Northern Boom 177/4, M Fairless 1-12, P Fernando 1-19
Karori Wildcats 178/3, H Cameron 55 (40), T Westaway 41 (31), W Herbert 38 (25), A Hampshire 33* (19)
A stunning sunny day and a great performance to pay tribute to the All Blacks World Cup win.
Winning the toss, the Wildcats sent the Boom into bat. Things looked good in the second over as Fearless lured their opener into a hook that was caught by Vaughan on the backward square boundary. Then the Boom got to work. Their other opener, Beardy-McShoulders, did most of the damage,hitting sixes from anywhere in his zone. Vaughan removed their #3 in the 9th over, but that didn’t stop them getting to 99 from 9.
Will then applied the brakes with three tight overs and snared a wicket, and Alex induced their opener to dislocate his shoulder. Things chilled out a bit while he was off the field. At 139 after 15 we were getting back into the game. And with Rupert, Nando and Vaughan bowling some miserly overs towards the end the Boom made a very respectable, but gettable, 177. Most runs were scored by McShoulders, who made 112 off 69.
Whammo Hamo and Teddy Westside lead our batting charge. Like an Everest climb, it’s best to start slow and steady and drink plenty of water. Tom and Hamish did both. By playing it around and picking off a boundary or two most overs, these lads forged a 98 run partnership by the 12th over. Some of H Cameron’s biggest shots had us riding the ‘Haim-Train’, and T Westaway’s scoop shot was more effective than fishing with a grenade. Their strike rates were each over 130. They then departed in quick succession bringing together a new partnership featuring Will and Alex.
Will and Alex drove, pulled, and dabbed it around to take us from 104 in the 13th to 168 at the end of the 18th. Together they scored 66 of 38 balls, with three 4s each, two 6s for Will, and one 6 for Alex. The Boom also helped out with some Wildcats-like fielding… a key moment was Alex hitting it high to mid-off, and mid-off attempting a ‘thigh-catch’ that rocketed the ball to the mid-on boundary off his leg.
When Will left in the 19th there was only a small amount left to do, and Alex and Dan did the business to wrap it up one over early.
It looks like the Wildcats have made the grade: a solid B+. Aside from the on-field performances, honourable mentions should go to: Vaughan, Dan, and Michael who kept our players hydrated; Sukhin who played with a sanded-off finger; Rhys who manned the scorebook for our innings; Rupert who literally kept the scoreboard ticking over; and three WAGs (Rachel, Ellyse, and Jess) whose sideline support created a Basin-like atmosphere.
Wildcats. It’s a way of life.