United gets season back on track after win in Te Puke
Wednesday, 10 March 2010
EAST Bay United’s rollercoaster season continued on Saturday with a commanding five wicket win over Te Puke.
After being demolished in their previous outing, United won the round six Baywide Cup match at Te Puke. The home team batted first and United had a superb start when they had Te Puke’s top three batsmen out in the seventh over and with only 19 runs on the board.
United captain Dean Butterworth and left-arm spinner Ritu Raj opened the attack and did well to tie up the Te Puke batting effort. The contrasting pace and spin attack continued with the introduction of Dan Simpson and Brett Sharma. In a 24 over partnership that produced 98 runs Te Puke were battling back until the 30th over when United’s Charl Naude made a run out to have Te Puke 121-4.
Raj secured the vital wicket four overs later with a successful lbw appeal. With five wickets in hand Te Puke were eyeing up a total of over 250 and a sixth wicket partnership worth 63 runs went some way to achieving it. However, the tandem act of Sharma and part timer Alex Yates took two wickets each within 15 balls and the Te Puke innings was dramatically wound up at the start of the 49th over - all out for 210.
Butterworth finished with 2-22 and Raj returned figures of 2-31.
East Bay’s assault on the target set off at a blistering pace. Yates carved 14 runs off the first over, exploiting the fast outfield. This momentum continued despite the loss of United’s first wicket in the sixth over with the score on 32. Butterworth joined Yates at the crease and the pair added 95 runs for the second wicket at six runs per over.
Yates’ 50 included 11 boundaries and in the 16th over East Bay were 94-1. Butterworth fell for 45 in the 22nd over leaving East Bay in a commanding position 127-2. The sudden loss of Raj one over later only dampened things momentarily as James Black assisted a now more cautious Yates to add a further 32 runs for the fourth wicket. When Yates eventually fell for 77 late in the 33rd over United required 47 to win with six wickets in hand.
Black and Simpson made short work of the chase smashing four fours and sixes in their 42 run stand before Simpson’s dismissal for 24 brought Jono Whitaker to the crease.
He drove the winning runs four balls later. United had 10 overs to spare and Black was unbeaten on 24.
United manager Trig Yates said it was a good performance.
“Deano learnt early that if you pushed the ball through it would come onto the bat well but if you held it up a little all sorts happened.
“He emphasized this to his bowlers and they responded with a clever combination of pace and spin. With the bat it was a wicket where you had to wait for the right ball and the guys, particularly Alex, did this extremely well,” he said.
East Bay United take on Rotorua Boys High School in Rotorua on Saturday.
Meanwhile Trident High School had a narrow three-run loss to Papamoa in the Western Bay Reserve competition on Saturday.