PREMIER MEN CLOSE IN ON T20 SEMI’S – 6 DECEMBER 2025
It proved to be a challenging day for the morning grade sides, with the Premier Women, Championship, and Division 2 teams all unable to secure a result from their two T20 fixtures. There was, however, one standout story: the Premier Men, who had surrendered their unbeaten run with a heavy loss to Riccarton in the morning, bounced back impressively to edge out fellow table-leaders Burnside West. That victory goes a long way towards securing a spot in next Sunday’s T20 semi-finals. Individual highlights included Premier woman Darcy Rose-Prasad’s well-crafted 50 against Lancaster Park and Division 2’s Adi Suganthik’s fluent 53 against Riccarton.
The struggles continued into the afternoon grades, where—despite strong wins from both Masters sides—only the T20 Gujarat Kings and the Women’s Division 1 Red team managed victories, while the All-Stars advanced via forfeit. Notable performances included Joe Taylor’s fighting 68 for the Goats, Anak Lamb’s unbeaten 66 and James McKay’s 51 for the Masters Cardinals, and a commanding 73 from Tim Suddaby for Hospital. Jagannath Radindrananan’s 95 wasn’t quite enough to get the Tamils the win. The standout moment of the day belonged to Julia Manton, who marked her Division 1 Women’s debut with a superb century, 106 against OBC at Nunweek Park.
On a day when many adult sides were under pressure, the youth boys delivered strongly, with four of the five teams claiming wins. With the 1st XI’s season already complete, victories came from the 2nd XI, 3rd XI, Colts, and Year 10 teams. Cameron Fairhall again led the way for the 2nds with a fine 75, supported by Yahya Shasawar’s impressive 4–18, while Om Akash Patel’s excellent 68 anchored the Year 10s’ success.
Some of the photos in this publication are also courtesy of Ash Hart’s Hartland Images.
Premier Men
Riccarton 143-6 (20 overs)
Sydenham 77 (14.4 overs)
The Premier Men’s unbeaten run came to an end when they put in a forgettable performance in their morning match against Riccarton at Riccarton Domain. Although the match was played on a new and decidedly green strip, the domain always plays well, and with short boundaries and an ultra-fast outfield, it’s conditions that batsmen always look forward to.
Archie Goodrick
Sydenham won the toss and elected to bowl first on the basis that if there was to be anything in the track, it might be early. But it wasn’t to be, as Riccarton opened with an excellent partnership of 59 at above 7’s before Matt Tromp took a wicket in his first over. They progressed the score to 85 before Archie Goodrick took the first of his three wickets, after which Riccarton stumbled for a period, losing another three in the next two overs, with just the addition of 14 runs. However, Lachie Jemmett played a fine innings in the latter overs that lifted his side to 143-6 at the completion of the 20 overs.
Dax Babaria
Sydenham’s reply was frankly a bit of a rout that had little redeeming features other than Mitch Gardner’s valiant 22 in the final overs when the match was all but lost. The innings started badly at 8-1, then 25-3, 36-6 and 42-8 with less than half the overs bowled. In truth, it was careless batting with more than half the wickets falling to boundary catches hit into the strong easterly wind and towards the longest boundary. There was no change in approach by the Sydenham batsmen when things were becoming unstuck, with it seemingly being a case of too much focus being put upon the good batting conditions and not enough on an excellent performance from bowlers trying to negate them – Sydenham were all out for 77, short by 67 runs, with Riccarton finishing worthy winners and Sydenham left with plenty to contemplate.
Thanks to umpires Brent Littmoden and Kaushik Padmanaban
BWU 113 (20 overs)
Sydenham 117-8 (19.2)
The players had an opportunity for redemption in their afternoon fixture at Burnside Park, where they faced joint table-leaders and perennial finalists Burnside West. Burnside, also stung by a morning defeat to East Shirley, opted to bat first after winning the toss and began aggressively.
Jackson Hemingway
Sydenham, however, struck the early blows. Tom Agnew removed the first two wickets before Jackson Hemingway and Matt Tromp added one each, leaving Burnside struggling at 26–4 by the end of the fifth over. At 68–6 in the 12th, following Matt’s dismissal of Nick Gibb, the innings never looked on track for a competitive total despite useful lower-order contributions from Winter, Lewis, and Zorab. Across the board, Sydenham’s bowlers were disciplined and incisive—none more so than Jackson Hemingway, who’s outstanding 3–19 again showcased his mastery at the death with block hole deliveries that rarely miss. Burnside West were bowled out for 113 on the final delivery of the innings.
Sydenham’s reply began shakily. Dax Babaria drove his first ball for four, only to fall the next; and when Matt Tromp departed for 13 with the score at 30–2 in the fifth over, the chase needed calming. Ryan Wallace and Aarush Bhagwat provided exactly that. Applying lessons from the morning’s collapse, the pair accumulated smartly at the required rate. Ryan’s composed 20 from 24 balls set the platform, and Aarush, supported by Jackson Hemingway, continued the steady progress. At 100–4, Aarush fell for a run-a-ball 33, but with six wickets in hand and just 14 required from the final four overs, the finish looked straightforward.
Ryan Wallace & Aarush Bhagwat
Burnside, though, refused to roll over. Their bowlers tightened the screws, drawing two more wickets—both miscued pull shots within the ring. With the scores level and two overs remaining, tension spiked when a further two wickets fell in the penultimate over, including Jackson with another excellent 33. Suddenly, Burnside had a genuine opening.
Shevon Perera
Enter Shevon Perera, newly arrived at the crease and in his fourth Prem match. Shev struck a vital boundary and a two to bring Sydenham level. Still, as the match rolled into the final over, with Burnside’s ringed field, the bowlers continued to apply pressure with admirable accuracy. But with five balls remaining, one finally strayed, and Shevon deftly steered it to third man for the winning boundary —sparking relieved cheers from his teammates on the sideline.
The win all but secures Sydenham a place in next Sunday’s semi-finals. One victory from Saturday’s two fixtures—against East Shirley at Sydenham or Heathcote at Heathcote Domain—will make it official.
Thanks to umpires Darren Thomason and Andrew Moulton
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202526/oem-audio-mens-premiership/game-centre/1aa3fa34
Premier Women
Sydenham 93-5 (20 overs)
Lancaster Park 96-5 (16 overs)
Sydenham lost the toss and were sent in to bat. Uncertain about the wicket the batters started slowly, trying to get a feel for the pitch. Felicity Robertson came in at first drop to accelerate the score with 17 off 27 with Darcy hitting from the other end to work through to 50* off 52. The departure of Floss saw three quick wickets. Hannah Kidd arrival at the crease steadied the batting line up with 10 off 17.
Sydenham finished up with 93-5, a little light.
Darcy Rose Prasad
Izzy Fox and Elsie Duncan opened the bowling with Izzy taking a key wicket of Kate Anderson and Elsie taking Stella Stewart. Boadicea Lynch came in at the change taking 3 wickets through the middle order. Unfortunately this wasn’t enough with LPW chasing the total easily in 16 overs. A few too many wides.
Boadicea Lynch
The loss unfortunately saw Sydenham out of contention for the T20 final.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202526/ev-power-premier-women/game-centre/9588e8e7
Sydenham 104-4 (20 overs)
North West Women 106-1 (15.5 overs)
Wining the toss Sydenham batted first. Kate Craig (14) and Darcy (19) got the team off to a solid start. Kate’s departure saw Floss come to the crease show worked a solid 40. Unfortunately the runs weren’t coming so easily to the supporting batters who struggled to score and couldn’t accelerate the scoring.
Sydenham finished their overs 4 down on 104
Izzy Fox
North West made the chase look easy, working through to 106 in 15.5 overs with only 1 wicket, taken by Elsie Duncan.
Charlotte Clatworthy
Championship
Sydenham 89 (16.5 overs)
Riccarton 90-1 (14.3 overs)
The Championship’s morning match was against Riccarton on Sydenham 3. The home side won the toss and elected to bat first and struggled from the outset. It lost its first wicket of Nathaneal Paltridge in the first over with the score at four, and then one each over so that by the start of the 5th over it was in deep trouble at 14-4. Adi Suganthi battled hard for his 53 off 47 balls, but apart from young Dhruv Arvindkumar lower in the order with 18 from 22, no one else managed to make double figures with the side bowled out for 89 well inside the 20 overs.
Adi Suganthi
Riccarton, in reply, made short work of the target. Udi Upadhyay managed to claim the sole wicket to fall as the batting side raced to the total in less than 15 overs.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202526/mens-championship/game-centre/b06c943c
BWU 152-8 (20 overs)
Sydenham Unknown
The second match at Burnside Park has an incomplete scorecard and no match report
Sydenham is known to have lost by about 20 runs
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202526/mens-championship/game-centre/2ba24411
Division 2
Match report courtesy of Todd Ward
Sydenham 89-9 (20 overs)
Richmond 90-6 (17 overs)
Sydenham’s first game of the day against Richmond at Richmond Park was played on hard pitch with sizable cracks. We found out, as we batted first, that those cracks would provide variable bounce, and some would zip past our heads and catch the top edge. We struggled to adjust to the pace of the wicket and found ourselves 40 for 4 after 10. We tried to consolidate and rebuild but continued to play rash shots and faced some quality bowling. We made it to 20 overs with 89 on the board.
To have a chance at defending a modest total, we knew we would have to come at them and be disciplined. Isaiah Prasad and Ajith Shetty started the bowling well by restricting the runs, and they were backed up by us taking our chances in the field to have Richmond a couple down and a bit of pressure building. With Richmond 45 for 4 after 10 overs we were well in the game. Gaurav Jadhav bowled a brilliant spell to continue applying the pressure and keep us in the game. A captaincy error resulted in me not bringing on Tanhirdaypal Pannu till there was only 4 overs left, but what a bowling change it was with Tanhirdaypal picking up 2 wickets and only conceding 3 runs in his first over. His over brought us right into the game with 2 new batters now at the crease. Unfortunately, with only a few runs needed in the last 2 overs, we hadn’t put enough on the board, and they chased it 6 down.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202526/mens-division-2-red/game-centre/f14d1cd2
Sydenham 158-8 (20 overs)
Heathcote 106 (20 overs)
The second game for the day started late with Heathcote’s previous game running late. I lost my second toss for the day and were asked to bowl. Heathcote got off to a quick start making 30 from the first 3. Lyle Cupido broke the partnership but runs continued to flow. Then came Gaurav (3 for 16 off 4), taking 2 wickets in his first over to halt the run rate from his end. Tanhirdaypal then came in on the other end and bowled brilliantly to claim 2 for 24 from 4. A loose last over saw 19 conceded and 158 posted by Heathcote.
Our first few overs of batting were solid from Jaxson Moynihan and Tanhirdaypal, but that didn’t last long with us losing 6 wickets inside 10 overs all for single figures. The shining light of the innings being Jaxson who was patient and selective with his striking and never panicked, unlike the rest of the order. He was eventually dismissed in the 17th over for a well made 43 from 40 including a bullet of a straight six that hit the tree with some serious force. A bit of nice rear guard tail end batting from Ivon Bobby and Lyle showed us top order batters how it’s done but we were never in it and ended our 20 overs 9 down for 106.
Division 3 Tamils XI –LOST
Match report courtesy of Ramanathan Muthukumar
Sydenham 218 (38.1 overs)
Lancaster Park 219-9 (39.5)
Sydenham played Lancaster Park at Centennial In one of the most dramatic knockout contests of the season, the Sydenham Tamil XI EV Power side suffered a cruel final-ball defeat, losing by a single wicket as Lancaster Park Raptors reached 219 in 39.5 overs. It was a match defined by pressure, history-making resistance, and heartbreaking lapses in the field despite heroic efforts, Tamil XI were denied at the very last moment.
Choosing to bat first, Tamil XI were immediately tested. Early wickets saw the side slump to 53 for 4, with Dinesh Raja Chandran (4), Mohanasundaram Kumar (18), Ram Muthukumar (12), and Naveen Thangaraju (0) all back in the pavilion. A burst of energy arrived through Gopinath Karuppiah, whose electric 23 off 9 balls temporarily shifted momentum. But the innings continued to stutter as John (11), Niranjan Mani (7), and Rajendran Parthipan (7) fell quickly. At 122 for 9, Tamil XI seemed destined for a below-par total. Then came history. Jagannath Radhakrishnan, walking in under immense pressure, found crucial support from Vignesh Balan, and together they produced the highest 9th-wicket partnership in Tamil XI history. Jagannath unleashed one of the finest innings of the season a breathtaking 95 off 69 balls, laced with 18 boundaries and 2 sixes, while Vignesh contributed 3 off 23*. Their partnership transformed the innings from collapse to competitiveness, taking Tamil XI to 218 all out in 38.1 overs. Extras 32 runs, including 22 wides proved invaluable in bolstering the total.
Defending 218, Tamil XI struck early. Vignesh Balan ripped through the top order, removing Ravi Rawat (6) and Bejoy Ek (2) to leave Raptors 31/2. The middle order then launched counterattacks, with scores of 33 off 39 and 41 off 30, pushing the chase forward. Breakthroughs from Arunravi Ravindranathan and Niranjan Mani briefly stemmed the flow, bringing the Raptors to 92/4. However, a string of important catches went down at critical moments, allowing Raptors’ batters to rebuild, rotate strike, and keep the chase alive. A few opportunities to close out the game were also missed, making the contest even tighter. Aditya Yadav then capitalised on the lapses, blasting 40 off 26, and the match seemed to slip away. Tamil XI found renewed hope through Jagannath, who again delivered with the ball, taking 3 for 38 and triggering a dramatic collapse from 154/5 to 189/9.
With 30 runs needed and just one wicket in hand, the game came down to the last over.
One run needed. One ball left. One wicket in hand. Princepal Singh hit the ball high behind a fielder both Arunravi and Niranjan sprinted for the catch. Niranjan called “mine,” and everyone assumed the catch would be taken by the team’s golden hands. A dropped catch on the final ball denied Tamil XI a draw and handed victory to the Raptors. John bowled a tight last over, keeping the batters under pressure, but the game still slipped away. The Raptors’ anchor Sudit Kushwah (43 off 82)* guided the team alongside Princepal Singh (10*) to the final delivery. The match ended with the Raptors sealing a thrilling victory 219/9 in 39.5 overs leaving Tamil XI heartbroken.
Player of the Match – Jagannath
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202526/ev-power-knockout-div-34/game-centre/cab9f9d7
Division 4 Goats – LOST
Match report courtesy of Joe Stevens
Sydenham 174-8 (40 overs)
Halswell 175-6 (33.1 overs)
The Goats took on the Halswell Mavericks in the second round of the knock out series at a windy Halswell Domain, looking to push on to the final at Hagley Oval.
After losing the toss, we were put in to bat on a testing and 2 paced wicket. Tony and stand in captain Joe got off to a steady start against an opening spin attack, seeing off the first 8 overs and ticking the score along. Tony then got an unfortunate shooter that put him plumb leg before, and the wickets started tumbling. Joe put together a fantastic 68 with no one other than George (18) being able to stick around and contribute for long. After Joe unfortunately fell to a stumping at 138-5, Ollie raised his game and put on a much needed 25 while further cheap wickets fell around him. Special shout out to Jesse Marks for smashing the only 6 of the innings and hanging around till the end.
The Goats finished on 174/8, ā respectable total considering the blustery conditions and unpredictable wicket. Or so we thought…
After a tight first over from Chris, which saw a half chance catch missed (setting one of the themes for the innings) and just a couple of shaky runs on the board, Paddy set up at the other end. 3 sixes and a four over the wind-assisted leg side boundary (another theme) left the on-side fielders feeling like schoolboys, asking for their ball back from the next pitch over. Unfortunately, this feeling lasted for the entire innings, as number 4 scored 124, or close to 75% of the Mavericks’ total, with nearly all of it going over or through the leg side. The Goats bit back, though, and didn’t give up, with Chris nailing the other opener LBW the following over, and should have had another next ball had it not been for the Mavericks’ liberal interpretation of the LBW rule (the third and final theme).
Not sure if umps was watching the same game, or if the rules hadn’t been explained clearly enough, but there were enough questionable decisions made to relieve Tony of any guilt for an earlier run out call that maybe should have gone upstairs to the third. This game has led to requests going in for DRS and video umpires in next year’s grade cricket. Amongst the half-chance misses, the drops and the abysmal decisions, there were some moments of glory. Kyle hung on to a faint edge, the other Joe juggled his way through his performing monkey act to actually hold on to spooned drive and Ollie clung on to a tough one. It wasn’t all doom and gloom with Paddy gratefully being awarded an LBW after appealing for what felt like an eternity, and Dupinder seeing his solid spin attack rewarded with a brilliantly flighted ball that got past the defence and smashed into the stumps, as the Mavericks went on to drop 6 wickets.
Unfortunately though, the writing was on the wall from the second over, and the Mavericks made it to 175 with 5.4 overs to spare. There were three winners during this match: the wind, questionable umpiring and the Goats drops tally, which climbed a significant amount and is closing in on our caught number. With some wound licking and stitching up of the massive holes in our hands, we will be back next week to continue our quest to hold on to the top spot in the league.
Division 4 Royal Challengers – LOST
Match report courtesy of Latish TM
Sydenham 126 (32.1 overs)
Heathcote 130-7 (29.2 overs)
Sydenham Royal Challengers EV Power K/O played Heathcote at Hillsborough Domain. Captain Latish won the toss for Sydenham and chose to bat first. The innings got off to a shaky start with Ajith Sudhakaran run out without facing a delivery. Shyam attempted to rebuild with a patient 14 (33) before falling to Wilson Hatton. Sujith anchored the middle overs with a solid 31 (49), while skipper Lathish TM played the standout innings of the day — a composed and confident 45 off 56 balls, striking 6 boundaries and keeping Sydenham competitive. However, regular wickets — including two run outs — halted momentum. When Lathish fell as the final wicket, Sydenham were dismissed for 126.
The Heathcote chase began briskly with Ben McIntosh smashing 30 from 23, but Sydenham hit back through Trusharkumar Desai, who trapped McIntosh LBW and then removed Chris Stewart and the fill-in batter — a superb spell of control and discipline: T K: 8 overs | 1 maiden | 12 runs | 3 wickets
Amrinder Singh (2/37) and Ajith Sudhakaran (1/16) also chipped in, causing a cluster of wickets that brought Sydenham back into contention — especially when Heathcote slipped to 122/6, still needing runs.
But Archie Hare held things together with a calm unbeaten 9, guiding Heathcote to victory with 3 wickets.
Division 5 All-Stars – WON
The All-Stars won after Ohoka forfeited the match
T20 Cavaliers Cardinals – LOST
Match report courtesy of Jamie Livingstone
Marist 186-2 (20 overs)
Sydenham 64-7 (16 overs)
Cardinals vs Marist Harewood Gerihatricks at Bower Park. The Cardinals fielded first with Marist Harewood scoring 186 runs. The 2 wickets to fall both went to Geordie Dann.
In reply the Cardinals scored 64 runs off 13 overs with Fynn Wadsworth top scoring on 21. Unfortunately, Manny Robert was forced to retire hurt resulting in an early end to the Cardinals innings.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202526/cavaliers-section-red-t20/game-centre/3391441c
T20 Gujarat Kings – WON
Match report courtesy of Yash Patel
Sydenham 191-6 (20 overs)
Southern Seagulls 92-6 (20 overs)
The Gujarat Kings delivered one of their dominant performances of the season, smashing 191/6
before restricting the Southern Seagulls to 92/6 to claim a massive 99-run victory. With the sun out and the families gathered, it was a special Family Day for the team — and were right there on the boundary, cheering, hyping, and backing their Kings all day. The roar of the supporters made the occasion unforgettable.
Batting – Power From Start to Finish
The Kings started strong and never slowed down:
- Yash Patel – 40 off 22
A blazing knock from Vice Captain packed with boundaries before retiring hurt. Set the momentum that the team carried throughout.
- Milind Thakkar – 35 off 27 – Calm under pressure, building the innings smartly.
- Dhaval Patel – 19 (not out) – Finished the innings superbly.
The side’s bowling was ruthless & disciplined with the bowlers backing up the batting with precision:
- Arya Baxi – 3 wickets (4–29)
- Dhaval Patel – 1 wicket (4–10)
- Yash Patel – 1 wicket (3–10)
- Dhananjay – 1 wicket (4-10)
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202526/cavaliers-section-black-t20/game-centre/8c27d190
Masters Cardinals – WON
Match report courtesy of Ammar Yousef
Sydenham 210-6 (33.1 overs)
Ohoka 206 (38.4 overs)
Syds Cardinals masters arrived at Centennial Park somewhat bereft of its major players due to injuries and whatever. Come Friday skipper Mackay must have been tearing his hair out with only 5 regular team members on the team sheet, however by the grace of god he canoodled 6 others to make up a team not dissimilar to the Magnificent Seven or in this case the Magnificent eleven!!!!! Five regulars or more likely four and a half with Amaar’s hammy refusing to heal, a geriatric 74 year old who’s seen better days, a geriatric’s youngest son who has definitely not seen better days yet, as well as a bunch of lower grade players who obviously had no game.
So Syds took to the pitch against a strong Ohoka side who’d massacred teams, without sounding too unkind to our amassed rabble, of a higher ilk. Looked like it too as Ohoka rattled along at 7 an over, Syds looking at maybe a West Indies outstanding performance down the road at Hagley. However bit by bit Syds hung in there even with a few dropped catches which were to be fair none too easy. Drinks saw Ohoka 115/2 so a daunting 280 + looked on the card. Some really good middle order bowling kept Syds in the hunt and slowly bit by bit Ohoka were kept in check. 135/2 in the 24th over suddenly became191/8 in the36th. After a few hefty blows from the Ohoka number 11 saw them all out for 207. A top effort from the bowlers, ( sorry for no Christian names of the ringuns ) A Atherton 7.4/27/3, J Costa 8/35/2, Phil Walker 7/30/2, Dave Fleming8/47/2.
Phil Walker
Into bat skipper MacKay opened with the 74-year-old geriatric and to be fair the score fair rattled along. 38 on the board in only the fifth over when the geriatric returned to the pavilion for a solid 5!!!!!! Phil Walker hung around for a while before departing to a decent snaffle in the slips. Skip just carried on in his own inimitable way picking up anything loose on the leg. Eventually it was his downfall chipping one to the square leg fielder for a very well-constructed fifty with very little running given that he hit 11 fours and 1 six. Jacob Koster kept up the run rate with some hefty blows before perishing for a well compiled 33. Number 5 was obviously in a rush to get to some local party and so departed early for said party. Cometh the man cometh the hour in Anak Lumb!!! Ohoka had obviously sniffed blood, thinking they were well in for another victory, however Anak had other ideas, joined by Jono Bennet, he just took to the bowling with zest, hitting just the right balls to the right areas. Unfortunately, Jono hit one down backward squares throat for a good 20, so Anak was joined by the one legged Amaar. Some would churlishly suggest that Amaar might not want to heal his hammy as he showed how good he can be on a single member smiting a couple of decent drives. Suffice to say Anak completed victory with a delicate four, leaving him on a very good 61 n.o. With the one-legged member 12 n.o. With quite a few overs to spare.
Two things to note. First up it was good to see Centennial Park looking like a cricket ground with a good-looking wicket and short outfield. Last time the author played there he sent a letter to the council asking if they could possibly cut the wicket shorter than the outfield.
Secondly and finally have to say what a jolly good bunch of chaps Ohoka were. Not a single niggle throughout the whole game and played in the spirit that cricket should be played at particularly at our ever-advancing ages. Thank you Ohoka for a really enjoyable game.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202526/joes-garage-masters/game-centre/52697749
Masters Hospital – WON
Match report courtesy of Bruce Day
Sydenham 205-7 (40 overs)
Heathcote-Lancaster Park 195-4 (40 overs)
Both teams arrived at Garrick Park on a sunny but very windy Saturday afternoon. The toss was made and Sydenham were immediately sent into bat. After 40 overs hospital had posted 205-7 with the main contributors Tim Suddaby (73), Tritan Pettit (24*) and Liam (60). Heathcote bowled tight lines and shared the wickets. Young Stackhouse could be the next quickest bowler in the competition to Jinto.
Heathcote into bat and after 40 overs they got to 195- 4. Main wicket takers were Rahul Mukherjee (1/21/ 8), Tim Suddaby (1/27/8) and John Hampton (0/31/ 8). Liam took the catch of the century to dismiss Tim C which turned the game for us
A very good and tense game had just been completed and played in great spirits with many laughs had as we enjoyed a cold beer with Heathcote and overall it was a fabulous day out..
Women’s Division 1 Red – LOST
Match report courtesy of Linda Pettigrew
Selwyn Wahine 211-8 (32.2 overs)
Sydenham 181-7 (35 overs)
TBA
Women’s Division 1 Blue– WON
Match report courtesy of Linda Pettigrew
Sydenham Blue 190-7 (35 overs)
OBC 157 (27.1 overs)
Sydenham fortunately lost the toss and were put into bat. All this happened before half the team arrived so we were thankful not to be fielding as the last players turned up at the 1pm start time.
Linda Pettigrew and Julia Manton opened the batting. Julia craftily took most of the strike, with Linda out for 3 runs leaving the score 46-1, mostly made of Linda running 2s to keep Julia on strike. Abby Laid (17), Sandy Mitchell (9) and Emma Begg (13) also supported Julia in her quest to score her first century.
Julia achieved her century with the score on 132, ultimately holing out on 106. This showed amazing resilience as Julia was struck on the head in the middle of her innings. Well done Julia!
Packed with a line up of slow bowlers, Sydenham knew that wickets early on would be crucial. Fortunatly Greer Hill wove her magic, with Biena Hickford and Abby all taking catches off Greer’s bowling. Sydenham struggled in the middle overs as OBC’s batter found her groove and smashed boundaries. Tactical discussions at drinks determined that we would starve the batter, placing fielders in key positions on the boundary and letting the singles to target the less experienced batters. The plan executed well (albeit with a lot of running out to the boundary then back in) and saw the key batter dismissed in a stunning combination of Abby’s new spin bowling and Greer snatching a catch.
The match finished in a final flourish with the batters struggling to score runs. A missed catch (a very hard catch) saw OBC try to sneak a run, Ruby Turner’s bullet arm flattened the stumps with the batters well out of the crease.
This match was a real builder for the team with tactics playing a key role in the success. After two matches where we failed to get big hitters out this was a good confidence builder. Slow bowlers can get the job done.
Youth 2nd XI – WON
Match report courtesy of Daniel Herd
Sydenham 233 (48.1 overs)
Shirley Boys HS 93 (24.5 overs)
Sydenham Youth 2nd XI capped off their season in style, claiming the First XI Bowl Final with a dominant 140-run win over Shirley Boys’ High School 2nd XI at Clare Park.
Captain Sam Macdonald lost his last toss as a Sydenham youth player and was asked to bat on what is generally a tricky surface. The Sydenham top order, however, batted superbly. Cameron Fairhall anchored the innings with 75 off 88, while Finlay Hill (27) and Archie Nielsen (33) supported him with positive contributions to set a platform of around 150 at the 30th over. Leif Kitto finished his time as a youth player with more runs following a remarkable run of scores this season – 27, 46, 12, 63, 55, 67 and now 29. He’s been in great touch! Zach Nicholson’s late 13 pushed Sydenham to a strong 233 from 48.1 overs.
The bowlers then took complete control. Yahya Shasawar led the way with an excellent 4/18 from 6, following quality new ball spells from Bayley Gardner (3/12 off 5). Reuben Williamson (1/15). Kitto added a wicket to his runs and Samuel Wild claimed the final wicket to seal the win. Key catches from Hill, Nielsen, and two from Macdonald highlighted a good fielding performance. Shirley were dismissed for 93 in under 25 overs, confirming a comprehensive victory and a well-earned championship for a Sydenham side that has grown steadily stronger across the term.
We farewell Macdonald, Kitto, Shasawar and Lucky Lasiyal from our youth programme – all of whom have been great ambassadors for and contributors to the Club over many years
Youth 3rd XI – WON
Match report courtesy of Dayle Kinzett
Riccarton 69 (18.5 overs)
Sydenham 70-6 (18.2 overs)
Sydenham played Riccarton HS 1sts at Riccarton High School No.1, which is a grass wicket, where runs have been at a premium all season. Sydenham won the toss and chose to bowl first.
We made an excellent start with our bowlers all finding good lengths to make the most of the favourable conditions with the ball. Daniel Barclay (2-26 off 5overs) and Hirun Clements (1-14 off 4overs) knocked the top off Riccarton’s batting order to have them 37 -3. Then came excellent spells from Shuvo Islam (3-8 off 3overs) and Neil Thakkar (1-5 off 4overs) to have the hosts in all sorts of trouble at 58-7. Eli Helms (1-11 off 2overs) and Callum Walsh ( 2-5 off just 5balls) wrapped up the tail to bowl Riccarton 1sts out for just 69 in the 19th over. A great display by all players and well backed up in the field with Liam Kinzett taking 2 catches wicketkeeping and Blake Winter taking a good catch as well.
Even though we were only chasing 70 to win, we still knew at the break we were in for a challenge. And so it proved, even with the team knuckling down well to fight hard for the win, we were still 57-6, after a good effort by Blake Winter opening the batting with 14 off 31 balls. But thanks to the reliable Eli Helms (5 no off 17 balls), and Neil Thakkar (6no off 15 balls), we safely made it through to the winning total of 70 in the 19th over.
A great result for the boys showing what they are capable of and a great way for the team to finish the season.
Youth Colts – WON
Match report courtesy of Callum Green
Sydenham 325-6 (50 overs)
SBHS 182 (45.2 overs)
In the last game of the season, Sydenham put on a strong batting performance to win comprehensively vs SBHS. Winning the toss and batting, Sydenham lost Jonty Rutherford early, but then Braithan Davies and Ruan Diederiks put on 68, before Diederiks was out for 38, which included 3 booming 6’s. In at 4 was Noah Green, and he and Davies put on 124 before Davies was out for a well compiled 57. Meanwhile Green continued steadily and with Kahn Stanbury coming to the crease, put on another partnership, before Green, unfortunately, was run out for 98. Sydenham kept the run rate up and with some other handy contributions by Reuben Peterson, James Gross and Austen Grant, Sydenham posted 325 in their 50 overs.
SBHS started well, but once their main opener was out, the game meandered along as they fell further behind the required run rate. SBHS were eventually all out for 182 in the 46th over. Peterson and Stanbury both picked up 2 wickets each with their spin bowling, but the pick of the bowlers was Joe Wilke who bowled full and fast. Wilke mopped up the tail with 3 wickets for 2 runs. Sydenham ended up 2nd equal on the ladder and only 1 point behind the winners.
This team has some real talent and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd XI’s next year will have some great players coming into their teams. They have been a wonderful group of boys to look after. Massive thanks to Brad Davies who helped look after the team too. Also, to Nicol O’Donnell and Marty Wilke for doing the scoring. Big thanks to all the parents who support the boys each week. It has been a pleasure.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/2025/cricket-express-colts-one-day/game-centre/9643a68d
Youth Yr 10 – WON
Match report courtesy of Akash Patel
Sydenham 200-8 (40 overs)
Shirley Boys HS 135 (28.5 overs)
Year 10 Sydenham vs St Bedes and Shirley Boys combined on South New Brighton Park. Sydenham won the toss and selected to bat first. Sydenham had a good start and a good partnership between Om Patel and Vansh Sharma. Vansh Sharma got out in the 18th over and shortly after Captain Dylan Tullett got out, too. Luke Griffith built a great innings, making 41 runs of 51 balls. Om Patel then got out for 68 off 74 balls ending off a great innings. Angus Ferguson made 15 runs pushing our team to achieve a great total of 200 runs. It was a great thing that we managed to play 40 overs again.
In bowling, our team managed to get them all out for 135 runs in 28.5 overs. Bowling was great as Vansh Sharma, Captain Dylan Tullet, and Jay Thakar all took 2 wickets each. In fielding, everyone did some superb fielding. The highlight for today in fielding was Christopher Skinner, who took 3 great catches. I have seen that our players displayed great harmony between each other, which led them to be one of the teams at the top of the table.
This second half of the season, they managed to win all the matches except one, which was a very close loss… It’s great to watch the team work together, display great sportsmanship, and take on challenges. I greatly thank this team for being so inviting and welcoming me to coach the team – thank you kindly.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/2025/cricket-express-year-10/game-centre/7a1c1225
Youth Yr 9 – LOST
Match report courtesy of Mark Williams
Selwyn Banks Peninsula 225-7 (35 overs)
Sydenham 183-4 (35 overs)
Sydenham Y9 v Selwyn Banks Peninsula played at Cashmere High on Sat 6 Dec 2025
SBP won the toss and elected to make first use of the pitch, looking to set a decent total. Overhead conditions were challenging with a strong gusty wind prevailing.
Early pressure did not eventuate as our bowlers battled with line in particular – the gusty wind resulting in a lot of swing but swing that was not easy to control. Early wickets were hard to come by, and when the first fell at 40, we did not capitalise. A diet of balls pitched considerately in the slot was dished up, duly sent to the boundary, whilst the extras total was swelled by wides down leg side and overstepping at the bowling crease. The first half of the innings saw runs come at a good pace, with regular boundaries and extras swelling the rate. With the innings sitting at 4 for 160 the question was would the batters kick on, or the bowlers pull the scoring back. Our bowlers did manage to get some more control in the latter part of the innings, assisted by some improved field placings. My approach this season has not been to tell fielders where to go, rather it has been to make suggestions, outline strategies for certain batters based on the shots we see them playing and try to get our keeper and bowlers in particular to watch batters, identify their strengths and work away from those. This remains a work on for this group of young cricketers, the reality is with bowlers working on 6 balls per over, it can be hard to target batters weaker areas consistently. In the latter part of the innings, I saw some intelligent field placings that helped pin back the rate. This was good to see. A total that at one stage was looking to be well over 250 was reduced to a more palatable 225 for 7. Extras totalled 68, top scoring.
The Syd innings struggled to get into gear, with bowlers restricting our scoring options with some good lines. The extras tally was very high, ending on 70, but outside of that the bowlers made it hard for our batters to get going. We didn’t lose a lot of wickets, but the scoring rate did not move along at anywhere near the level that we needed. Batters have been encouraged to work on keeping their shape through the shot and not trying to hit the ball to hard. It was encouraging to see a lot of good running between the wickets. This was a big work on from the early part of the season, and it has been very encouraging to see how much it has improved, especially in the last 2 games. We still have work to do on maximising the singles to keep the board ticking over, but good to see development in our decision making in this area. Ultimately, we did not score at a rate good enough early on to set a big enough base and have momentum going into the back end of the innings, and the chase was becoming a steep one from quite a long way out from the end. This afforded the fielding team the luxury of allowing a player leaving the team to have the last over. This was duly wrapped up with the highly unusual sight of a bowler and keeper, and everyone else in the slip cordon. This reminded me of an ODI back in 99/00 that I was able to see live when Australia set 9 slips as Damian Fleming had it on a string against Zimbabwe. Needless to say our batter did not edge the ball, but didn’t manage to get it away either.
Cell phones were kept handy as we watched the progress in the live test at Hagley as the Windies edged ever closer to an astonishing rear guard draw. It is good to see some of our lads taking a genuine interest in following the game outside of their own team as well.
This was a really enjoyable game. The wind was strong and got colder. But these two teams are good bunches of lads, and a strong spirit prevails in both groups.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/2025/cricket-express-year-9-white/game-centre/b276a5a3
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