Whitaker Civil Taranaki Men start Hawke Cup match at Nelson Park, Napier

31 Jan 2025

Helluva day of Hawke Cup cricket at Nelson Park, Napier. Rest up boys – huge day ahead tomorrow!

The best days at cricket are often the toughest. This one also had a weirdness attached.
There wasn’t one Taranaki player who didn’t live through the ecstasy and agony that only cricket can provide, all in one day.
Having met the one and only BDM Furlong on the Thursday evening, the esteemed gentleman after whom the Furlong Cup is named, it was over to former Taranaki rep no 420 Geoff Taylor, from the successful Hawke Cup squad of the early 70’s, to say a few words to the boys before kick off.
These games are why players want to play representative cricket – Hawke Cup is a one-off, with a first innings win good enough, and there are few second chances. There is always that extra bit of edge.
Sam Fastier won the toss and inserted Hawkes Bay. Many a knowledgeable cricket brain looked at the wicket, scratched their chin, and surmised that to get them out around 250 would be a big achievement.
Taranaki had other ideas.
Ryan Watson and Ben Frewin began with pace and accuracy. There was also the sense that the ball was ‘holding’ a fraction in the surface, there appeared a little variation in the bounce at one end, and if the seam was hit the batsman was in trouble.
Sometimes dreams come true.
Frewin quickly had the openers caught in the safe hands of wicket-keeper Rupert Young, Jordan Gard, thanks to a good snatch at second slip, had a wicket on his very first ball, and things were looking decidedly difficult the Hawkes Bay batsmen.
There was no let up. Hawkes Bay’s best, Bayley Wiggins and Bradley Schmulian were soon in and out, Wiggins dismissed when a diving Liam Muggeridge in the gully dived at full length and popped the ball up to Gard.
The boys were on fire.
By lunch Hawkes Bay were 7 – 59, an almost unbelievably small total for such a powerful batting side.
Watson had bowled 14 overs and had 2-23. Gard had 1-24 from 9, and the freakish Frewin had taken 4-12 from 9 overs. This was incredible bowling and the boys went to lunch with big smiles.
Then perhaps the weirdest decision in the history of Hawke Cup cricket happened.
With 11 minutes to go in the lunch period Hawkes Bay declared.
To fully understand why this happened you’ll need to talk to the Hawkes Bay coach. The 30 texts I received had words that were asking ‘what was going on’, or something similar.
Hurriedly the team got together, had a chat, shook their heads, smiled, frowned, wondered what was going on, and Dean Robinson and Bailey Wisnewski headed out to bat. 60 runs would secure a first innings win.
Boom. Robinson is out first ball. 15 runs later and Fastier is returning to the pavilion. Wisnewski squeezed together 14, Young took the attack to the bowlers but was dismissed for 14 trying to hit it over mid-on, Muggeridge, McGrath and Gard all arrived and left.
Mattie Thomas and Watson steadied things and finally the 60 runs were scored. Taranaki were 7 down.
Finally, after a 92 ball innings of 19 Thomas was caught off a top edge, and it was up to the two players who had already bowled Hawkes Bay out, to ensure that the Taranaki total kept building.
With Watson on 23 not out and Frewin on 10 not out Taranaki are sitting on 106 – 8, 47 runs in front.
Oh, how another 50 runs would be great in the morning.
There is a ton of cricket left in this game before Lord Hawke decides where his famous cup will reside.

Full scorecard available here at PlayHQ