 5-20 off 8 straight and Ollie 4-4 off 5.1, Heathcote all out for 61 before drinks. The boys are really enjoying the early beers that truly taste better after last week’s heartbreak and an all-around performance.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/cmca-adult-summer-202526/mens-division-4/game-centre/206f97ef
Division 4 Royal Challengers – WON
Match report courtesy of Latish TM
Sydenham 235-4 (40 overs)
Lancaster Park 205 (39.1 overs)
Sydenham Div4 Royal Challengers beat Lancaster Park Div4 Tyrants by 30 runs in a well-contested match defined by a brilliant century and a decisive five-wicket haul. Winning the toss and batting first, Sydenham recovered from two early wickets to post an impressive total. Karamjeet Singh dominated with a superb 125 off 115 balls*, striking freely throughout the middle and late overs. He was well supported by Shyam Karuthedath Narayanankutty, who laid the platform with a steady 55 (83). A quick 31 (24) added late momentum. For Lancaster Park, Aman Mirza Deshmukh (2-39) led a disciplined bowling effort but couldn’t prevent Sydenham from pushing past 230.
Lancaster Park started well with a 76-run opening stand between Aman Mirza (51) and Pinso John (32). Middle-order contributions from Naimal Kollaramban (32) and Anwar Abdulla (24 off 18) kept the chase alive, but wickets fell in clusters at crucial stages.
Sydenham’s bowlers tightened control in the second half, led by a match-winning spell from Trusharkumar Desai, who claimed 5-25, tearing through the middle and lower order. Amrinder Singh (3-37) delivered key breakthroughs up front, while Aasif Mir and Shyam KN took a wicket each.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/cmca-adult-summer-202526/mens-division-4/game-centre/74a1f481
Division 5 All-Stars – LOST
Match report courtesy of Abe Atherton
Halswell 284 (32 overs)
Sydenham 125 (28.2 overs)
The Sydenham Allstars faced the hard-hitting Halswell Kabul Lions on the Hagley Polo Grounds artificial wicket—an unfavourable matchup given the small boundaries on offer. Halswell won the toss and elected to bat first, and from the outset it was clear they intended to make full use of the conditions. Boundaries flowed early, with even mistimed shots managing to reach the rope.
Despite the tough start, the Allstars’ bowlers persisted. Atherton and Flowerday were unusually expensive, but J. Ward and J. Thomson managed to slow the scoring rate with disciplined spells. Thomson eventually broke through and finished with a hard-earned 3-56. Ward and Thomson were well supported by C. Hatcher and the ever-reliable C. Barnsley, who once again proved his value by claiming key wickets and returning outstanding figures of 3-29.
Dan Linden
While a handful of chances went to ground, the Allstars still held on to an impressive eight catches:
Atherton – 2, J. Ward – 2, J. Thomson – 1, D. Linden – 1, D. Wright – 1, T. Cray – 1
Linden also contributed with a sharp stumping. Halswell were eventually bowled out in the 32nd over for 284, a sizeable total given the conditions and the Allstars playing one short with only ten men.
In reply, the Allstars welcomed back D. Linden, who immediately showed why he is such an integral member of the side. He and J. Ward opened positively, putting on a brisk 50-run partnership. The stand ended at 68 when Ward was dismissed for a well-made 34 off 27. Linden continued to accumulate runs while wickets fell regularly at the other end. Aside from C. Barnsley’s steady 12 (18), no other batter was able to provide meaningful support. Linden battled through the innings and brought up a well-deserved half-century before eventually falling for 53 off 57. With limited batting remaining, the Allstars were bowled out in the 28th over for 125-9.
Jaedyn Ward
There were no excuses on the day. Halswell capitalised on a surface that suited their power game. Despite the result, there were positives: quality wicket-taking from Thomson and Barnsley, and the strong return of D. Linden. The All-Stars will regroup and look to bounce back in the next round.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/cmca-adult-summer-202526/mens-division-5/game-centre/3d304a7b
Youth First XI – LOST
Match report courtesy of Allen Hill
Sydenham 129 (43.5 overs)
CBHS 135-5 (34.3 overs)
Fri 14 Nov saw our 1st XI take on Christchurch BHS 2nd XI in what turned out to be a ‘tale of the toss’. After heavy rain on Thursday, the match was shifted at the last minute to Dudley Park in Rangiora. We turned up to the park with the groundsman trying to dry out damp patches on the pitch. To be fair, he did a great job to get us playing at all. With plenty of moisture in the wicket it was definitely a toss to win. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for us, and we were asked to bat first. Our openers battled hard on a pitch that was offering considerable seam movement and unpredictable bounce. After the loss of an early wicket Sam Johns batted with significant patience for a long period scoring 20 off 75 balls. He was joined by Al Derry, who batted superbly for 44 off 52 balls, and together they put on a useful partnership. Although all our batters worked hard, we were unable to build enough partnerships and were eventually bowled out for 129 in 43 overs.
As the sun and wind dried the pitch, it certainly got easier to bat on during the day. Quinn Helms took an excellent wicket in the first over clean bowled, followed up by a very confident LBW shout next ball. Our boys had good energy and were battling hard to be in the fight. Although we were able to take regular wickets, 130 was a target too low to defend on a pitch that was became easy to bat on. CBHS eventually got their total of 130/5 in the 35th over. Best of our bowlers were Quinn Helms (1-14 off 5), and Henry Hood (2-41 off 9.3). It was also pleasing to see yr 11 players, Harry Durdin and Reuben Williamson take their first wickets for the 1st XI.
Next week we have Northwest at home on Sydenham Park, a game we will be looking to put on a complete performance and put ourselves in a position to pick up another win.
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