There are mens, women’s and age group teams.

For further information please telephone the office, 6863377.

Expressions of interest should be sent to PO Box 335, Timaru no later than 28 May 2010.

The match began with Otago Country needing first innings points to tie with North Otago at the top of the table, and therefore win the right to challenge for the Hawke Cup because they had beaten North Otago in pool play. This probably impacted on their decision to play to their strength and bowl first, but a South Canterbury side playing for pride soon took control of the game and never looked back.

Davies second consecutive Hawke Cup century was chanceless as he and Liddy took their time to get used to the bounce at Aorangi, but after they had got themselves in the shot making from the pair blossomed and when they went to lunch the score was 149 with Davies (88) in sight of his ton, while Liddy had just brought up his half century.

It was hard work for the Country bowlers, although perhaps they are more used to the heat, but eventually the breakthrough came when Liddy was out caught for 69. Davies then lost his next two partners cheaply, perhaps a reflection on their four hour wait with pads on before he finally fell for 129.

Country perked up, but then poor catching did not help their cause as Alexander McKenzie made 47 after a couple of early chances, Glenn Matthews 21, and then Andy Scott made the most of his return to the team with an impressive 45 not out and was looking for his fifty when he ran out of partners. South Canterbury by now had posted 376 and left plenty for Country to do.

Runs on the board build their own pressures and Matthews and Craig Hinton soon made breakthroughs including the night watchmen for a duck to have Country reeling at 30-3 before eventually finishing the day at 56-3.

Day two dawned even hotter and the South Canterbury side was set for a long day in the field. The first three hour session only heralded one wicket when Hinton removed Brendan Domigan the Otago Country captain for 45 but James Pyle at the other end seemed in little trouble, and with new partner Fraser Wilson had put Otago Country right back in the match when they went to lunch with the score 226-4 and Wilson 83 not out and Pyle 67 not out.

Lunches tend to benefit fielding sides and this time it was no different as Wilson played inside the line and was bowled by Todd Elliotte for 91. A few runs later and Pyle played lazily at a delivery outside off and was caught by Elliotte at first slip off Hinton and suddenly the South Canterbury heads were up and the eagerness could be seen. Matthews trapped Petre lbw and at 296-8 South Canterbury were back in charge.

The ebbs and flows of the game continued however, as edges were spilled, or more often than not didn’t quite carry and Otago Country got themselves back into the favourite’s position as Cameron Rutherford and Ronnie Kotkamp put on a big partnership and went to tea only needing another 46 runs.

After tea Elliotte brought his main strike bowlers back on as South Canterbury looked for a breakthrough, but it didn’t come until Otago had 371 on the board and only required a further seven runs to make use of the tickets to the final they had already booked.

Hinton bowling his 35th over in a huge day at the office caught the edge of Kotkamp’s bat and it flew low through to keeper Andy Scott who was up to the task and took the catch. The batsman hung around as he was uncertain if it had carried, but the umpires confirmed his demise which brought No 11 Ben Purvis to face the last five balls of the Hinton over while Rutherford, now 58 not out, could only watch from the far end.

Hinton knew he had to be online and make Purvis play and his first delivery was right on the spot rapping the batsman’s pads. The whole team went up in appeal, the umpire obliged, and Otago Country was dismissed for 371 giving South Canterbury the first innings win and Hinton his fifth wicket.

A great end to an intriguing cricket match and perhaps also a fitting farewell to captain Todd Elliotte after 101 games for his province, although he would probably have liked the five more wickets he needed to bag 300. The first season in the new zone did not go well for South Canterbury finishing second last, but this match will have given them a lot more confidence heading into next season.

Scoreboard

Losing the toss, South Canterbury was asked to field in hot sunshine. All of the bowlers had some sort of success and were rewarded with the wickets being shared between them. The best of them being Rachel Clements who, when Central were all out for 95, finished with the fine figures of 4/9 off 6 overs. In only her second time at the bowling crease, Amy Beeby also bowled her left armers well and finished with 1 wicket and should have had another, but for a dropped catch.

As cricket games often go, when the team batting first only posts a low score, often the team chasing struggles and this was no different when South Canterbury began its run chase.

Courtney Buckman and Mellissa O’Brien got the visiting side off to a cautious start with an opening partnership of 16. When these two were parted things began to go horribly wrong for South Canterbury and they began to loose wickets at regular intervals. Keryn Ward (16) decided to only hit the balls she had to and found valuable alias in Clements (11) and Rowan Milburn (12).

They crept closer to the winning target but found the going tough as J Gibson with her slow off spinners made the 96 runs hard to get. In the end with 1 run need for victory the last pair of Kaitlyn Young and Beeby scrambled a run, much to the delight of coach/umpire, Richard Davidson and their team mates on the sideline.

In bitterly cold conditions yesterday, South Canterbury batted first and scored 157 for eight from their 40 overs, thanks to Rowen Milburn with 44 and Lisa Grant who made 39.

The pair combined for a match defining partnership, after the hosts had slumped to 77-6 at one point.

Dunedin appeared to be cruising to their target  with nine wickets in hand with under half the runs to get, but tight bowling by Amber Boyce, who took three wickets and Milburn, who showed her all round talent by bagging three, meant the squeeze went on the young Dunedin side and they were all out with the target in sight.

South Canterbury Cricket community development officer, Richard Davidson said he was pleased with the commitment the team showed in the field.

The experience of Grant, Boyce and Milburn, who have all played domestic cricket for either Otago or Canterbury proved to be the difference, he said.

The Aotea Cup is played between teams from Dunedin, Central Otago, Southland and South Canterbury.

South Canterbury’s next opponents will be Central Otago in Oturehua next weekend.

Coaches Report:

After winning the toss, South Canterbury got of to a slow start and was soon in trouble at the half way stage of their innings. With only 60 runs on the board they had lost 5 wickets. Only Courtney Hamel (11) and Courtney Buckman (15) got into double figures. All of the top order had trouble with the swinging ball and struggled to hit the ball into gaps. When Otago Spark, Lisa Grant (44) and retired White Fern Rowan Milburn (40no) came together they began to run the quick singles, (although this was to be Grant’s down fall as she tried this once too often and was run out). At the end of South Canterbury’s allotted 40 overs they had got through to a now respectful and defendable total of 157/7.

Dunedin’s turn at bat got of to a steady start against the new ball attack of Hannah Linton and Hamel who picked up the first wicket LBW with the total on 9.

Team mate of Grant in the Sparks and Dunedin captain, Kate Crowley kept the innings going by hitting the bad ball to the boundary. Her innings of 80 no made up of over half of Dunedin’s runs. With her at the crease the Dunedin were always going to go close. The run rate required always kept in toe with the balls remaining.

With the introduction of Milburn (3-22) and Amber Boyce (4-24) the chase was slowed down somewhat and the final over began with 8 run required for a Dunedin victory. The first ball of Libby Stuck’s over created a runout at the bowlers end resulting in South Canterbury wining by 8 runs.

Yr 5 and 6 Trial: Tuesday February 9th – 6.30pm – Graeme Blanchard Centre

Yr 7 and 8 Trial: Thursday February 11th – 6.30pm – Graeme Blanchard Centre

All players who are eligible and would like to try out for these teams should be at the Graeme Blanchard Centre prior to 6.30pm on the appropriate evening.

If you are unable to be at your trial, please contact the South Canterbury Cricket office and leave your details. Ph (03) 686 3377

South Canterbury won the toss and asked North Otago to bat first on the Centennial Park pitch which only the weekend before had drawn complaints due to poor preparation from the Southland coach after his team was beaten outright.

However, for South Canterbury the pitch didn’t seem to show these demons as North Otago progressed along at a steady rate. Kevin Teahen took the first three wickets to fall continuing his like for North Otago scalps from the pre-season match, but it was skipper Todd Elliotte playing his 100th match who sparked the South Canterbury hopes after taking two wickets in three deliveries to have North Otago 150-5.

Unfortunately North Otago soon took back control as their Otago representative player Sean Eathorne again showed his liking for South Canterbury bowlers with another century (his previous was in the Mark Parker Memorial match) and this time he found support from his No7 as they added 118 runs before South Canterbury’s Craig Hinton made the next breakthrough, and this helped North Otago to post 344.

South Canterbury’s reply began steadily if not spectacularly and day one finished with the score at 86-5. Unfortunately the dawn of day two did not bode well as SC slumped to 117-9 when they were forced to declare because an injured Dan Laming was unable to bat properly and retired hurt.

Batting a second time the South Canterbury batsmen proved to be much more resolute with Davies leading the way and he had good support from Matt Barnes (39) in a 78 run partnership for the second wicket and then later he added 58 runs with fellow centurion (of a different kind) and captain Todd Elliotte who scored 63 as SC firstly chased down the huge deficit to at least make North Otago bat again. They achieved this first target by tea for the loss of only 4 wickets and then had to bat most of the last session to make sure North Otago were not in a position to make a successful run chase, and eventually the match finished in a draw.

South Canterbury after a much more polished performance managed to bat most of the day and had scored 358-8 when stumps were pulled. This should buoy their confidence as they go into their final match at home on February 20th against Otago Country who will be playing their third match in as many weekends and with Country looking for a good result to help them win the Hawke Cup, a strong effort by South Canterbury will be eagerly watched by both North Otago and Southland.

Elliotte said he was pleased with how his team fought in the second innings.

“We looked at the way we played in the first innings and it was just a matter of knowing we had to pull our socks up and say `hey, we’re playing for South Canterbury here’.

“We knew we had to bat for most of the last day and the guys really dug in.”

The South Canterbury captain said losing Laming to a possible side-strain during North Otago’s first innings affected the balance of the team.

“He (Laming) can usually tie up an end pretty well; losing him meant we were left with three fast bowlers and two spinners.

“He’s also a vital part of our batting lineup at No4.”

Elliotte said taking two quick wickets with the ball in the first innings eased any nerves he had about his 100th game.

“The bowling went well, but being dismissed for a duck (0) in the first innings wasn’t great.”

He said he enjoyed being able to contribute to the second innings fightback, by scoring 63.

“We knew we had to bat all day, but when Craig (Davies) and I were out there, we knew we could do it, and the rest of the guys did a really good job lower in the order.”

He said the team would take a lot of confidence from the performance into their next game against Otago Country, knowing they can spoil Otago Country’s chances of progressing further in the Hawke Cup.

Score Board

Only three other players have became centurions for South Canterbury Cricket, with Barrie Andrews leading the list with 127 games. John Varcoe played 109, while former test player John Ward was the first to break the magic mark and he went on to play 127 games.

Off-spinner Elliotte has already etched his name into the record books when eclipsing Phil d’Auvergne as South Canterbury cricket’s highest wicket-taker in 2007. The 35-year-old has since lifted his tally to 286, but is unlikely to break the magical 300 mark as he is set to retire from representative cricket at the end of the season, to concentrate on his young family.

Elliotte joined the South Canterbury team as a fresh-faced 17-year-old out of Timaru Boys’ High School along with Mark Parker and former Black Caps opener Craig Cumming.

Since then, apart from a year teaching English in Korea and a brief stint in Christchurch, Elliotte has been a stalwart of the South Canterbury side, captaining them for almost the past decade.

The off-spinner’s best effort was grabbing 11 wickets against Mid Canterbury, and over his 18 seasons of playing for South Canterbury has several 10 wicket bags.

The accurate off spinner has however never managed to grab a hat-trick.

Elliotte has loved his time playing representative cricket but said family needed to come first. He has, however, set up a wicket in his backyard for his three-year-old son Harry, with nine-month-old Max a keen spectator.

Elliotte has not only been successful with the ball, he has also proved handy with the bat, with a top score of 123 against Canterbury Country.

His highlight was the 2000 season which culminated in South Canterbury hoisting the Hawke Cup.

Elliotte said he had always enjoyed cricket because of the people he played with. “The best move was when I pulled the pin in Christchurch, I’ve just loved playing for South Canterbury.

“There have been some tremendous games and I just loved being part of them.”

South Canterbury coach Richard Davidson said it was a tremendous milestone for the skipper. “Todd really deserves it, he is highly respected by his peers and his opponents and he stuck with South Canterbury rather move away, which is a credit to him.

“Batsmen knew they were in for a battle when they faced him.”

The talented allrounder will not be lost to cricket completely choosing to continue playing for his club, Star.

“I owe it to them because of the support they have shown to me.”

South Canterbury will need to beat North Otago outright in Oamaru to have any chance of challenging for the Hawke Cup.

It was an actio-packed day at Alexandra when Buller won the toss to put SC in to bat on an artificial turf after changeable weather hampered playing conditions.

After Thursday’s disappointment, SC batted well, with newly promoted opener Henry Morley-Hall giving a stunning performance of 50 not out.

Patrick Simpson starred with an impressive 47 while Liam Cosgrove and Jack Woodley were a useful combination with 17 and 18 respectively.

It enabled SC to declare at 156 -4 from 43 overs.

Buller replied and finished with 150-7. It was a tight finish as they required eight runs off the last over but South Canterbury denied Buller the satisfaction.

Taking wickets for SC, James Hawkey swept up 3-19 while Alastair Harvey held Buller with 1-11 off seven overs. Leg spinner Conor Scott took 1-25 and Nick O’Brien 1-31.

The game ended in a draw as SC needed to bowl Buller out to secure a win.

South Canterbury were placed 6th from 14 teams at the tournament.

SC will next play in the Southern Districts U14 tournament at the end of January.  Selected to play are: Patrick Simpson, Brett Walker, Henry Morley-Hall, Liam Cosgrove, Jack Woodley, Conor Scott, Matt McKenzie, Michael Lees, Chris Hogan, Nick O’Brien and Alastair Harvey.

Winning the toss yesterday, SC put Dunedin Metro in to bat in the match in Alexandra. Rain saw the match start time delayed by two hours.

Dunedin Metro was all out for 136 with the last five wickets falling for six runs.

Team coach-manager John Threlkeld said there was some very good bowling and fielding from South Canterbury, with Nic O’Brien taking 3-21, Chris Hogan 2-1 off four overs and Michael Lees 2-10 off five overs.

While it appeared an achievable target, the damp wicket was not easy to bat on, Mr Threlkeld said.

SC was looking good at 95-4 but then went on to be all out for 105 with Patrick Simpson making 48 and Brett Walker 23.

While SC is now unlikely to win the tournament, it is possible they could still finish in the top four or five places.

In their final game of the tournament today, SC will play Buller at Dunstan High School in Alexandra.

In the third game of the tournament, Canterbury Country batted first, declaring at 195 for 4.

South Canterbury coach-manager John Threlkeld said it looked like it was going to be a big job for his team when they were three for nine runs.

Jack Woodley batted for two hours to achieve his seven runs.

Liam Cosgrove managed three runs over 75 minutes, while Patrick Simpson got his three in 58 minutes. Matt McKenzie notched up five in 49 minutes while Conor Scott defended for 53 minutes without scoring.

Eleventh man Chris Hogan was not out, for the team to finish on 62 for 9.

The draw meant South Canterbury was leading the competition by one point from Canterbury Country last night.

South Canterbury will play Dunedin Metro at Molyneux Park in Alexandra today. The tournament ends tomorrow.