Victory by an innings and 69 runs against the West Coast in the first round of the Hawke Cup was the ideal way for South Canterbury to open their 2008-09 campaign after making the long trip to Greymouth.
Captain Todd Elliotte won the toss and decided to bat first and despite losing the first wicket with only 4 runs on the board Ben Millar and debutant Julian Danby soon put SC back in control as they added 70 runs for the second wicket before Millar was run out for24.
Danby was then joined by the in form Dan Laming and the pair kept the scoreboard moving along at a run a ball before Danby was caught after a 2 hour stay at the crease for 87 off only 94 deliveries. The pressure on the West Coast bowlers didn’t ease as Dan was joined by his brother James and they added a further 40 runs for the 4th wicket before a James was out for 22.
Dan continued scoring in good time with Liam Crowley before being out caught for a rapid 63 which included 11 boundaries. Crowley made the most of his opportunity by scoring his first 50 for South Canterbury as he and Matt Mealings built a fifty run partnership before Crowley’s run out for 56 brought about the declaration at 271-7 by Elliotte.
With 59 overs to be bowled in the day SC were soon making the most of every opportunity as Craig Hinton blew the West Coast innings apart taking two wickets in his second over followed by wickets in each of his subsequent overs on his way to a most impressive spell of 5 – 12 from 11 overs and continuing the form that had seem him get a hat-trick the previous weekend in club cricket. He was well supported by Kevin Teahen with 2-28 as between them they removed 7 of the first 8 batsmen.
This was all too much for the Coasters who collapsed to 31-7 before the 8th wicket partnership saw them struggle through to 50, but then Elliotte again turned the screws by introducing Craig Davies who quickly wiped up the tail with his off-spin on his way to 3 for 10 from 4.1 overs. Davies will be mortified that nine of the ten runs he conceded came off one over!
West Coast’s first innings produced a paltry 65 runs from 31 overs and Elliotte had no hesitation in enforcing the follow on. The opening batsmen provided little more resistance than in the first innings, although this time Teahen was the leading strike force and Coast were soon 12-3, before a rally of sorts saw them get through to 18-3 after 18 overs at the end of Day One.
Overnight entertainment, Coast style must have put some steel back into the locals as they thwarted SC’s attempts to finish the game off and return home early. N Cumming batted two and a half hours for his 44 runs and N Cochrane batted an hour and a half for 29 and together they added 65 runs but it was a ‘climb too high’ and eventually Elliotte’s experience and guile got on top as he made a big breakthrough with Cumming’s wicket and then mopped up the tail on his way to 4-47.
Teahen with 3-40 and Hinton 2-26 capped off fine bowling displays and West Coast were dismissed a second time for 137 giving South Canterbury the outright win.
The next round of the Hawke Cup is against Buller in Timaru on Dec 13th and 14th.