"Super Smash Sunday" saw three smashing encounters at all three venues across the country as the heat goes on teams to make the 2015 Georgie Pie Super Smash Finals — topped off by Mahela Jayawardene impressing again, this time with the highest individual score of the season, at New Plymouth’s Pukekura Park.
Such was Jayawardene's control in a chase made to look easy, his wicket on 97 formed a surprise 30th birthday present for SKYCITY Northern Knights spinner Jono Boult.
But by then, the Devon Hotel Central Stags required just one run to win — having looked on course to give the Knights a 10-wicket thrashing for most of the match.
Yet a good home crowd was still on the edge of their seat, attention riveted on whether the classy Sri Lankan could get the first century of the season.
With Jayawardene on 96*, Will Young had come to the middle and smashed a four and a six to leave just five runs required for victory.
Young then graciously ran a single to put Jayawardene back on strike, who in turn took just a single.
Then came a wide. One run required, with Jayawardene on 97*. Cue Jono Boult ending all the speculation with a wicket, stopping the Jayawardene showcase performance on 59 balls, after 17 boundaries and two sixes, for back to back half centuries (this time off 32 balls) against the Knights in his two Georgie Pie Super Smash appearances.
Skipper for the day George Worker had pelted the first six for the hosts after what seemed a deliberately measured start by both openers as they waited on the four balls. But when he made it two, back-to-back off Ish Sodhi, it was clear this would be no idling chase.
Allowing the Jayawardene show to roll on at the other end, Worker eventually fell on 39 in the 16th over, the first to depart after a delightful 137-run opening stand with the Sri Lankan star, who had just taken himself into the 90s with a magnificent six off Kevin O'Brien.
That allowed Will Young, whose season high score of 96 a few games ago had just been edged by his teammate, to smash a quick cameo at the end to claim the emphatic victory.
Young wasted no time scorching a quick 19 off seven balls, celebrating a good day out for the Stags with the second of two sixes, to close it out in 17.1 overs.
Earlier, despite having taken the chance to bat first on a fine afternoon, had it not been for a showstopping rescue act from Corey Anderson (47* off 35) and young Tim Seifert (39* off just 16), the Stags’ day at the office might have been even shorter. But, thanks to the big-hitting pair, they were able to push the required RPO for their opponents up to 7.65.
The Knights had crumbled to 68/5, Anderson and Seifert stepping in to belt 80 from the last five overs to get the Knights to a theoretically defendable 152/5, Anderson booming five sixes and one boundary in his unbeaten 35-ball 47 and relishing his contest with the pace of Adam Milne.
Young Seifert had meanwhile taken a liking to Mitchell Claydon (3-44), helping take three sixes off a single over that ended up costing the Stags burly import 25 runs.
Anderson went big
Bevan Small had got the treatment, too, as they looked beyond the tantalising rope and into the terraces. Yet the pace attack had been operating just fine until then, Claydon having made a big opening breakthrough with the wicket of Anton Devcich (20) in the fifth over, then backing up with O'Brien (five).
Seddon Park sensation Nick Kelly's stay was brief this time, but not before a scintillating youth-versus-youth contest with teenager Josh Clarkson, Kelly smashing Clarkson's first two balls for a boundary and a six before Claydon had him caught on 13.
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Two MVPs in a row for magnificent Mahela
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