TROMP TON IN VAIN IN 1-DAY FINAL – 21/22 FEBRUARY 2026
It was a weekend of mixed emotions for the Premier Men. Saturday could hardly have gone better, with Sydenham finishing day one against OBC at Elmwood in a sound position as they look to consolidate their lead in the 2-Day competition. Sunday, however, brought disappointment, as they were well beaten in the 1-Day final by Burnside West University – despite Matt Tromp registering his second century for the club in a gallant effort.
Matt Tromp
The Premier Women also enjoyed an excellent return to 1-Day cricket, boosted by the availability of first-class players. Stella Cornelius made a decisive impact against competition leaders North West, claiming an outstanding 5–12 to set up the win. She was superbly supported by an 88-run opening stand, with Megan Meltzer continuing her impressive comeback to cricket with 44, alongside Hannah Kid’s composed 32.
It proved a tougher round for the Championship and Division 2 sides, with low scores the norm across the city for those batting first on testing surfaces. In the Championship’s bottom-of-the-table clash with OBC at Sydenham Park, the visitors finished the day in control, leading by 58 runs on the first innings with six wickets in hand. Division 2 endured a rare off day, bowled out for 46. Despite Gaurav Jadhav’s spirited 5–25, Burnside West University closed 108 runs ahead with one wicket remaining.
There was better news in the afternoon grades. Division 4 Royal Challengers secured a win, with Trusharkumar Desai following up last week’s seven-wicket haul with another superb return of 6-10 against New Brighton. The Division 5 All-Stars were well served by Jacob Koster (45) and Dan Linden (42*) in their victory, while both Masters sides recorded convincing wins. Tim Hannah starred for the Cardinals with an unbeaten 69 and 4–33, and Richard McKinlay (115*) alongside Tim Suddaby (43 and 3–19) led the way for Hospital. Another standout performance came from Lily Hayston, who’s unbeaten 76 was a highlight in the Division 1 Women’s match against St Albans–Lancaster Park.
In the youth grades, both the Year 10 and 9A teams posted wins. Jay Thakar produced a top-class all-round display for the Year 10s, compiling an unbeaten 45 before claiming 5–18 in their victory over North West Youth. The Year 9As were guided by Nico Whitehead (57 and 4–15) and Lennox Spain (49*) in a strong team performance, but the 1st XI face an uphill task after day one against Shirley Boys’, despite Bayley Gardner’s impressive 5–47 in the opposition innings.
Some of the photos in this publication are also courtesy of Ash Hart’s Hartland Images.
Premier Men
2-Day match
OBC 119 & 4-3
Sydenham 185-8
The 2-Day competition resumed with Sydenham leading, but with just a handful of points separating the top four sides in contention for the title. One of those was third-placed OBC who Sydenham travelled to Elmwood Park to take on, arriving to fine conditions and a pitch and outfield seemingly unaffected by the early week and Friday night rain.
Mitch Gardner won his seventh straight toss and asked the home side to bat. However, it quickly became obvious that there was very little in the wicket or the air to encourage the bowlers, the medium pacers anyway. Equally, the docile, slow wicket wasn’t the usual Elmwood one and recognising that, the OBC openers started very cautiously, scoring at a rate below two per over.
Cullen Crowe
Then, in the 10th over, some bad communication and a slip saw Shukla run out, and then four overs later, Matt Tromp threw down the stumps to send Stevens back to join him, the score now 27-2 in the 15th over. Matt’s prowess in the field was again to the fore with the next wicket when recent century maker Holman lofted a ball from Archie Goodrick over the inner ring, and Matt, running back, dived full stretch to take the catch centimetres from the ground – undoubtedly the side’s catch of the season to date.
The introduction of off-spinner Cullen Crowe further pressured the batting side as the OBC spinners would also do to Sydenham later in the day. Runs were hard to come by, and when Cullen took his first wicket at 52-5, the run rate was less than two. Any attempt to accelerate wasn’t helped by his double strike with successive deliveries in the 35th over at 68-7, and the introduction of Srirag Harish, the other off spinner. Pascal and Mockford managed 30’s each in the middle and lower order as OBC were finally bowled out for 199 in the 58th over. With the wicket providing some good turn, the two slows in Cullen Crowe (3-42) and Srirag Harish (2-29) were the pick of the bowlers.
Jacob Cotter
Sydenham openers Jacob Cotter and Jackson Hemingway’s 1st wicket partnership of 56 ensured there would be no real jitters in getting to a 1st innings lead. Both players showed intent, and when Jacob was first out for 30 in the 10th over with the score at 56-1, the side was on track. Jackson fell shortly after for 26, and then quickly and cheaply, Aarush Bhagwat and Ryan Wallace. Matt Tromp and Brandon Matzopoulos got the side almost to the OBC total before Matt was out for 22.
Intent on forcing the game, Sydenham pushed for quick runs to allow time for a late burst at OBC. When a couple of wickets fell with only a slender lead, the plan was momentarily in jeopardy. However, a fluent 51-run partnership off just 45 balls between Matzopoulos and Gardner restored control. Matzopoulos’ well-constructed 45 from 47 balls, and Gardner’s unbeaten 28 from 30, lifted Sydenham to 185–8 declared – a lead of 66.
Brandon Matzopoulos
There was still time for nine overs before stumps, and Sydenham ensured they were nine telling overs. Gardner and Agnew combined to dramatic effect, reducing OBC to 4–3 by the close. Two wickets were claimed behind the wicket, including a superb full-length diving catch from Aarush Bhagwat that capped an excellent day in the field.
Thanks to umpires Gavin Fantastic & Altamash Askari
Full scoreboard & video highlights: https://live.nvplay.com/nz?tab=m_scorecard#m2c387d65-3b30-4ded-9b98-b02dab49a5f5
1-Day FINAL
Sydenham 194 (45.5 overs)
BWU 195-2 (28.2 overs)
Sydenham were well beaten when they took on the top qualifier Burnside West at Burnside Park in the 1-Day final. On a bright sunny day with the park and wicket looking a picture, Sydenham won the toss and elected to bat first.
The innings began in the worst possible fashion, with both openers dismissed inside three overs, leaving the score at 6–2. Matt Tromp and Aarush Bhagwat responded calmly, rebuilding with a composed 73-run third-wicket partnership. Bhagwat’s tidy 25 ended at 79–3, but Tromp, joined by Ryan Wallace, continued the recovery with a further 75-run stand. Tromp’s innings was a model of control and patience by Matt’s standards. Rarely flustered, he steadily built towards his second century of the season, eventually raising his bat for a superb 101 from 88 balls.
Matt Tromp
At 154-3 into the 29th over, the pressure was all on BWU. However, that was as good as it got for Sydenham as BWU fought back strongly. Ryan Wallace was next out at 154-4 for 20 off 31 balls, and then followed Matt, much to the delight of the Burnside players. It was the next 20 overs that really cost the side, with none of the remaining batsmen able to reach double figures as the side stumbled to be all out for 194 in the 46th over.
Ryan Wallace
The total was at best charitably short 50-60 runs and needed some early breakthroughs and a sub-par performance from BWU to have a chance – unfortunately, none of that came to pass as BWU’s batsmen dominated in their reply. Janett and Christie were untroubled in their opening partnership of 44 off just six overs, and then Christie and Gibb took complete control with a dominating 131-run 2nd wicket partnership. Christie was deprived of a century in the final stages when he was run out by Ryan Wallace for 88 off 79 balls, and BWU coasted home at 195-2 in the 29th over.
Mitch Gardner
Congratulations to Burnside West for a dominant 1-day campaign, where they went through unbeaten and were again worthy winners of the title, remaining the benchmark for other sides. For Sydenham, despite the disappointing result, as beaten finalists, the players might well reflect on the vast improvement from last season’s underwhelming campaign, where only one win came from their seven pool matches
Thanks to umpires Matthew Hill & Darren Thomason
Full scoreboard & video highlights: https://live.nvplay.com/play/?tab=m_scorecard#m3b3b932f-bfce-4e01-b1e6-fe89bfc93a62
Premier Women
North West Women 122 (40 overs)
Sydenham 123-7 (33.5 overs)
After winning the toss, Sydenham elected to bowl. With a bowling attack consisting of nine pace bowlers and one spinner, Sydenham set out aggressively in search of early wickets. A superb catch at mid-off by Anna Swan removed NW’s opening batter, and an excellent spell from Stella Cornelius accounted for the number three. However, Sydenham struggled to break the partnership between Kate Irwin and Sammy Borcoski.
Stella Cornelius
In response, Sydenham introduced slow bowler Shizuka Miyaji, who bowled Kate Irwin to make the breakthrough. From there, Sydenham’s bowlers continued to take wickets consistently, eventually dismissing NW for 122. Stella Cornelius delivered an outstanding performance, claiming five wickets.
Anna Swan
Sydenham’s chase began with Hannah Kidd and Megan Meltzer. Although boundaries were limited, the pair accumulated runs steadily and built a solid 88-run partnership. After Hannah and Megan were dismissed, Sydenham faced some difficulties against NW’s spinners. Nevertheless, we continued to add runs patiently and successfully chased down the target to secure the win.
This victory marks Sydenham’s third consecutive win
Thanks to umpires Shreyash Kalyan & Alan Hill
Championship
Sydenham 126 (55.3 overs)
OBC 184-4 (44 overs)
Following heavy overnight rain, conditions at Sydenham Park presented a challenging surface, with a soft wicket expected to produce inconsistent “tennis-ball” bounce. Winning the toss was always going to be crucial, and OBC made the correct call in electing to bowl first.
Sydenham suffered an early setback when Adhi Suganthi was caught at second slip. However, the next phase belonged to the home side. Nathanael Paltridge (29 off 31) and Michael Robinson (24 off 34) counterattacked effectively, punishing anything short and lifting the scoring rate to 50/1 after 10 overs.
The momentum shifted when OBC introduced Scott Willoughby, whose disciplined spell of 10 overs, 3 maidens, 1/16—with the keeper standing up—tightened the scoring and brought key control to the innings, including the wicket of Dylan McArdle. Sydenham struggled to rebuild thereafter. Tom McDonald showed resilience with 21 (79), and a valuable 10th-wicket stand between Bruno Moriarty (7 off 34) and Makenzie Thomson (12* off 29) added 20 crucial runs, pushing the total to 124 from 55 overs. After reaching 50/1 early, a total in the 180–200 range had looked achievable, leaving Sydenham slightly under par.
Dylan McArdle
With the surface drying and the wind strengthening, early wickets were essential. Dylan McArdle stepped up with the new ball in Bruno Moriarty’s absence through illness and struck twice early to keep Sydenham’s hopes alive. OBC’s reply was anchored by an outstanding all-round performance from Ben Stephen, who followed his 4/24 with a composed 71 (108). Alongside him, Ben Breitmeyer produced a patient 55 (107)* as the pair steadied the innings and guided OBC to a commanding 4/184 off 44 overs, securing a first-innings lead of 58. Sydenham toiled hard late in the day, creating a couple of difficult chances that went to ground. Positives included Josh Wedlake’s return, claiming 1/25 from 7 overs, while Jordin Last-Harris contributed 1/45 (7).
Jordin Last-Harris
OBC’s innings was built on patience and discipline, with two batters facing more than 100 deliveries to compile measured half-centuries. Heading into the final phase, Sydenham’s focus will be on limiting further damage early with the ball before the batting group applies itself on what should be an improved surface second time around.
Division 2
Match report courtesy of Todd Ward
Sydenham 46
BWU 154-9
Our restart to the 2-day comp heavily depended on the toss after a damp night left the pitch soft and lively. We lost the toss and were sent into bat. Burnside’s bowlers were on the money from ball one, extracting the most from the pitch and the swing through the air. Before long, we were 9 for 6 after 10-ish overs and in sorts of trouble. Todd Ward and Ben Mason dug in and tried to steady the innings, leaving the wide balls and defending anything straight. We survived another 10 overs before Ben’s dismissal brought about the end of our resistance with only me (10 off 55) and Ben (13 off 34) making it to double figures, as we were bowled out for 46 inside 26 overs.
Nathan Chin
Our bowling started well with Udi Upadhyay (1 for 19 off 5) and Cadel Durdin (0 for 12 off 5) looking threatening and extracting good movement with the ball. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to be as relentless with the accuracy of our bowling and allowed Burnside to release pressure with the odd boundary. At 100 for 1 after 20 odd overs, we were staring down the barrel of a 150+ run deficit. However, we were determined to keep up the fight and make them work for it. Nathan Chin (3 for 55 off 12) struck first, removing the explosive Thomas Inder for 83 from 69. That swung momentum our way and we kept our fielding sharp to keep taking our chances and soon Gaurav Jadhav (5 for 25 off 7) joined in on the action and had a quick couple wickets to see Burnside stutter to 130 for 6. Gaurav then finished off the innings by taking 3 more wickets in quick succession to bring up his 5-wicket haul before Burnside declared on 154 for 9, with a lead of 108.
That left us 23 overs to bat in our second innings before the end of the day. It was all about survival and Sam Johns and Issac Tutts did just that. Issac’s dismissed brought Nathan to the crease who also defended well and almost saw the day out before being bowled after facing 34 deliveries. Todd and Sam then saw out the rest of the days play, 25 for 2 after 23 overs, trailing by 83.
The day was also notable in that it was the 200th Sydenham match for club stalwart Cameron Spriggs.
Division 3 Tamils – LOST
Match report courtesy of David Jayapaul
Sydenham 59 (28.1 overs)
Merivale Papanui 60-0 (6.2 overs)
In Round 14 at Centennial Park 1, Sydenham Tamil Pasanga faced Merivale Papanui Bar 185 Div 3 in testing conditions. Papanui won the toss and elected to field first on a damp pitch following the previous day’s rain. The wet surface made batting extremely challenging, with uneven bounce and slow movement off the pitch. Tamil Pasanga struggled to settle and were bowled out for 59 runs in 28.1 overs. Dinesh Raja Chandran was the only batter to reach double figures, scoring 17, while the rest of the lineup fell for single digits under disciplined bowling.
By the afternoon, the pitch had dried out and became much more suitable for batting. Chasing a modest target, Papanui dominated from the start. Akki Ricky played an explosive innings, smashing 39 runs off just 18 balls*, while another Papanui batter remained unbeaten on 15 runs from 22 balls*. The pair guided the team home comfortably in just 6 overs without losing a wicket, sealing a comprehensive victory.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202526/mens-division-3/game-centre/b4bafdc0
Division 4 Goats – LOST
Match report courtesy of Joe Taylor
Sydenham 73 (25 overs)
BWU 77-1 (15.1 overs)
With the regular season wrapped up with the Goats taking it out with a game in hand we ventured to Centennial 2 for our annual” have a go day”. Last time we played here nearly 500 runs were scored due to the lightning quick outfield. What greeted us today was a lush green wicket and outfield with a nice paddling pool half way on the walk to the pitch. Nonetheless, we all picked cards to determine our batting order, and without a toss being needed, as we all wanted to bat.
Full of confidence, with a virtually reversed order, George got us off to a good start hitting Burnside’s poster boy for 8 off 5 deliveries before getting cleaned up. Wickets seemed to tumble regularly while Chris “can’t do any wrong” Douglas, promoted to open, ticking the runs over with ease. Kyle joined him for a decent period before being hastily fired. Not a lot else happened for us. ending up bowled out for 73.
Time to bowl, we planned for everyone to get two overs each, with the guys batting lowest getting to bowl. This meant most of our usual batsmen with ball in hand. Burnside relished plenty of half trackers and double bounced deliveries knocking the runs off, 1 down, in short time. This is when the real magic happened.
Early beers, good chat- the poster boys included and Ollie’s tender and tasty meat handled expertly by Geordie and Joe. That is BBQ meat for those wondering. A filling and enjoyable early finish with plenty of cold ones topped off with a good feed eases any loss in the Goats camp with a relief of already taking out the round robin.
Its not all just about the cricket
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202526/mens-division-4/game-centre/9ff9da0b
Division 4 Royal Challengers – WON
Match report courtesy of Lathish TM
New Brighton 79 (31.2 overs)
Sydenham Tamils 84-4 (19.3 overs)
Sydenham Div 4 Royal Challengers won the toss and elected to bowl. NBCC struggled against a disciplined Royal Challengers bowling attack and were bowled out for 79 in 31.2 overs. Only one batter showed resistance with 35 (52 balls), while the rest of the lineup found it difficult to build partnerships.
The Royal Challengers bowlers dominated:
- Trusharkumar Desai: 6 wickets for 10 runs (8 overs) – an outstanding spell that broke the backbone of NBCC’s batting.
- Lathish TM: 2 for 9 in 6.1 overs – tight and economical opening spell.
- Anand Krishnamohan Beena: 2 for 12 in 5 overs – excellent support with controlled bowling.
- Basil John: 1 wicket for 8 runs.
NBCC were eventually dismissed for 79, setting a modest target of 80 runs.
Royal Challengers chased the target calmly, reaching 84/4 in 19.3 overs to secure victory.
Key contributions:
- Trusharkumar Desai: unbeaten 29* (33 balls, 5 fours) – anchored the chase after the early wickets.
- Binish: solid 23 (31 balls) to give the team a steady start.
- Late cameo of Alay 11* off just 3 balls sealed the match in style.
Sydenham Div 4 Royal Challengers won by 6 wickets with the Player of the Match being Trusharkumar Desai with a brilliant 6/10 with the ball and 29 with the bat*, an all-round match-winning performance.]
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202526/mens-division-4/game-centre/2888c28c
Division 5 All-Stars – WON
No match report available
Ohoka 125 (26.4 overs)
Sydenham (127-4 (32.1 overs)
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202526/mens-division-5/game-centre/e0a9365a
Masters Cardinals – WON
Match report courtesy of Paul Bennett
Heathcote-LP 148-9 (40 overs)
Sydenham 152-6 (34.3 overs)
Sydenham played LP/Heathcote at Barnett Park with the latter winning the toss, electing to bat first on a wicket greened up from the previous evening’s deluge!! LP from here on in, opened with Dowds and. McLaughlin, who, with a modicum of circumspection, rattled on to 35 before Ralphy rattled McLaughlin’s stumps. Tim Corry next in smashed his 3rd ball one bounce over the line, which showed intent from the word go. Next over Ralphy enticed Corry into a lazy cover drive to be caught by of all people Amaar at cover. Ralphy consoled Tim Corry with a quiet cuddle telling him he was the unluckiest player on the park!!!! Drinks break saw Park at 65/2 on a slow, unpredictable, bouncy wicket. Bring on Mr Golden Balls himself, aka Tim Hannan, who, with flight and guile, bamboozled the Park middle order, including the wicket of Dowds, with a stunning one-handed, low-down, circumventing the non-striker, caught and bowled. Dowds gone for 34. Apart from Menasis with a hard hit 25 and believe you me it was hard hit as the author’s hand found out whilst sticking his left hand out foolishly, the resistance was minimal. Unlike the previous weeks’ bowling attack the Syds bowlers stuck admirably to their task: Ralphy 2/22 off 8, Sagar2/42 off 8, Paul Smith after a leg side trap first over 0/16 off 6, Phil Weapon Walker 0/18 off 8, Golden Balls Hannan an outstanding 4/33 off 8 including a magnificent run out! Richard McKendry 0/9 with a couple of deliveries, unlucky not to snaffle a wicket.
Half-time skipper James negotiated a switch with the LP skipper, so he inserted Wildy in lieu of PB, who had sustained a calf muscle injury in the field, not unusual for the Bennett clan!!!! Wildy, being slightly less injured than PB, proceeded to clout various balls to the boundary with aplomb. Skipper James missed a flick right in front to depart early as did Phil the weapon Walker who chopped one on to his stumps. 18/2. Anak top-edged one to be well caught at square leg, 41/3. Enter our Jordanian overseas player Ammar Yousef, taking a liking to some half volleys outside off as well as wanting a chat with Wildy 3/4s of the way down the track with the ball in the keeper’s hand!!! 55/3 saw Wildy miss one through the gate. Enter the man himself Mr Tim Hannan who had taunted the LP batsmen now savaging their bowlers. An outstanding piece of batting with that wonderful score of 69 (a meal for 2)ably supported by Ralphy saw us home 6 down with 8 overs to spare.
A game played in great spirits on a cold easterly breeze. MOM Old golden balls himself Mr Tim Hannan with 4/33 and 69n.o. Thoroughly deserved. An outstanding piece of batting with that wonderful score of 69 (a meal for ably supported by Ralphy saw us home 6 down with 8 overs to spare.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202526/joes-garage-masters-bottom-7/game-centre/923080e8
Masters Hospital – WIN
Match report courtesy of Bruce Day
Ohoka 192-8 (40 overs)
Sydenham 195-6 (39.1 overs)
Hospital travelled to Mandeville to take on a strong looking Ohoka Originals lineup. Ohoka won the toss and decided to bat. Good start Rahul Mukherjee picking up wickets in each of his first 2 overs. Ohoka knuckled down picking off the bad balls for 4 and good decisive running between wickets. Wickets came when the push for quick runs in the last 10 overs with Ohoka finishing on 192 for 8. Rahul, Tim Suddaby and Jim Simpson sharing the wickets.
Hospital like Ohoka lost 2 wickets in the first 3 overs before Richard McKinlay and Tim settled into a long partnership, Richard especially strong on the pull shot on anything short. Tim went for 43 with the score at 125, a busy partnership between Richard and Wrik before a flutter of wickets, taking us to the last over needing 2 runs, Richard belted the first ball for to finish the game on 115 not out, a win by four wickets.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202526/joes-garage-masters-bottom-7/game-centre/de89be26
T20 Cavalier Cardinals – LOST
Match report courtesy of Jamie Livingstone
Sydenham 121-6 (20 overs)
St Albans 122-3 (11.5 overs)
The Cardinals pulled up to a windswept nursery grounds, putting their unbeaten section two on the line against a traditionally strong St Albans outfit. Things started well with skipper Stokes winning the toss and opting to bat. With Jezza running slightly late, Manny jumped from 9 to 1 and he kicked things off with Wolfy. Wolfy was the first wicket to fall to a good catch at square leg. Manny made the most of his rise up the order looking good before unfortunately having to retire hurt. Bam and debutant Hendo both looked in a decent knick before an optimistic call for a quick single saw Hendo depart. Bam followed soon after along with Cole. Webby had a dash striking at 200 before leaving Stokesy and Jezza to put on a 43 run partnership to see the Cardinals through to a below par 121.
Wolfy struck in the first over of the St Albans innings to ignite hope, but this was quickly diminished with the St Albans batters tucking into anything slightly short or wide. Bam bowled some tidy stuff for no reward and Hendo bowled an excellent spell picking up a late wicket. In the end though St Albans got home comfortably.
Special mention to Webby for making the trip back from Queenstown to turn out and to Hendo for an excellent debut. The Cardinals will need to dust themselves down and go again next week. The path to defending their section two title now clearly having a St Albans shaped obstacle in the road.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202526/cavaliers-section-2-t20/game-centre/cf7eae73
T20 Gujarat Kings – LOST
Match report courtesy of Yash Patel
Sydenham 133-8 (19 overs)
BWU 134-4 (16 overs)
The Gujarat Kings posted 133-8 in their 20 overs after being put under pressure early. The innings was anchored by Yash Patel (28) and Ankit Patel (27), who steadied things in the middle overs. Arya Baxi (18) added valuable runs to push the total towards a defendable score. Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, the Kings fought hard to ensure a competitive target.
Defending 133, the bowlers showed great intent and discipline. Dhananjay Trivedi, Arya Baxi, Milind Thakkar and Dhaval Patel taking 1 wicket each. Each bowler contributed with breakthroughs to keep the contest alive, but Tunnel Wash BWU managed to chase the target down with wickets in hand.
While the result didn’t go our way, the effort and fight shown by the team was commendable. The Kings will regroup, sharpen key areas, and come back stronger in the next fixture. 👑💪
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202526/cavaliers-section-3-t20/game-centre/8f4d07eb
Division 1 Women Blue – WON
Match Report is Unavailable
Sydenham 125-4 (20 overs)
St Albans/LP 113-5 (20 overs)
Brooke Robinson
Division 1 Women Red – LOST
Match Report is Unavailable
Sydenham 91-6 (20 overs)
NWWC 92-6 (18.1 overs)
Youth First XI – 1st Day
Match report courtesy of Daniel Herd
Shirley Boys HS 231
Sydenham 77 & 8-2
Day One of this two-day fixture, played across consecutive Saturdays at Sydenham Park, proved a tough examination for Sydenham Youth 1st XI, who will resume next weekend in a difficult spot after being asked to follow on.
After winning the toss and bowling, Sydenham made the ideal start. Bayley Gardner was outstanding with the new ball, reducing Shirley to 2/1, and also bowled very well later in the innings to claim 5/47 off 13 overs. The innings, however, turned on a significant middle-order partnership – as Sydenham could only muster one wicket in 34 overs, missing some key catches that could have changed the course of the game. Sydenham players don’t give up and, from 3/171, Shirley were bowled out for 231 in 51 overs. Gardner was supported by Quinn Helms (2/51) and Harry Durdin (2/27) to apply pressure and ensure Sydenham were still in the game. Special mention to leg-spinner, Benjamin Williams (1/22 off 5 overs) who made his 1st XI debut, got his maiden wicket and took his first catch for the team.
Cam Fairhall
In response, Sydenham found runs hard to come by against accurate bowling and were dismissed for 77 in 39.3 overs. Durdin (11), Dhruv Arvindkumar (22) and William Herd (16) fought hard in the middle order, but wickets fell way too regularly. Asked to follow on late in the day, Sydenham reached 8/2 from 9 overs at stumps. Cameron Fairhall (2*) left and defended with discipline and the nightwatchman, Quinn Helms (0*), provided support in seeing out the day.
Will Herd
With a full day still to play, the focus will now be on patience, partnerships and disciplined shot selection as Sydenham look to dig in and work hard to save a match for the second match in a row.
Youth Second XI – LOST
Match report courtesy of Dayle Kinzett
CBHS 94 (33.5 overs)
Sydenham 76 (34.2 overs)
Sydenham played Christchurch Boys HS Dev XI, @ Hagley Corner No.5 which is a grass wicket, where runs have been at a premium all season. After an hour’s delay, we won the toss and naturally 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. Will Johns (3-21 off 9overs) and Austen Grant (3-26 off 10overs) knocked the top off Boys Highs batting order to have them 18 – 5. Then came good spells from Daniel Barcaly (2-22 off 6overs) and Om Patel (1-10 off 4overs) to have them in all sorts of trouble at 53-8. During this period even though we did take 6 catches we dropped just as many, including their top scoring batsman on 1 who went on to make 44, where we finally bowled Boys High out in the 34 th over for 94, which realistically was 40+ more than it could have been.
Even though we were only chasing 94 to win, we still knew at the break we were still in for a challenge, with the wicket still offering assistance and Boys high having a good bowling attack. And so it proved, even with the team knuckling down well to fight hard for the win, we were still 51-4, after a resilient effort by Eli Helms opening the batting with 12 off 65 balls, 7 Neil Thakkar 13 off 35 balls. But after losing wickets in clumps from then on we were finally bowled out in the 35 th over for 75, still 19 runs short.
It was a tight match against one of the leading sides in the competition, but definitely one that got away from us.
Youth Third XI – BYE
Bye Week
Youth Year 10 – WON
Match report courtesy of Mark Williams
Sydenham 90 (33 overs)
North West Youth 74 (23.2 overs)
NW won the toss and had no hesitation on putting us in on a pitch where mowing and use of a roller look to have been optional extras – we have played on some doozies over the years, but this one was not good at all. The surface had long grass, was uneven, felt spongy in places and promised tough times for batters. We spotted a roller in the distance, but after both teams discussed it we decided we might accidently injure a player dragging it over, and as it turned out none of us had packed a lawn mower so we had to use the surface we had. A cloudy sky above was clearing and a stiffening breeze across the field promised prodigious swing if bowlers were able to get their actions going and release points right. An enormous boundary on one side also offered plenty of singles for batters who were sensible about their calling.
The pitch proved to be exactly as we had expected – very challenging, with balls keeping low regularly and the odd one spitting up. An absolute Jaffer of a delivery got through Ruan early on – sharp, late swing proved unplayable. Our innings was immediately under strain in the face of an impressive opening spell of bowling from both ends – the 2 pacemen kept the pressure on and scoring was pretty much impossible early on. 1 for 1, became 2 for 9 then 3 for 9 off an excellent slip catch, taken low diving forwards. A disastrous run out then occurred – with both our batters at the same end, allowing time for the fielders to completely hash the run out the first time, then drop it and still have a chance to fetch the ball and take the bails off. Chris received another Jaffer to lose his stumps and this meant we were 5 for 10 and staring down a very early finish. Aidan Sanford and Jay then found some fight and they dug in, playing out the straight balls and accumulating where possible. Some strong hook shots pushed the confident field back a bit. When Aidan fell at 33, Jay was joined by Ethan. What followed was an intelligent period of play from these 2, they realised that the danger on this pitch was full and straight, anything short was sitting up, especially from the bowlers with less pace. Ethan fed the strike to Jay well, and between them they gave us some sort of hope, moving the total past 50 and by the time Ethan got out we had 82 on the board. The remaining wickets fell quickly though, leaving us all out for 90. Considering we were 5 for 10 earlier on, this represented a decent recovery – and we knew how hard batting had been on that pitch. Jay’s 45 not out was an innings of grit and determination, with solid defence punctuated by powerful striking to leg side – a score of 45 here was as good as 70 or 80 on a better deck. This was a day when scoring rates were not relevant though.
The message to the boys was simple. Full and straight, challenge the stumps, use the swing on offer and let the pitch do the work – we knew that take early wickets and we are in the game. Our opening bowlers immediately found pace, swing and plenty of assistance from the pitch. Jay, Chris and Ruan hit the right areas and tore the top order apart, sending back each of the first 3 batters for ducks. An excellent direct hit run out from Jay sent their #4 off for another duck. Ruan was unlucky not to have picked up wickets but the pressure told and in an exact repeat of our own batting, we had NW reeling at 5 for 10. Jonathan then produced an excellent run out throwing whilst on the ground for a direct hit from side on to leave NW at 6 for 32. The pressure released slightly as we rotated our bowlers and a series of chances went begging – either not going to hand or being completely lost up in the sun. Next, similar to our innings, a mini recovery occurred, before Ethan held a difficult chance off a well struck hook shot to pocket wicket number 7 with 51 on the board. Jay then wrapped up his excellent spell picking up the last leg of a deserved fifer, and the score was 8 for 65. Jay’s 8 overs included 4 maidens and cost only 18 runs whilst garnering 5 wickets. Chris then returned to the attack and picked up the remaining 2 wickets in consecutive balls to wrap up the innings at 74. All round the boys impressed us with the fight they showed, and overall they probably deserved the win. A 16 run margin in such a low scoring game is actually more than it looks.
A bowler’s day indeed. An interesting stat for this game was the number of batters out bowled. Syd innings saw 5 castled, whilst NW innings saw 7 batters lose their stumps. Both teams produced a veritable flock of ducks – 11 batters not troubling the scorers. When bowlers pitched it up and got their line right, there were rich pickings to be had.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/2026/cricket-express-year-10/game-centre/3efacc53
Year 9A – WON
Match report courtesy of Matt Barlow
Sydenham 227-9 (40 overs)
Selwyn Banks Peninsula 82 (23.2 overs)
This week saw the Sydenham 9A team take on Selwyn-Banks Peninsula at Cashmere High School. Both teams were coming off wins in round one. Sydenham won the toss and elected to bat. Selwyn’s opening bowlers came out firing and picked up a wicket in the 2nd over. Hamish Ferguson and Nico Whitehead then put together a 60 run partnership before Ferguson was run out. Whitehead continued to keep the run rate healthy, bringing up a fine 50 before being dismissed for 57 from 44 balls. Selwyn then picked up a couple of quick wickets. Joel Barlow added a run a ball 20 before also being dismissed. Lennox Spain played another controlled innings while wickets fell reasonably regularly at the other end. Spain finished on 49* as he and Charlie Paton saw the team through to the end of the 40th over and the team total 227 for 9.
Nico Whitehead
After the change of innings, the Sydenham lads came out full of energy. Fine opening spells from Joel Learman (2-14) and Nico Whitehead (4-15) had Selwyn reeling at 15 for 5, Learman taking 2 wickets with his left arm pace and Whitehead 3 wickets within the first 6 overs. Some clever variations from Hamish Ferguson, along with tight fielding kept Selwyn pinned down and searching for runs. Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals with Ferguson, Whitehead and Joel Barlow each picking up wickets. An inspired bowling change saw Lucas Napier pick up 2 wickets in 2 balls to dismiss the last of Selwyn’s batters, all out for 82
Lennox Spain
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/2026/cricket-express-year-9-red/game-centre/6ee538bd
Year 9B – LOST
Match report courtesy of Sarah Freeman
Ashburton College 154-5 (35 overs)
Sydenham 127 (29.5 overs)
Great day for a road trip to Ashburton. Our boys had a great practise this week and were ready to take on the challenge of a new game. A few new members to our team were warmly welcomed. Boys fielded first and did an outstanding job keeping the runs down early on. First time using the pink ball which they handled well. A stellar job by Jack Thompson today who has taken on the responsibility of captain and is making great leadership decisions for his team. Today he had great figures with the ball with 3 wickets for 14 off 5 overs.
We started our batting strong and the boys fought hard with some great partnerships. A tight finish and today without a win but lots to be proud of and we take a lot away from the game into the coming weeks.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/2026/cricket-express-year-9-red/game-centre/6ee538bd
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