Clinton Price and Hayden Cargo produced match-winning doubles for Melville in the opening round of Hamilton premier club cricket's Hec Holland Plate.

Price took 3-17 off eight overs in the one-day clash at Galloway Park on Saturday to help dismiss Hamilton Old Boys for 173 in 45.1 overs. Price then starred with an unbeaten 35 batting at No 10 to get his team up with two wickets and 11 balls to spare.

Cargo was the other hero for the victors, taking 4-27 off six overs and then making 27 not out.

Three solid top-order knocks looked set to allow Data Plan Old Boys a decent tally batting first as Owen Ivins (44), Mitchell Santner (43) and Jake Bezzant (43) helped them reach 113-3 before Cargo wreaked havoc in the middle and lower order as Old Boys lost their last seven wickets for 60 runs.

Still, their tally looked to be enough when Gallagher Melville also suffered their own batting slump. Opener Jared Sun (33) and No 3 Michael Dodunski put on 78 for the second wicket before their side lost seven wickets for 27 runs, with Santner (4-22 off 10) and Ross Fitz-John (3-22 off 10) the destroyers.

But Cargo, at No 8, found the necessary support from Price to turn the game around.

Ben Speake's 68 opening for Star Varsity provided the basis for their 77-run win over Fraser-Tech.

Speake batted into the 44th over before being run out as Northern Knights seamer James Baker led the Tech attack with 3-15 off eight overs.

Steven Rae then quickly put The Quadrant Star Varsity on top, snaring 5-15 off 8.2 overs as Tech fell well short of their target.

Daryl Mitchell was another Northern Knights player to feature on Saturday, grabbing club bragging rights over provincial team-mates Graeme Aldridge and Anton Devcich as Eastern Suburbs comfortably accounted for Hamilton Boys' High School.

Mitchell took 3-15 as Lonestar HBHS could muster only 129 in 47.2 overs before being dismissed and Andrew McLean's 38 as opener for Suburbs kickstarted their reply as the HBHS bowling attack dished up 22 runs in wides in their five-wicket defeat. ian.anderson@fairfaxmedia.co.nz

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