South Canterbury Retain Ron Biggar Memorial Trophy 3rd Year Running

The South Canterbury Senior Cricket side travelled to Ashburton on Sunday for the Annual Ron Biggar Trophy exchange 50 over match. After going missing, the trophy was reinstated 3 seasons ago, and like the Ranfurly Shield, SC does not plan to let it go easily.

Mid Canterbury won the toss and batted on what turned out to be a low and slow pitch. Opening batsmen Lyall Jemmett spent over 3 hours at the crease as he compiled a solid 52 but apart from a 50 run partnership with Robert Madden (29) for the second wicket none of the Mid Canterbury batsmen were able to help him much and he was eventually the ninth wicket to fall and Mid Cant were all out for 142 in the 49^th over.

All six South Canterbury bowlers returned good figures as partnerships were broken regularly especially after the introduction of Dan Laming (2-24 off 10) and Craig Davies’ off-spinners (4-19 off 8). The fielding also improved from the previous outing with 8 batsmen dismissed to catches.  

In reply, South Canterbury got away to a solid start with both Craig Davies (12) and Ben Millar (19) hitting the ball into the gaps, rotating the strike and keeping the score moving along with singles and the odd two. With the score on 23, Davies edged one to slip and soon after Miller departed leaving South Canterbury 2-40.

Englishman, Mathew Barnes (32) then joined the in form Dan Laming (55) who scored his second fifty of the weekend and together they along with Grant Brookland (12no) took the game away from Mid Canterbury. South Canterbury passed the total needed for victory for the loss of only 4 wickets in the 45^th over.

The next representative match is against North Otago at Aorangi Oval this Sunday and then South Canterbury play their first game in the Hawke Cup campaign against West Coast in Greymouth on 29^th/30^th November.

Scoreboard:

Mid Canterbury Innings

South Canterbury Innings