Ellison hits 104 and he's still on the run

BY JONATHAN MILLMOW

Karori opening batsman Marc Ellison is launching a cricket website this week, and if traffic is slow he could always write about himself.

The well-travelled Ellison scored 104 against Taita in the Pearce Cup on Saturday, his first hundred for his latest club.

Ellison was born in Hutt Valley, played age grade cricket in Auckland, spent four years at university in Dunedin, played last summer in Adelaide and last winter in Nottingham.

"It's how it has worked out," Ellison said. "My father moved around a lot with his job when we were young so I've always been open to moving."

Next stop is Ireland. His Irish partner is pregnant and he will spend the off-season playing there.

Ellison is 23 and played for New Zealand at the Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka in 2006. The closest he has come to cracking the big time since was Otago A a couple of seasons back but a few more innings like Saturday's could change that.

Saturday was a big day for Ellison but this week also has a bit riding on it.

Together with his Karori captain, Simon Baker, they are opening a cricket website aimed at the Twenty20 boom, and player agent Stephen Fleming has indicated he will make some players available to write on the website.

Ellison has honours degrees in both history and communication and has dabbled in the cricket media without finding permanent work.

His job on Saturday was to hold the Karori innings together after four of the top five fell cheaply. Simon Murdoch, Tom Blundell, Hamish Templeton and Simon Allen contributed one run between them, before Ellison and Chris Spring added 124 for the fifth wicket.

Ellison's innings lasted 115 balls and helped Karori (164-5) to take first innings points after Taita were dismissed for 155.

"I've struggled to find the right pace to bat this season, I've been a bit slow, but this time I watched the ball better and let my instincts come through and I managed to get quite a few out of the middle," Ellison said.

Karori and Eastern Suburbs have established themselves as the top two sides in Wellington and, while Easts are the competition leaders, they are not in such a strong position after the opening day against Naenae.

Easts are 169-4 chasing Naenae's 236. Easts' import from Middlesex, Danny Evans, did another fine job with the new ball, taking 6-91 from 22 overs, but manager Gordon Dry said the English county had requested Evans return home at short notice so next Saturday will be his last game in Easts' colours.

"He's been very good for us, he's taken around 26 wickets," Dry said.

Onslow has the better of their game against Hutt Districts while University are in the box seat against North City.

In the Hazlett Trophy, 30 wickets fell on the opening day of the match between Johnsonville and Upper Hutt at Alex Moore Park.

It was Old Timers' Day at Johnsonville but the home side was on the back foot for most of it until Upper Hutt collapsed in the final session for 54 leaving the game even.

The star turn came from Upper Hutt's Jason McKenzie, who took a hat-trick in his first over on the way to finishing with 6-31.

Chasing 103 for victory, Johnsonville are 3-0 but they will not have their run machine Luke Woodcock next Saturday because of Firebirds' commitments.

Woodcock carried his bat for 32 not out in Johnsonville's first innings of 63.

The other three games are evenly poised and included some fine individual contributions, notably Matt Lewer scoring 80 at No 10 for Taita B against Karori B and Elliott Brookes hitting 93 from 54 balls for Norths B against Wellington College.

- © Fairfax NZ News