Glen Drake – Almost got a hat-trick
Star’s sluggish season slumped to a new low as Waimate thumped them by 10 wickets in Twenty20 cricket action at Aorangi Oval.
Star were dismissed for just 67, which was a target Waimate chased down inside nine overs.
Star, at the bottom of all three forms of the game this season but appearing to improve since Christmas, could only bat 16 overs and score two boundaries on a pitch that had produced scores of more than 160 during the past three weeks.
Surprisingly, Waimate decided to bowl first, but Star helped make that decision a goodone.
Danny Campbell was the only Star batsman to make double figures with 17, as a steady flow of wickets, not runs, were the feature of the Star innings.
Waimate captain Glen Drake had the chance for a hat-trick denied by a dropped caught behind by Nathan Sew Hoy. It was the only blemish for Waimate, but Star did make the match easy for them.
Drake’s left-arm off-spin managed 2-9 from three overs while Connor Farrell’s medium pace earned him 2-14 from four.
The Star innings came to an abrupt end when their captain Jeremy Lane was involved in two mediocre pieces of running which saw his partners well short of their ground.
Waimate attacked the target as if they needed to score 200!
Nathan Sew Hoy struck 39 which included five fours and a six, while brother Jason made 22, but was fortunate to be dropped twice during his brief innings.
Left-arm quick Craig Hinton was tidy for Star, with his four overs costing him just 15, but the Sew Hoys simply sw him off and attacked the bowlers at the other end.
It leaves Waimate in a srong position for a finals spot with two matches remaining.
Celtic also look likely to make the finals and they face the Cavaliers next Friday night.