Burnside-West wins one-day cricket final

Press, 12 March 1984, Page 21

Burnside-West wins one-day cricket final

Burnside-West Christchurch-University won the Chancery Finance first-grade one-day cricket competition when it beat Sydenham by four runs in an exciting final at Burnside Park yesterday.

Third place went to St Albans, which had an even closer tussle against High School Old Boys. Les Watson, best known for his bowling skills, scored a single from the last ball of the match to see St Albans home by two wickets. In a low-scoring encounter, East-Shirley deprived Lancaster Park of fifth position, and Riccarton had a nine-wicket margin over Old Collegians in a game in which 18 players had turns with the ball. Scores.— For first: Burnside-West 158 beat Sydenham 154. For third: Old Boys 200/9 lost to St Albans 201/8. For fifth: East-Shirley 111 beat Lancaster Park 90. For seventh: Old Collegians 168/9 lost to Riccarton 169/1. Lindsay Thorn (88 n. 0.) and Tim Murdoch (57 n. 0.) had an unfinished second-wicket partnership of 137 runs for Riccarton. Richard Hartshorn (Old Collegians), Bob Carter and Kevin Congdon (Sydenham) also scored half-centuries, Congdon exceeding 200 runs for the week-end. The only

bowler to claim five wickets was Robbie van Zanten (EastShirley). Exciting final As if in response to the drama, dark, turbulent clouds gathered over Bumside Park with Sydenham, in its last 10 overs, needing 4.7 runs an over to win. Until that stage, with Kevin Congdon and Bob Carter in command, Sydenham had looked to be coasting to an easy victory. After Congdon was out, the situation changed dramatically. Sydenham still had seven wickets in hand with 10 overs left, but the demanding Steve Bateman was back into the attack and two wickets fell quickly. From five overs, 28 were needed, five wickets down. In the fourth-to-last over, Bateman bowled Greg Curtain and Stu Simpson, leaving 24 from three overs. Tom White had also been dismissed. Carter had been away from the strike for a significant time. With 17 required from two overs, Carter skied an attempted big hit and Bateman took the catch from his own bowling, leaving the last pair at the wicket. Fourteen were wanted from the last over.

Bert Walker missed the first ball from Andrew Hintz, and took two from the second. From the third, he hit a big, straight six, and the smiles on the faces of the Bumside supporters turned to frowns, six needed from three balls. Then Walker sliced the ball down to third man, turned for a second, and was run out. Two balls left unbowled, only four runs in it — it was a sirring finish. Notwithstanding the slowness of the Bumside out-field, the home side’s total had not seemed enough. Stephen Jeffery opened with 41 from 87 balls, but from there things went a little awry. David Boyle was cruelly run out by a throw from a team-mate, Chris Marks, who was substituting for White when the Sydenham player was called away unexpectedly. There were two other run-outs. Further chagrin awaited West. Darin Cusack, a re-cently-deposed first-team member for the home side, had taken over the substitute’s duties and caught both Kevin Collins and Bateman on the square leg boundary when the pair were performing well at the end of the innings.