POINTS TABLE
DAY SEVEN
The race for the title remained alive heading into the final day's competition with champions Auckland Under 19 having held a two-point lead over defending champions Wellington Under-19. Wellington met CD U19 in the final round, CD taking a win to get themselves the bronze medal with Wellington the silver. Auckland beat Otago while Canterbury finished a tough tournament on a strong note against ND.
Auckland U19 beat Otago U19 by 24 runs
Central Districts U19 beat Wellington U19 by 38 runs
Northern Districts U19 lost to Canterbury U19 by 8 runs
DAY SIX
Wellington U19 beat Auckland U19 by 5 runs
Round Seven
Otago U19 beat Northern Districts by 7 runs
Round Seven
Central Districts U19 beat Canterbury U19 by 7 wickets
Round Seven
Time for the Twenty20s! Each win is worth three points in the Twenty20 phase.
Northern Districts U19 beat Wellington U19 by 53 runs
Round Six
Northern Districts opted to bat first on Lincoln No.3 in a match reduced to 17 overs per side, and got off to a blistering start with 17 off the first over then 16 off the second, including three sixes. The sixes were all Muldowney’s handiwork while fellow opener Ollie White would reach his 41 off just 21 balls.
A breakthrough in the fourth helped Wellington regain some control, soon getting ND three down — including the big wicket of Thorn Parkes for just six.
Devane got in at five, however, and picked up the pace again, slamming two sixes before losing his partner Pomare at 117 for four early in the 13th. As Greenwood came into the attack, Devane stepped up and went again, keeping the runs flowing en route to his 47 off just 24 balls, before Sharma picked him up at 145 for five.
Another wicket next over helped Wellington’s cause, and two balls later Greenwood got another to start the final 17th: ND was now seven down but with a healthy 160 already, with incumbent Dickson having meanwhile raced to 18 off just eight balls.
Chasing ND's ultimate 168 for seven, Wellington got off to a rocky start in reply by losing both openers at 15 for two, despite having pumped 15 off the first five balls of the first over.
Morris-Brown and Naylor picked the pair up in the space of three balls. Greenwood and Campbell got things moving again quickly until Tim Pringle struck with his first ball of the match, bowling Greenwood to have Wellington 44 for three after 4.2 overs, and still needing almost 10 an over.
Another handy wicket next over spelt more trouble for the defending champs at 49 for four, 120 still required. Despite Campbell’s 36 at first drop, the wheels feel off the Wellington innings as Lanting grabbed four for 13, Wellington bowled out well short in just the 14th over.
Auckland U19 beat Canterbury U19 by nine wickets
Round Six
Sent in, Canterbury were in for a torrid time in the first T20 match-up of the tournament on Lincoln Green. Having lost a wicket to a runout fifth ball, they would be 18 for two after three, before losing Ben Hartland as well to the next legitimate delivery.
That left anchorman Nicholas Lidstone trying to rescue the start with Oscar Wilson, who promptly hit McKenzie for a six — and then another off Matt Gibson next over. However, Gibson answered back, having Wilson caught very next ball to have Canterbury 36 for four in the sixth.
Lidstone, on a run-a-ball 14, kept turning the strike over nicely but was struggling to get the ball to the rope before Carl de Beer struck again in the ninth. Harris was caught in the 13that 65 for six, but Lidstone battled on, until pressure told in the penultimate over and he became Gibson’s third victim (3-19 off his four).
Sheahan blasted a six to end that over at 112 for seven as he urgently poured on a quick eighth-wicket stand with Harper, Harper run out on the last ball of the innings for a Canterbury total of 123 for eight.
Needing 6.2 per over in reply, Quinn Sunde and Simon Keene made an aggressive start to the reply and each smashed sixes off consecutive overs, welcoming Graham to the crease by peeling 17 off the eighth as the pair both took their strike rate into the 130s.
Harper was relieved to break the destructive opening stand in the 10th over, claiming a wicket with just his third ball. But Sunde, rapidly nearing his half ton, and new man Jock McKenzie put the Auckland 100 on the board still just one down, off just 80 balls in 13.1 overs.
McKenzie quickly got cracking and slammed a six off his own to leave just a further 18 required from the last six and a half overs, Auckland winning with ease.
Otago U19 beat Central Districts U19 by 5 runs
Round Six
A cracking start after having opted to bat first proved the difference as Otago started with a bang as the penultimate day of nationals got underway.
Max Chu and Llew Johnson quickly got into a three-figure strike rate for Otago, Johnson hitting the first six off the match in the fourth over en route to notching a rapid 50-stand. The boundaries were flowing thick and fast for both batsmen, Chu pumping his first six off Quinn Childs to put himself on the cusp of a half century first ball of a big ninth over. He reached it off just 34 balls, then Johnson blasted back-to-back sixes off Will Clark to begin the 10th, and extend their stand to 98 off just 56 balls.
So far, so very good, but Clark separated the damaging duo two balls later at 102 for one, bowling Johnson on 42. Jarrod McKay then applied the brakes next over before Ben Frewin came into the attack and had Chu on his way, bowled after a terrific 53 off 47 balls.
New pair Hunter Kindley and Beckham Wheeler-Greenall joined forces at a great platform of 111 for two and Kindley had just started to find some tap of his own before McKay claimed him to have Otago 134 for three at the three-quarters mark. The Frewin brothers operating in tandem and the Joey Field picking up a wicket too, CD fighting back with the ball: 148 for five at the death, before a six off the last ball of the 19th from Kellett pushed the Otago total up to 154/5. Ben Lockrose added a couple of boundaries to reach 168/5, setting CD a challenge of 8.4 per over.
In the chase, Holt conceded only two runs off his second over and Otago made the breakthrough next over, Lockrose running out Akash Gill. But captain and first drop Kurtis Weeks slammed boundaries off the first two balls he faced and CD restarted quickly from there, three more fours off the next over between Weeks and Thomas Zohrab.
Weeks unleashed a six in the seventh over and by the halfway mark they were 80 for one, with a 55-stand, 89 now required and staying on track. Otago badly needed a wicket and they got in next ball, Donaldson bowling Zohrab with Weeks on 46*. Two balls later, Weeks would be on his way, too, caught off the next ball he faced, Donaldson fighting back with 2-16, now, more than eight an over still needed.
Another pair of wickets fell to have CD 120 for five, Donaldson claiming his third in Field. Will Clark and David Zohrab got a busy sixth wicket stand up and running, keeping the scoreboard rolling as Zohrab batted into the 17th. When he fell, stumped off Lockrose, CD required a further 41 runs at more than two runs per ball.
With one over to go, CD still needed 21 but with Wheeler-Greenhall collecting a return catch with two balls to go, CD’s game chase would fall just short.
DAY FIVE
Northern Districts U19 had been involved in a tied match on the opening day of the nationals. Now they were, remarkably, involved in another one as CD U19 all but hauled in their 257 for six, the scores finishing level. New leaders Auckland meanwhile maintained a two-point lead at the top of the table over Wellington on the last day of one-day competition. All teams return this Thursday for the Twenty20 phase.
Northern Districts U19 and Central Districts U19 tied match
Opting to bat first, ND got off to a good start on Bert Sutcliffe Oval at 88 without loss before CD broke through with two wickets after the drinks break. Opener Ollie White remained, and carried on to a half century after his opening stand with Jake Russ (35). When Quinn Childs finally had him caught, two wickets fell in the space of two deliveries as Childs trapped Katene Clarke as well in the 25th over. However, ND captain Thorn Parkes's form continued to shine with a big unbeaten 86 at five, enjoying an unbroken 83-run stand with Ben Pomare (33* off 29) for the sixth wicket that got them up to their 257 for six.
Akash Gill scored a century off 111 balls in reply, the first drop steadying and then leading CD's chase after both opening batsmen departed with the score on 25. Captain Kurtis Weeks combined with him, scoring a half century as the pair put together an 83-run stand for the third wicket before Weeks was run out in the 24th over. The support kept coming for Gill, however, with Nic Clarke reaching 37 and David Zohrab a quick 30 as they closed in on their target. Fergus Lellman was dangerous at the death as he picked up 3-44 but by the end of the 50th ND couldn't believe they had tied their second match in the space of a week, CD finishing on 257 for seven. The result meant ND stayed two points ahead of CD on the table, in third and fourth respectively.
Wellington U19 beat Canterbury U19 by three wickets
Hoping to regain their lead if other results went their way, Wellington could only control their own destiny, and achieved that by chasing down 268 with seven balls to spare. Canterbury had won the toss on Lincoln Green and, after recovering from a pair of early wickets, reached 144 for two thanks to captain Ben Hartland (62) and Oscar Wilson (66) with their third wicket partnership of 108.When Hartland lost Wilson in the 29th over, he batted on for another nine overs to help Redfern get established with Redfern ultimately unbeaten on 54.
However, despite a steady team effort with the bat, Wellington was undaunted going after their 268 for seven. Johnsonville's Gareth Severin would score a century at first drop, Sam Mycock contributing a half century at the top in a 82-run stand for the second wicket. Severin also built a big stand for the fourth wicket with Jesse Tashkoff (44) before he was eventually bowled in the 49th over, but by then Wellington was in control, the scores tied and just one run needed off the last eight balls for the win, which they ticked off next ball.
Auckland U19 beat Otago U19 by 55 runs
Leaders Auckland put up a lowish total on Lincoln No.3 after electing to bat, but managed to defend their 139 all out comfortably, in the end, by returning serve and bowling out Otago for 84 in 30.4 overs. Already 55 for five at lunch, it was a tough gig for the southerners as Auckland's Carl de Beer grabbed a five-wicket bag (5 for 21, with two maidens, off his 10 overs) while Matt Gibson and Ryan Harrison both picked up two-fas. Earlier, Harrison had top-scored for his side with a half century, a brave knock holding the innings together until he departed at 122 for seven. Otago's Volt Ben Lockrose claimed 4-27 as he wrapped up the innings in the 39th over, but it wouldn't prove enough.
DAY FOUR
After Sunday's rest day, the tournament lead would change hands as Auckland closed out their third win with two bonus points giving them the edge on the ladder. Central Districts started the new working week with the first victory of Monday's round to go two from four. Later that afternoon, the tournament lead would change hands as defending champions Wellington suffered their first loss of the tournament, to Otago.
CD U19 beat Otago U19 by six wickets
Otago U19 captain Hunter Kindley opted to bat first on Bert Sutcliffe Oval, but after Ben Frewin broke the opening stand with Max Chu caught and bowled, things rapidly went south for the southerners. Frewin would claim all for four of Otago's 10 four in his first five overs, reducing Otago to 41 for four.
The late-middle order fought to regain traction, Ben Lockrose producing a fighting 30 at seven. However, with first Wairarapa's tall young paceman Quinn Childs and then Akash Gill backing up with a brace of quick wickets each, Otago couldn't recover from their shaky start and found themselves bowled out for 112 with 20 overs left unutilised.
North Otago's Mason James made an early breakthrough in reply with Matthew Allen caught second ball of the innings, having moved up to open. But Nelson's Thomas Zohrab continued his good form with 31 at the top, and it was enough to give CD a platform in the low-scoring match. He put on 55 with Gill (25) for the second wicket before captain Kurtis Weeks and David Zohrab knocked off the target in the 24th over, taking CD to two wins from two matches.
Auckland U19 beat Canterbury U19 by one wicket
It was a thriller on Lincoln Green as Canterbury came agonisingly close to picking up their first win of the nationals, the match going down to the wire as they tried to get Auckland's last wicket, or at least stop the last run needed for victory, in the final over.
Earlier, Canterbury captain Ben Hartland had led the way with the bat after electing bat. Opener Rhys Mariu helped get things cracking with a quick 42, including five boundaries and a six, dominating a 58-run opening stand with Nicholas Lidstone before Hartland arrived at the crease.
Hartland (56) would bat on into the 46th over, however, he lost Mariu early in the second-wicket stand to Carl de Beer (3-31) and it triggered a string of regular wickets that prevented another solid stand until Matt Hay came in at 111 for five.
Hay produced the top score of 47 off 55 balls as he combined nicely with his skipper for a 79-run stand, they came unstuck in a flurry when left-arm off-spinner Lucas Dasent (3-37) put himself on a hat-trick with both their wickets in the 46th over.
The hat-trick was averted and Canterbury's tail managed to belt some quick runs to take the scoreline from 50 overs to 235 for nine, a good effort from 190 from seven.
Canterbury then got off to a great start with the ball, off-spinner Matt Munro removing both openers inside the first five overs. Canterbury had Auckland 68 for four, but Conor Ansell dug in for a patient 40 at first drop that proved vital to resuscitating his team's chances.
Dylan Taylor (36 off just 30 balls) stuck with him for a 53-run stand for the fifth wicket that got the run rate moving again, before Munro claimed Taylor and Canterbury celebrated again as Ansell was run out next over, Auckland six down and still needing to find 114 runs.
But Ryan Harrison took the baton smoothly with his run-a-ball 45 into the 48th over. Despite losing two partners, the tailenders found the boundary often enough to keep Canterbury's nerves jangling, Dasent hitting two boundaries and a six in his 21 and Will Clarke getting home unbeaten with 30 at run-a-ball. It was a composed finish to a tricky chase that left Canterbury marooned at the bottom of the table and Auckland riding high on 14 points, overtaking defending champions Wellington by one point.
Northern Districts U19 beat Wellington U19 by six wickets
Northern Districts produced their second win on the bounce, becoming the first side to get one over defending champions and early leaders Wellington in another thrilling last-over finish.
Wellington opted to bat first, but struggled for early momentum as ND bowled tightly through the first overs. The pressure created wickets, Hamilton's Michael Lanting chipping out a both the first drop and number four while Katene Clarke had made the first breakthrough in the fifth and went on to claim 3-64 off his nine.
By then, however, Wellington had fought back from 84 for four and the late order was threatening to go big. Tim Campbell and Tom Jones did the business with a cracking 76-run stand for the sixth wicket, before Clarke bowled Jones on 30 in the 42nd. Then he gave Campbell the same treatment in his next over, stopping the number six in his tracks just after he had reached his half century.
Still Wellington kept coming at them, however, with Tim Robinson blasting an unbeaten 40 off 29 balls, including three boundaries and two sixes, to pump up the volume at the death.
Defending 235 for seven, Wellington was in with a shot of remaining unbeaten but ND had other plans and made a blazing start to the reply with a first wicket stand of 52. Jesse Tashkoff made the breakthrough in the eighth over with Hamilton's Will Muldowney caught after having pummelled a quick 33 off just 21 balls.
Jake Russ would meanwhile bat into the 38th over for his anchoring 60, building a key 95-run stand for the third wicket with captain Thorn Parkes. Parkes continued his solid tournament with a match-winning unbeaten 90*, emerging as the top run-scorer in Lincoln after four rounds with 251, ahead of Central's Thomas Zohrab on 239 and Russ not far behind on 218.
DAY THREE
Defending champions Wellington Under 19 is the only unbeaten team after three rounds, making a strong play so far to retain their national Under-19 crown. Auckland is just three points behind on 10 with two from three, including two bonus points, folllowed by ND (7), Otago (6), early leaders CD (4) and Canterbury still looking for that first win.
Auckland U19 beat CD U19 by 91 runs
A big clash between these two sides, but a losing a clump of wickets after the 30-over mark really hurt CD as they went after Auckland's 248.
CD had earlier done well to dismiss Auckland in the first innings, after CD captain Kurtis Weeks sent them in on Lincoln Green. Early wickets to Joey Field, Akash Gill and Jarrod McKay had Auckland in early trouble at 41 for three but opener Simon Keene got the Auckland tally moving with his run a ball 37 and combined with Adam Jones for the fourth wicket.
Jones would go on to almost reach a century, batting into the 48th over to give his side a defendable total. But on 95 he was caught off Nelson's McKay who then quickly cleaned up the last two wickets for a five-wicket bag, figures of 5-50 off his 8.4 overs.
All the CD top five all got starts of some sort but no one was able to go on as Carl de Beer scythed through the top three en route to his 3-33 off 10, with Weeks stumped.
Nic Clark and Matthew Allen needed to steady the ship and build in a fourth-wicket partnership but it was broken at 117 for four, triggering the fateful collapse as Ryan Harrison returned to pick up 3-23 off his eight. CD couldn't recover and ended up bowled out in 42.5 overs.
ND U19 beat Canterbury U19 by 97 runs
A big total put Canterbury under pressure on Bert Sutcliffe Oval. Northern Districts opted to bat first and it paid dividends with Jake Russ putting on a century at the top. His 100 off 122 balls included seven boundaries and a six, and with Ollie White he put on a solid 129 for the first wicket to set up the game.
White reached 73 (seven boundaries, two sixes) before a wicket finally fell in the 30th over, Jack Harris making two quick strikes. But captain Thorn Parkes belted a quick 34 off just 22 balls at four, before Hayden Dickson smashed a ballistic 44 off 19 balls (two fours, four sixes) to really put Canterbury under the pump.
Needing 315, Canterbury lost an early wicket but their other opener Nicholas Lindstone reached a half century. The problem for Canterbury was that they couldn't build a big partnership, regular wickets pegging them back. Despite a half century from Harris at six, they couldn't get close and, as the required rate escalated, were bowled out for 217 with five overs to spare.
Wellington U19 beat Otago U19 by five wickets
Defending champions Wellington maintained their undefeated status with a third win on the bounce this year. Asked to field first, they accepted the challenge by restricting Otago U19 to 155, bowling them out in the 48th over. Despite 32 from opener Jordan Gain and a patient 30 from Beckham Wheeler-Greenhall, it just wasn't enough to threaten Wellington on Lincoln No.3.
Wellington College's Harry Hunter had led the way with 4-26 off his ten, including two maidens, and would never be required to bat as the top seven combined to chase it down in just 38.4 overs. Opening batsman Sam Mycock top-scored with 68, with just a further 42 runs needed after his dismissal.
DAY TWO
Auckland U19 beat ND U19 by 148 runs
The biggest victory of day two belonged to Auckland who bounced back from yesterday's last-ball defeat with a comfortable victory over neighbours Northern Districts.
A century to Conor Ansell (109 off 123) set up a strong total for Auckland after they won the toss and batted on Lincoln No.3, the first drop having put on a 104-run second wicket stand with Quinn Sunde (40) after Sunde had lost his opening partner to a diamond duck.
After Sunde was caught and bowled in the 20th over, Jock McKenzie (68) stepped in to form another strong stand, putting on 99 with Ansell for the third wicket before Ansell was finally bowled by Katene Clark in the 39th over.
At 203 for three, Auckland had a tremendous platform to attack and ND did well to hold them to 261 for six, using nine bowlers in the process.
In response, however, ND couldn't come up with the big partnerships to match Auckland's efforts and make a chase of it. Captain and number four Thorn Parkes again contributed with a knock of 41, but aside from 33 from opener Jake Russ (a patient 33 off 70 balls) no one else could get going against the well drilled Aucklanders who zoomed through the last six wickets for a cost of only 32 runs.
Auckland's first win took them to four points, equal with CD in the middle of the table.
Otago U19 beat Canterbury U19 by two wickets
In a match reduced to 49 overs per side by brief wet weather, Otago U19 were in for another tight finish as Canterbury U19 looked to rebound from their opening day loss to CD.
Canterbury won the toss and got off to a solid start on Bert Sutcliffe Oval, Rangiora's Rhys Mariu scoring a half century at the top and building a 93-run stand for the second wicket with Ben Hartland.
Hartland top-scored for the home side with 63, but he struggled for support after the loss of Mariu in the 23rd over and Canterbury's innings ended at a middling 219 for eight.
Despite an early breakthrough from Richard Turpie, Otago got established with first-drop Hunter Kindley reaching 69. Canterbury chipped away at the other end but after having taken a three-fa in the first innings, Beckham Wheeler-Greenall continued his good all-round day with an innings of 43 that took his side through to 156 for five in the 39th.
Otago Volt Ben Lockrose then took up the task with a quick 31 to all but get his side home, Charlie Holt bashing an unbeaten 17* off nine to make sure of a two-wicket win secured on the last ball of the chase, after yesterday's Round One tie. The win elevated Otago to second on the table, two points behind leaders and defending champions Wellington.
Wellington U19 beat CD U19 by five wickets
After his unbeaten century the day before, Thomas Zohrab’s strong form with the bat continued as he backed up with a top score of 73 for CD U19 against defending champs Wellington U19.
Wellington captain Nick Greenwood was asked to field first on Lincoln Green, but had an immediate breakthrough with Jono Tuffin bowling Zohrab’s twin brother David first over.
Tuffin had CD captain Kurtis Weeks caught shortly after to have CD 2-8, Thomas Zohrab carrying on to steady things with a 57-run stand for the third wicket with Akash Gill (28).
Wellington kept the pressure on with more wickets, however, CD five down for 124 but with Zohrab still there in the 34th over. He would march on to the 39th before he was finally caught off Greenwood. With a run-a-ball finish from the tail, CD would add a further 87 runs to post a reasonable total of 234 for nine, Taranaki’s Frewin brothers left unbeaten.
They started brilliantly with the ball, however, to put some early pressure on the Wellingtonians, Ben Frewin sitting on figures of 2-5 inside the first five overs.
Wellington fought back strongly, captain Greenwood (59) and first drop Gareth Severin (79) putting on a third-wicket stand of 133 to get their side back in control.
They would both fall shortly after the 30-over mark before Caleb Frewin picked up Jesse Tashkoff for just 16, the capital lads 173 for five in the 40th.
With two overs to go, however, they would need just a further nine runs and had maintained their run rate at a good clip. A six from Tim Robinson had just eased the pressure, before Tim Campbell peeled the nine required runs off the next four balls for a five-wicket win with 1.2 overs to spare to take them to a two-point lead at the top of the table as the only remaining undefeated team.
BAT CARRY, TIED MATCH & LAST-BALL THRILLER
- and all that just on day one -
The 2018/19 NZC Under-19 National Championships are off to a cracking start with three head-turning results on the opening day in Lincoln this afternoon.
Northern Districts and Otago tied match
Northern Districts U19 and Otago U19 achieved a rare tied result in their Round One one-dayer on Lincoln Green. Northern Districts had been set a target of 243 to win, but were restricted to 242 for nine in the last over, despite number four batsman Thorn Parkes, from Gisborne, remaining unbeaten at the death on 85*.
Wellington U19 beat Auckland U19 by one wicket
Auckland U19 and defending champions Wellington U19 were also destined for a nerve-wracking finish, Wellington winning on the last ball of the match to seal a tight one-wicket win in the big clash between the two city teams. The Wellingtonians had been chasing 238, finishing nine down as the tailend pair grabbed the winning runs in the nick of time.
Central Districts U19 beat Canterbury U19 by nine wickets
Central Districts U19 meanwhile produced a convincing win over home side Canterbury U19 with Nelson's Thomas Zohrab carrying his bat for an unbeaten 111* in a nine-wicket win. Zohrab had put on a 77-run opening stand with his identical twin brother David before combining with captain Kurtis Weeks (89*, the batsman hailing from Hawke's Bay) in a match-winning, unbroken 182-run stand for the second wicket. The Central side had been chasing Canterbury's 255 for seven, Jack Harris top-scoring for the hosts with a run-a-ball 62. Harris is a scion of the high-achieving Canterbury family that includes father and former Canterbury and Otago representative Ben Harris, uncle and former BLACKCAP and Canterbury allrounder Chris Harris and grandfather the late Zin Harris, also a New Zealand Test cricketer.
The men's U19 national tournament, which runs until 21 December this year, is contested between New Zealand's six Major Associations under the NZC umbrella and is one of New Zealand's longest-standing amateur tournaments.
The tournament is a significant stepping stone to New Zealand Under-19 selection for the ICC Under-19 World Cup, held every two years. Last year's national championship-winning team from Wellington included Rachin Ravindra, who has already represented New Zealand A this season and is line to make his first-class debut for the Wellington Firebirds tomorrow in Nelson, and Jakob Bhula who has already stepped up to the Firebirds at Ford Trophy and Plunket Shield level this season.
