TITLE RACE SET FOR FINAL-DAY SHOWDOWN
The Premier Men did the job on the first day of the last round of the season against St Albans, finishing the day 111-runs ahead on the 1st innings with three wickets still in hand. However, second-placed Heathcote also had a very good day, dominating Burnside at Heathcote Domain and getting well placed to take maximum points next week. Dylan McArdle led Sydenham’s effort with three 1st innings wickets, backed up later in the day with an invaluable unbeaten half-century.
It was a tougher day for the Premier Women and Championship teams: the Women were bundled out for just 53 against OBC on Sydenham 1, losing by seven wickets; and although details and scorecards are scarce, the Champs are about 50-60 runs behind on the 1st innings of their match against Saints.
The Division 2 lads had a brilliant day at Denton Oval with Sam Johns scoring his maiden morning grade century to take Sydenham to 226-3, and then MacKenzie Kirk further impressed with a 5-25 effort that enabled the home side to ask Hornby to follow on – in their 2nd innings Hornby are in trouble at 25-5.
The afternoon grades also produced some excellent results, highlighted by the Division 4 Goats’ semi-final victory at Bradford Park, which secures their place in next week’s final. Defending a modest total of 103, the Goats delivered a superb bowling display led by Jesse Marks 4–31, Abe Atherton 3–11 and Geordie Dann 2–24. Other winners included the Division 5 All-Stars, T20 Gujarat Kings and the Masters Cardinals, with Jacob Koster’s 69 and David Fleming’s 5–29 standout performances for the Cardinals.
Yr10’s Hridayman Sharma
The Youth 1st XI also enjoyed an outstanding day on Sydenham 3, with Rueben Williamson’s superb 5–25 helping dismiss Christ’s College for just 50 and giving Sydenham a 1st innings lead of 122 after the first day. The Year 9s had the bye, but the 9Bs secured a convincing six-wicket win over St Bede’s thanks to Kobe Freeman’s 3–18 and a strong team batting performance. Other notable individual efforts included a hat-trick from Yr 10’s Hridayman Sharma, Rupert Nielsen’s all-round contribution (22 and 3–28) for the 2nd XI, and James Gross’s 45 for the 3rd XI.
Some of the photos in this publication are also courtesy of Ash Hart’s Hartland Images.
Premier Men
St Albans 133
Sydenham 244-7
The Premier Men went into their final match of the season against St Albans at the Nursery Oval holding a useful 16-point lead on the competition table, but knowing an outright win or a strong haul of bonus points would be required to secure the title. By stumps, they had taken a significant step towards that goal, although the championship will still be decided next week.
Mitch Gardner continued his recent success at the toss and had no hesitation in asking St Albans to bat first on a typically true-looking Nursery surface, but one that looked likely to only get better as the day progressed. The decision paid immediate dividends when Mitch snared a wicket with just the second ball of the day. Tom Agnew quickly joined the party, striking twice in his opening two overs to leave the visitors set back at 2–3. When Tom collected his third in the seventh over, Saints were in deep trouble at 13–4 and firmly on the back foot.
Tom Agnew & Dylan McArdle
Lachie Harper attempted to repair the damage with a patient innings, but Dylan McArdle maintained constant pressure from the other end, finishing with excellent figures of 3–17 as the middle order struggled to build meaningful partnerships. At 79–8 St Albans looked in danger of falling short of three figures, however a determined late stand from Ian Souness and No.11 Ellison lifted the total to 133 in the 45th over. It was a disciplined all-round bowling effort from Sydenham, led by Tom Agnew’s 3–20 and Dylan McArdle’s highly effective spell.
Matt Tromp & Ryan Wallace
The late runs proved valuable when St Albans openers Tapper and Dry made an immediate impact with the ball, Tapper striking twice in the opening four overs to leave Sydenham under pressure at 12–2. Any early nerves were quickly allayed by a composed and increasingly authoritative third-wicket partnership between Ryan Wallace and Matt Tromp. After a watchful start, the pair accelerated as the score passed fifty, with Matt particularly dominant, launching five sixes in a superb 71 from just 59 deliveries. Ryan contributed a valuable 22 before departing at 99–3.
Matt and Brandon Matzopoulos ensured first-innings points were well within reach before Matt fell at 114–4. Brandon continued resolutely for a determined 32, while Jackson Hemingway added further stability with a well-compiled 43 from 69 balls, helping extend the lead beyond three figures. Cullen Crowe and Dylan McArdle then added late momentum, Dylan striking eight boundaries, including three sixes, as the advantage grew steadily. Cullen was dismissed shortly before the close with Sydenham well placed at 244–7 after 53 overs, holding a lead of 111 runs with three wickets in hand.
Jackson Hemingway & Brandon Matzopolous
It capped an excellent day’s work, with the Sydenham middle order building strongly on the bowlers’ efforts to maintain the side’s advantage in the title race. However, the competition remains very much alive, with second-placed Heathcote also enjoying a dominant day against Burnside West at Heathcote Domain and appearing well placed to push for maximum points next week.
Thanks to umpires David Henderson and David Stuthridge.
Full scoreboard & video highlights: https://live.nvplay.com/nz?tab=m_scorecard#m06fef3d6-02a6-4168-b23c-844377bb6aed
Premier Women
Sydenham 53
OBC 55-3
Championship
No match report or scorecard
Makenzie Thomson 5-25
Division 2
Match report courtesy of Todd Ward
Sydenham 226-3
Hornby 72 & 25-5
When Sydenham arrived at Denton Park we were greeted with the sight of a hard dry ground and pitch. We won the toss and decided that putting runs on the board was the best way to take control of the game. Sydenham started cautiously as we soon found out how the dry dust bowl was going to play. Balls were popping from nowhere or rolling through. Sam Johns and Freddie Windsor were solid in defense and looked to take the singles on offer, before Freddie broke through with a few powerful strikes just before the tenth over. Freddie was caught a while later after making a handy 30. That brought Skipper Todd Ward to the crease to join Sam. Sydenham continued on taking singles as the spinners were on and the field had spread. The variable bounce made it hard to time the ball, and the large boundaries made scoring tough. But Todd and Sam kept ticking over the score, making it to 130 before Todd was dismissed for 32 after 32 overs.
From there, we were looking to capitalise on the wickets left in hand and take on the bowling. Gaurav Jadhav started slowly, but was soon hitting the ball hard and finding the boundary alongside Sam. They worked hard to push the score past 200 in the 42nd over with Sam nearing his century. In the final over, Sam required 7 to reach the milestone. He then stepped across to the offside and lapped a ball for 4, then cut a ball through to the deep point boundary and ran 3. He finished with a composed and hard-fought 100* alongside Gaurav, who made a very important 41, taking us to 226.
The Sydenham bowling started brilliantly with Mackenzie Kirk (5 for 23 off 10) trapping 2 consecutive batsmen in front of the stumps to erase any memory of last game’s umpiring woes. We were up from there and never looked back. Cadell Durdin (2 for 23 off 8 ) at the other end bowled well and picked up 2 wickets of his own to leave Hornby reeling at 16 for 4 after 8. We never let up the pressure as Mackenzie relentlessly pitched the ball up and let the pitch do the work. Udi Upadhyay (2 for 19 off 6) joined in on the action with some quality bowling of his own before Richard Howe (1 for 5 off 2) came in and tied down his end. Udi finished the job in the 23rd over clean bowling yet another batsmen to leave Hornby all put for 72.
Sydenham enforced the follow-on, and soon it was business as usual as Udi (1 for 5 off 3) had another clean bowled and we continued on where we left off. Cadell (1 for 1 off 2) had another wicket of his own, before I brought on Richard (1 for 10 off 4) and Ajith (2 for 1 off 3) to finish off the day. They both bowled brilliantly and really drove home our advantage to leave Hornby in serious trouble at 25 for 5 after 13, 129 behind at the end of play.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202526/mens-division-2-red/game-centre/624288a8
Division 3 Tamils – LOST
Match report unavailable
Marist Harewood 236-8 (40 overs)
Sydenham 106 (23.5 overs)
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202526/mens-division-3-top-4/game-centre/ff66aa02
Division 4 Goats – WON
Match report courtesy of Andrew Douglas
Semi-Final
Sydenham 103 (26.1 overs)
New Brighton 88 (36.2 overs)
Cars, Fifty shades, Deadpool and the Goats vs New Brighton. All have one thing in common, they probably didn’t need a third instalment… (Just ask Tony). As tempting as copy and pasting the last two reports was, here we go. The injury list is growing, the season break can’t come soon enough with Kyle arriving in a moon boot due to poor in home cable management. Bradford Park awaited, the only thing changing week to week being the ground. Joe lost the toss again. Told to bat again. Goats collapse pending, why bother changing the plot?
Opening up, Joe (43) and George. There was mild positivity with a dash of “can we bothered” on the boundary, as we knew what New Brighton did inside and out from back to back losses. Positivity turned to negativity with George falling first ball and Joe S soon after. This negativity became positive at the prospect of an early finish to catch the Warriors. Andrew (34) joined Joe at 2/10 to steady the innings, the pair putting on 57 for the third wicket at good clip. Another positive start, queue the collapse. Dan L (9) finally back after a multitude of stags, his reward? The best view in the house. Once Joe departed at 86/4. The middle order struggled, losing our last 6 wickets for 17 runs.
With only 103 on the board, we were up against it. Abe (3/11) and Chris (0/4) putting potentially the best opening spell we’ve seen this year, leaving NBCC 13/2 off almost as many overs. Geo (2/24) and Jesse (4/31) the self proclaimed “strike bowler” continued the good work. Jesse quite literally steaming in with a cloud of vape trailing behind him punched holes in NBCC’s chase. 46/5 at drinks wasn’t half bad. Post drinks disaster. Like any pointless sequel there’s an unnecessary plot twist. Chris fielding a ball, slipped, twisted, cracked and popped what could only be his knee. Carried off unable to finish his 8 with only the stand in captain to blame for not bowling him through earlier. Wickets continued to fall, but New Brighton’s tail dug in taking the innings deep. Joe (1/8) claiming the 10th wicket in the 37th over to give the Goats a win by 15 runs.
Was the third game in three weeks against the same team a flop? Arguably not. A hearty bowling effort got us over the line. Should we know their bowling attack well enough by now not to collapse in a semi to squeak through to the final? Probably. Did someone say final on Sydenham 1? Might’ve been Ollie, but dreams are free.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202526/mens-division-4/game-centre/09b310aa
Division 4 Royal Challengers – LOST
Match report courtesy of Lathish TM
Semi-Final
Sydenham 65 (20.3 overs)
BWU 69-3 (17.2 overs)
Tunnel Wash BWU Tigers won the toss and elected to bowl first — a decision that proved to be spot on given what followed. It was a tough outing for the Royal Challengers with the bat, as they struggled to build partnerships and gain momentum throughout the innings. Early wickets put the side under pressure, and unfortunately, that trend continued right through. John Cowley was the standout performer with the ball, delivering a sensational spell of 7 wickets for 21 runs in 8 overs, dismantling the batting lineup almost single-handedly. His accuracy and consistency made scoring extremely difficult.
Shyam Narayanankutty
The top order failed to fire, with only brief contributions: Shyam Karuthedath Narayanankutty showed some resistance with 11 off 26 balls, Ajith Sudhakaran added a valuable unbeaten 11 towards the end and Eliyas P Varghese chipped in with a quick 10 off 8 balls. However, regular wickets meant the team could only manage 65 runs, never really recovering from the early setbacks.
Sivasubramanian Natarajan
Chasing a modest total, BWU Tigers approached the innings with patience. While Sydenham bowlers showed great discipline early on, the target was always within reach. There were some positives with the ball: Lathish TM led from the front with an excellent spell of 1/7 from 5 overs, maintaining tight control, Trusharkumar Desai impressed with 2 wickets, keeping the pressure on. The Tigers were briefly tested after losing early wickets, but a composed finish sealed the game: Finn Kerr anchored the chase brilliantly with an unbeaten 26 off 23 balls, including 2 fours and 2 sixes and Jonathan Collins supported well with a steady 15 off 14 balls * The pair ensured there were no further hiccups, guiding BWU Tigers to victory in the 18th over.
Tunnel Wash BWU Tigers won by 7 wickets
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202526/mens-division-4/game-centre/9971118c
Division 5 All-Stars – WON
The Div 5 boys won by default against Halswell
Masters Cardinals – WON
Match report courtesy of Paul Bennett
Sydenham 205-8 (40 overs)
Ohoka 108 (30.1 overs)
Thursday night eight players on the team sheet, including three pensioners, for Cardinals last game of the season, the call went out for the remaining three. Jono Bennett and James Barnsey Barnes stepped up to the plate and then there were ten! Jacob Koster rode into town on Saturday morning and so 11 set out for the outback of Ohoka at the very picturesque setting of Mandeville, that is, except for PB, son and Barnsey, who proceeded to Mainpower Oval to note that Canterbury were playing there and NOT Cardinals!!! The intrepid trio thus made haste for Mandeville, arriving 3 minutes prior the first ball thus technically not late. Skipper McKay strode to the wicket with the evergreen Bert Walker and started in imperious form with 10 4s out of his total of 46. Jacob Koster joined Phil Weapon Walker, with Bert back in the hutch for a well-constructed 6, before Phil smashed one square to be well caught for a rapid 20. Jono next up was straight into his stride, including a huge straight driven 6, before attempting another to be well taken on the boundary. Barnsey was swiftly in and out, whilst in the meantime, Jacob was content to pick off the bowling with some delightful hitting. Anak was sadly adjudged LBW for likely the fifth game in a row for a quick fire 7, to be replaced by Tom Hannam for an equally swift but classic 10. Paul Smith and Flem finished the innings off unparted for Cardinals 205/8 feeling they were maybe 30 runs shy on a lightning outfield!! The author here notes that this was Flem’s 100th n.o. in Pressies cricket, a momentous occasion!!!! Red dot specialist.
Into the field strode the magnificent 11 with Phil and Jacob opening from either end. Ohoka having drawn the batting order out of a hat looked confident from the start until Phil tickled the edge for skipper McKay to grab a half decent snaffle. Tom Hannan replaced Phil at the river end and was tidy from the outset with figures of 1/18 from his 6 overs. Cometh the hour cometh the man who celebrated 100 not outs in Pressies cricket, Flem giving the team a masterclass in spin bowling including how to hold a ball to the other 10 every time he took a wicket!!! Suffice to say our international rep ripped the heart out of the Ohoka batsmen to finish with 5/29 from his 8 overs. Paul Zulu Smith did his bit finishing with 2/8 off his 4 overs before Jacob silenced the crowd with the first ball of his second spell., Ohoka finishing 98 runs shy of the Cardinals total. À great day on a beautiful ground played in tremendous spirit to finish Cardinals season
MOM Jacob Kloster for a really good 69 à wicket and really good outfield catch!!!
Winter well team and already looking forward to next season.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202526/joes-garage-masters-bottom-7/game-centre/701ec388
Hospital – LOST
Match report courtesy of Bill Day
Sydenham 55
St Albans 56-6
Won the toss and decided to bat first in a new pitch at Centennial, bad decision. St Albans opening bowlers seaming and swinging all over the place. Jinto and Wrik somehow got us through to 26 before the first wicket, each going to the opening pair of Wells and Griffin. Potty Mason then came on and 30 minutes later we were all out for 55, Potty getting 7 for 6.
Bruce Day
Great bowling from Rahul, Jinto and Tristan meant that St Albans didn’t get the required runs until the 20th over , 6 down. Rahul 7 overs 1 for 5 Jinto 7.3 overs 3 for 39 Tristan 5 overs 2 for 10
Nice afternoon for drink at 3.30pm.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202526/joes-garage-masters-bottom-7/game-centre/38d7e29b
T20 Cavalier Cardinals – LOST
Match report courtesy of Jamie Livingstone
East Shirley 101-5 (17.4 overs)
Sydenham 98-7 (20 overs)
The last game of the round robin saw us head out to Claire Park to face the arch-enemies, East Shirley Punjab. The pitch that greeted us was a typical late-season rough deck. But as is Cardinal’s tradition, we won the toss and batted first.
Brett Carpenter went first ball and Adam Neylon shortly after was not the best start. Can Rennell and Kieran Williams then built a 3rd wicket partnership, but the tough pitch conditions made it hard to score quickly. James Stokes and Jon Henderson took over after they fell and got some vital runs to finish with the Cardinals ending their 20 overs 98-7.
The Cardinals struck early and put pressure on Easts. A 6th wicket partnership took the game away from the Cardinals and Easts finally got the runs in the 18th over. Luke Wolf and Neylon picking up 2 wickets each.
One game to go to finish the season. But the Cardinals will aim to finish on a high as they build towards their 21st season.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202526/cavaliers-section-2-t20/game-centre/f4b7e65d
T20 Gujarat Kings – WON
Match report courtesy of Yash Patel
Sydenham 127-6 (20 overs)
Adv Coolroom 119-6 (20 overs)
Sydenham T20 Gujarat Kings defeated Advanced Coolroom Techniques Kaiapoi by 8 runs. A solid all-round performance saw Gujarat Kings secure a well-fought win.
With the bat, Yash Patel (42)* led from the front, supported by Dhananjay “DJ” Trivedi (27) and Arya Baxi (25) to post a competitive total of 127. In reply, the bowlers stepped up brilliantly. Milind Thakkar (3 wickets) was the standout performer, well backed by Yash Patel and DJ with crucial breakthroughs, restricting the opposition to 119/6.
A disciplined bowling and fielding effort ensured the Kings held their nerve and closed out the game comfortably.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/summer-202526/cavaliers-section-3-t20/game-centre/344a2611
Division 1 Women Blue – FORFEIT
Unfortunately, the Blue’s had to forfeit their match against Halswell
Division 1 Women Red – LOST
No Match report – scores unknown
Youth First XI – 1ST DAY
Match report courtesy of Daniel Herd
Sydenham 144 & 28-0
Christ’s College 50
Day One at Sydenham Park saw Sydenham Youth 1st XI put themselves in a strong position, combining a competitive first innings total with an outstanding bowling performance.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, Sydenham worked their way to 144 in 53.5 overs on a surface that offered assistance to the bowlers. Archie Nielsen (22) provided an important top order contribution, but once again Sydenham found themselves in early trouble at 41-4. Three small, but significant in the context, partnerships pushed Sydenham to a competitive total – Fin Hill (27) and Will Herd (11) combining for 28 runs, Hill and Liam Beck (24) for 20 runs, and Beck and Sam Wild (an aggressive 23 off 22 balls) for 31.
With the ball, Sydenham were dominant from the outset – after introducing some well-considered changes to the attack. Reuben Williamson (5/25) took the new ball for the first time this season and bowled superbly, removing four of the top five. He was partnered by Noah Dean returning from a long-term injury to bowl with fierce pace and swing. Quinn Helms (2/1 off six overs) produced an exceptional spell of control at first change, with his first four overs maidens. Liam Beck (2/2 off five overs) continued his development as the side’s premier spinner. Christ’s were dismissed for 50.
Reuben Williamson
Holding a significant first innings lead, Sydenham began their second innings late in the day and reached 28/0 from 16 overs at stumps. Dhruv Arvindkumar (19*) and Cameron Fairhall (8*) showed patience and control to see it out.
Day Two, with all wickets in hand, will be about attacking Christ’s to build a significant lead before looking to repeat the bowling performance.
Youth Second XI – LOST
Match report courtesy of Jamie Helms
Sydenham 119 (45.2 overs)
St Bedes 120-7 (28.2 overs)
Sydenham returned to Hagley’s Hospital Corner for another home fixture, this time on Pitch 4. The team arrived to a moist outfield which caused a 15‑minute delay to the start. With both sides competing to finish 4th in pool play ahead of next week’s finals, and with a Top 6 playoff spot already secured, a close contest was expected. St Bede’s were short on numbers, fielding only nine players. In true Sydenham spirit, we agreed to allow them two additional players who had already batted in an earlier match. With the opposition undermanned early on, the toss became crucial — but unfortunately, Sydenham lost it and were sent in on what looked to be a very challenging surface.
The wicket proved lively from ball one. Liam Kinsett was dismissed first ball by an excellent delivery, setting the tone for a difficult first hour. The pitch offered pace, bounce, and sharp movement, with the occasional ball keeping unexpectedly low. The top order struggled, Kahn Stanbury battled hard for a gritty 10 off 40 balls. The middle order offered small contributions across the board, with six players making between 10 and 22, but unable to push on. Rupert Neilsen, coming in at eight, top‑scored with 22. Sydenham worked hard to reach 118/8 after 40 overs, hoping that anything above 150 would have been highly competitive. Instead, the final three wickets fell for just 1 run, ending the innings at 119 all out in 45.1 overs. It was an innings of missed opportunities — all but one batter was caught, many to mistimed strokes or top‑edges.
Defending a low total meant wickets were essential early on, and Sydenham delivered immediately. Rupert Neilsen struck in his opening over with a brilliant one‑handed, diving caught‑and‑bowled. Will Johns, sharing the new ball, removed the other opener thanks to a sharp catch from Liam Kinsett at second slip. Rupert struck again soon after, leaving St Bede’s 7/3 and Sydenham firmly on top. Will picked up another wicket late in his spell, reducing the opposition to 31/4 after 12 overs. With runs at a premium, Sydenham stayed aggressive — rotating bowlers and keeping attacking fields. Hirun Clements entered the attack and struck in his second over, making it 51/5. A strong sixth‑wicket partnership from St Bede’s swung the momentum, but Zac Nicholson broke it at 90/6.Despite the pressure, Sydenham managed only one more wicket as St Bede’s eventually chased down the target. Catching was excellent in this match with all changes taken throughout the innings. Pick of the Bowlers were Rupert Neilsen: 3/28 off 6.2 and Will Johns: 2/25 off 8
This match reinforced the importance of the toss — the pitch and outfield became significantly friendlier for batting as the day went on. Even an extra 20–30 runs may have been enough to swing the result.
Despite the loss, Sydenham can reflect on a strong season with several close contests that could easily have gone the other way. The team now looks ahead to finishing this phase of the season on a high next week.
Youth Third XI – LOST
No match report available
Sydenham 160 (46.5 overs)
St Andrews 164-4 (42.1 overs)
Youth Year 10 – LOST
Match report courtesy of Mark Williams
Heathcote 99 (21.4 overs)
Sydenham 75 (26.5 overs)
Sydenham played Heathcote Hyenas at Barnett Park. Syd won the toss and our skipper had no hesitation in having first use of the ball. Light rain the evening before meant that the pitch was a little damp and threatening to keep low early on, but also promised some good turn for spinners. Many of these 2 teams have either played in the same team for years previously, or attend the same schools, so it was a day of lively chatter and banter – no one really wants to be on the losing end of a result against your mates! I was pleased to see that pretty much all of this was good natured. A clearing sky above, and the hills around us made for a very pleasant environment for a good game of cricket.
Batting was not easy. Our bowlers delivered good lines and built pressure. The ball kept low, and it was immediately clear that getting on the back foot today was going to be dangerous. There was also a noticeable difference in the bounce from one end of the pitch to the other – one end offering more bounce, whilst the other end kept misbehaving. The last time these 2 teams met, one of the oppositions opening batters scored a breezy 70 taking his team to a relatively easy win. The same batter was hardly settled in today before his tenure was ended by a brilliant direct hit from Jay – throwing down the stumps to turn a risky single into a wicket. Jay then came on to bowl and he picked up a second wicket to leave the score at 2 down for just 4 runs. Some calculated risks from the batters then pushed our field back a bit. The next wicket fell at 29 and that became 4 for 37 not long after. A change from one end to remove all the pace from the ball proved an excellent move, turn was found and the middle order was ripped out in quick order as 4 wickets fell in 4 balls. Aadi achieved something that does not come along at all often – a hattrick. The first 2 wickets bowled, the third picked up off a good low catch taken by Jay diving forward at slip. The first ball of the very next over resulted in another wicket leaving the innings a mess at 8 for 48. The batters rallied and by the time we picked up a 9th wicket the score was 71. The final wicket was snagged ending the innings on 99. A feature of the latter part of our bowling effort was some indifferent catching, as 6 chances went down – an innings that should have been mopped up for ended with us needing to score 100 to win, probably 30 more than we should have been chasing.
We begun our innings with caution – the pitch had dried out a little under the sun, but there was still a lot of balls keeping really low. This season we have very often found ourselves losing wickets in the early overs – and today proved to be no different, and we found ourselves 3 for 12. The bowling was tight, but not overly fast. A mini recovery followed as Jay and Chris dug in – this period highlighted by some powerful stroke play by Jay and some good running between the wickets. An absolute Jaffer of a delivery picked up Chris – significant late swing, and then a mistimed drive saw Jay hole out – and queue significant celebrations from Heathcote lads as they knew the importance of these 2 wickets. An innings that had gained a little momentum was now well and truly in trouble at 6 for 49. The second half of our batting card really did give it a good go – soaking up a lot of pressure, with scoring proving to be very difficult as not many loose deliveries were on offer. Unfortunately, when our last man was out we had 75 on the board, leaving Heathcote comfortable winners.
One can never truly judge a pitch until both teams have had a go on it, and both teams found it hard going with the bat. The reality is that our lads had the upper hand when bowling and were presented with many opportunities to finish off the Heathcote innings for 60 or 70 but our dropped catches (x 6) allowed the tail enders to drag the score to 100. This was a day when that score of 100 felt like it was worth a lot more. So ultimately Heathcote came out winners by 24 runs.
Credit needs to be given to Chris who took a ball to the face when fielding and after a bit of a clean up came right back on the field.
The absolute highlight of the day was Aadi picking up his hattrick, and of course the team picking up a 4th wicket the 1st ball of the next over – it isn’t often you see a hattrick, and certainly not often 4 wickets in 4 balls.
Thank you Pete for scoring. We again had some issues with the scoring system, stopping the game as we lost signal or the system just stopped working. Fortunately after some delays this was resolved.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/2026/cricket-express-year-10/game-centre/7fbe1565
Year 9A – BYE
Bye week for the Year 9’s
Year 9B – WON
Match report courtesy of Sarah Freeman
St Bedes 172 (30.5 overs)
Sydenham 173-4 (25 overs)
A beautiful Saturday morning and a local game at Waltham Park against St Bedes Year 9 White. After winning the toss our Captain Jack Thomson decided we would hit the field first. The boys had practised hard this week and had a solid game plan to get some great wickets and keep the runs down. Kobe Freeman had a mammoth day in the field with two wickets and a catch and strongly supported by an awesome fielding effort. St Bede’s finished their innings with 172 runs.
Sydenham came out to bat opening with Kobe Freeman and Deep Mahyavanshi putting some runs on the board. Jack Thomson creating some damage with 5 boundaries and 27 runs off 22 balls.
Kobe Freeman was the man of the match, showing his strength on the field.
A great win for the boys and a confidence boost as we head into the last game of this half of the season next week.
Full scoreboard: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/christchurch-metro-cricket-associationcjca/2026/cricket-express-year-9-black/game-centre/de2f8b44
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