ACOB widen gap on rivals

Story by: WAYNE MARTIN - Nelson Mail - Photo by: Chris Symes

Athletic College Old Boys have jumped clear of the pack as Wanderers picked up their first win of the series on day three of the Nelson Twenty20 senior cricket competition.

Wins over Taylor's Contracting Wanderers and Hot Mama's Motueka left ACOB the only unbeaten team during Saturday's fifth and sixth rounds, ACOB heading off Wanderers by six wickets at Brightwater before beating home team Motueka by a comfortable 73-run margin at Memorial Park.

Wanderers' meagre total of 112 for 8 was never enough to contain ACOB in round five, ACOB's batsmen cashing in on the groundwork laid down by offspinner Jake Milton (3-23) and Simon McGowan (2-14) to easily reach their target four wickets down and with an over to spare.

McGowan completed a fine allround effort, scoring 38 runs in ACOB's reply, Ben Gully also adding 38 runs, to kickstart the day on a positive note.

An even more emphatic effort saw ACOB bury Motueka by 73 runs in their afternoon match, Greg Chitty and Gully each scoring half-centuries to anchor ACOB's innings of 157 for 7. Chitty scored 51 off 41 balls and Gully 57 off 46 as Liam Baird (2-29) and Karl Mytton (2-10) each took two wickets. ACOB's bowlers then needed just 14.3 overs to end Motueka's challenge, dismissing them for 84 as Brad Norris (2-14), Chitty (2-21) and Milton shared the spoils. Opener Dan Rae top-scored with 25 runs.

Wanderers' first competition win came at the expense of Brewer's Bar Wakatu, who until Saturday had been sitting among the pace-setters on 12 points. Wanderers handed them their second defeat of the day, Wakatu having already lost by 26 runs to Robbie's Bar WTTU at Memorial Park, to end the day lying in third equal place.

Wakatu finished well short of WTTU's total of 151 for 6, opener Dan Wightman leading WTTU's scoring with 40 runs, to end their chase at 125 for 7. Campbell McLean's unbeaten 50-run innings off 39 balls wasn't enough to get Wakatu home, with only Laurence Kirdy (27) able to post any other score of note. Simon Carr was the pick of WTTU's bowlers, conceding just 13 runs for his two wickets off four overs. Brendan Hodgson took 2-27.

Wakatu's journey to Brightwater didn't prove any more profitable, Wanderers eventually defending their total of 139 for 3 by restricting Wakatu to 129 for 7 to hand the home team their 10-run victory.

Openers Simon Wraight (42) and Sam Ellis (49) put on 90 runs for Wanderers' first wicket as their top scorers, leaving Johnny Sharland (33) and Shane Laurence (22) to share the bulk of the runs in Wakatu's futile chase. Greg Field (2-22) and Jimmy Van der Colk (2-20) led the bowling effort.

Car Company Stoke-Nayland ended the day alone in second place after some mixed offerings, losing by six wickets to Motueka in round five ahead of a 17-run win over WTTU in round six.

Ben Homan's 50-run innings off 37 balls offered Stoke-Nayland little respite as only Alex Coles' 31-run contribution made any further impression to their total of 147 for 8, Liam Baird causing the major damage with 4-16. Motueka got home with three balls to spare, opener Dan Rae's 37 runs well supported by Mark Gardiner (24) and Duncan Cederman (44) as Motueka closed out the match at 148 for 4.

Stoke-Nayland's batsmen eventually unleashed against WTTU to end the day positively at Memorial Park.

Paul Capstick returned to the side to contribute 20 runs off 15 balls, although the real damage was inflicted by Mark Douglas and Ryan Edwards with innings of 61 and 56 respectively as Stoke-Nayland compiled an impressive 217 for 4. Douglas faced just 35 balls and Edwards 36, with Edwards hitting three sixes and four fours, while Homan ended a profitable day with 48 runs off 22 balls, including seven fours and two sixes.

Wightman was again entrusted with an opening role in WTTU's reply, the left-hander responding superbly to top-score with 63 runs off 35 balls. He launched his innings with a six in the first over, adding a further two sixes and five fours as WTTU attempted to keep pace. Jon Routhan (27) and Hodgson (20) lent support, although Stoke-Nayland's bowlers continued to chip away, Edwards taking 3-39 as WTTU's innings ended at 200 for 7.

ACOB now lead the competition on 20 points, followed by Stoke-Nayland 16, Wakatu and Motueka 12, WTTU 8 and Wanderers 4.