Tech remain unbeaten in Hec Holland Plate

BY AARON GOILE

Fraser-Tech remain the only unbeaten team in Hamilton club cricket's Hec Holland Plate 50-over competition after a dramatic one-run victory over Suburbs in Saturday's third round at Galloway Park.

Furnace Old Boys notched up their first win with a crushing defeat of Star Varsity, and Melville were humiliated by Lonestar Hamilton Boys' High School.

HBHS were staring down the barrel of being rolled for under 100, but after getting to a respectable 160, they dismissed Melville for just 37 to record an extraordinary victory.

A 90-run eighth wicket partnership got HBHS back in the game and gave them something to bowl at. After they were 11-4 and 62-7, HBHS were rescued by lower order batsmen Nikhil Vishwanath (35) and Stephen Cullingworth (33), as well as 45 extras from wayward Melville bowling.

What followed from Melville was an even more spectacular collapse as they were bundled out for just 37 runs in 16.1 overs.

Medium pacer Scott Kuggeleijn took a splendid 3-6 from seven overs, which included four maidens.

Kuggeleijn said the effort from his team's lower order allowed him to be effective with the ball.

"I knew I could be patient and just wait for them to play the false shots.

"The rhythm wasn't so great, I just tried to keep the ball up and bowl good balls pretty much, keep it simple, I think that was what helped me," he said.

Captain Peter Bocock said there was major concern during his team's innings but he had faith in the lower order to pull them through.

On defending the target: "We just kept the foot on the throat and kept trying to go and the wickets just kept coming."

The win was done without key players Anton Devcich and Graeme Aldridge and Bocock said it was pleasing to see others step up.

Fraser-Tech's winning run continued – just – with a tense one-run win against Suburbs.

They made 210-7 and the match went down to the wire with Suburbs needing 13 to win from the last over, before Matt Hay picked up two wickets in two balls and with a boundary needed off the last ball of the match, Suburbs fell just short.

Opener Toby Doyle made a patient 51 and Fraser-Tech endured a 20-over wicket-less period through the middle stages when Suburbs seemed to be cruising.

Fraser Graafhuis continued on his good form and hit his second half century in two weekends for Fraser-Tech, but he went into the match intent on starting from scratch again.

"It's a funny game cricket isn't it, it's a weird game," he said.

"The less you think about it the better," he said of his current good form.

"Just see ball hit ball I reckon."

Graafhuis credited Suburbs' spinners for the pressure applied and said it wasn't easy to score runs against a good bowling attack.

"It was quite a slow deck so really for us to score runs we had to take some risks really and a few of them came off and we got to 200 which was a pretty good target I think considering the deck was quite sticky and quite slow."

Old Boys got on the board with an easy nine-wicket victory over Star Varsity – keeping the latter winless.

Cameron Weight picked up 4-16 from seven overs and Cedric English recorded the remarkable figures of 2-4 from eight overs, as Star Varsity were dismissed for just 110 (43 of those being extras).

Steve Martin, Ben Wilcock and Jake Bezzant made light work of the chase, finishing proceedings in the 22nd over.

HIGHLIGHTS

50+ runs

Fraser Graafhuis (Fraser-Tech)52 Toby Doyle (Suburbs) 51

3+ wickets

Cameron Weight (Old Boys) 4-16 Scott Kuggeleijn (HBHS) 3-6

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