Onslow Ad hoc 45/10 (16.1), P Fernando 5-7 (4), T Buchan 2-6 (4)
Karori Wildcats 46/1 (6.1), P Hewitt 18*, T Buchan 20*
Author: Dan Croft
For Wellington anniversary weekend, both teams had a make-shift feel about them. The Wildcats were missing several key players, so drafted in Pete Hewitt again and Rob Hill and Jamie Brundell made their debuts. It appears that Onslow’s only recruitment requirement was that you could hold (but not necessarily know how to use) a bat. Irrespective, they were wholly unprepared for the freight train heading towards them in the form of one P Fernando.
Four overs, one maiden, five for 7. These figures in and of themselves would be a career highlight, but that would be selling Nando short. The spell included a hat trick- yes that is right, a hat trick, which removed their top order. All the wickets were caught by a sharp ‘Cats fielding unit: two by Dan ‘Buckethands’ Nicholls at first slip and the other by Brundell at point – the first of his three catches.
That is really the story of the match. Tom complimented Nando’s devastating spell with a similarly miserly spell of 4-0-6-2, and Suhkin, Rob, and Rupert mopped up the tail taking a wicket each. Runs were hard to come by for Onslow as they were bowled out in the 17th over with only 45 on the board. The runs were chased down within 25 mins with an efficient batting effort led by Hewitt and Buchan.
The only other points of note were Alex’s innings of a six and out so he could get a quick bat in before going to the airport (to pick up his parents) and the ‘borrowing’ by Onslow of a Wildcats supporter. Thankfully Rob’s mate was from Norway and literally had not held a cricket bat before so fitted in nicely into the Onslow batting lineup.
Two wins to start 2017. Cats off to a good start and sitting second on the table.