Karori Cricket Club ::

Karori '2' ("The Bakery") vs Easts Cobras, Saturday 28 March 2009

As alluded to elsewhere, Wellington's club cricket season reached a nerve shredding climax on Saturday 28 March.  Out at Petone, Karori and Easts' Premier-grade sides were locked in final and determinative combat for city-wide bragging rights.  Meanwhile, in the Wilton valley, on a lush and verdant corner of Ian Galloway park, Karori and Easts' premier sides in the one-day grade were locked in final and determinative combat for mid-table supremacy.  

Easts Cobras won the toss and invited The Bakery to bat on a smooth, freshly hoovered carpet.  Whether Cobras overestimated the fumed silica content of the pitch's concrete base is now a matter of academic conjecture.  Lacking the necessary accelerant off the virtual grass, any delivery short of a full length sat up invitingly for the batsmen.  A bright start from the The Bakery's openers was capitalised on by Dylan Ewing (55), Piers Ovenden (93) and Rob Sanson (38), who all made virtual hay.  Karori 264 for 8 from 40 overs.

The Cobras' innings was in instant disarray.  Paul Smith and Paul Dorrans toyed with their adversaries like a pair of sadistic mongooses.  Smith alone had the benefit of some inconsistent catching from Karori to finish with figures of 3 for 13, including a triple wicket maiden.  At 97 for 6 at drinks, Easts' hopes appeared to have gone west.  A lower order fight back from the Kilbirnians held up proceedings but Cobras had no sting in the tail.  Lukas Davidson (2 for 9), returned to the bowling attack thanks to some shock treatment on his adductor strain, strangled the recalcitrant Cobra down the leg side.  Sanson took a stunning one handed catch.  Easts 218 all out.

With a 7-2 record since the new year, The Bakery looks forward to the resumption of play in November/December.

Karori (“The Bakery”) vs. East Cobras Saturday 14^th March 2009

Still Revelling from the Epic victory against Karori 1a(a) the weekend before the Bakery were keen to consolidate their position at the fortress. Stand in captain Dan Croft together with form batsman Sam Ferrick ensured the Bakery once again got off to a flyer.

Boundaries were plundered all around the oval with Croft particularly ruthless on anything full of a length. The partnership was broken on 148 a shade before drinks. Following refreshments the momentum was stalled by some tight lines and a flurry of wickets.

A Steady 47 from Abricossow and a flurry of sixes from master blaster Dylan Ewing ensured the final score was elevated to a very respectable 291.

The Bakery started well with the ball and regular wickets ensured the Cobras fell well behind the required run rate. Dylan Ewing bowled with particularly good shape and proved very difficult to get away.

However some lose bowling and dropped catches enabled a middle to lower order revival from the Cobras. The return of Dan Croft and Dylan Ewing snuffed out any hope in the dying stages with the Cobras falling 20 odd short and Dan and Dylan collecting 4–49 and 2–33 respectively

Karori '2' ("The Bakery") vs Karori '1', Saturday 7 March 2009

Eagerly anticipated by both sides, the derby was hastily relocated from Karori Park to the artificial pitch at Wilton Park due to overnight rain and reduced to 35 overs a side. 

Karori '1', second on the table, and bullish, won the toss and elected to bat.  While the finely manicured carpet was of a cloth superior to Ian Galloway, the heavy, overcast sky gave it a distinctly bearish tinge.  

The Bakery's pace quartet of David Abricossow, Dylan Ewing, Paul Dorrans and Dan Croft swung the ball prodigiously.  It was the bustling accuracy of Abricossow, combating early morning haze all of his own, that was rewarded, with 3 wickets for 20 runs off 8 overs.  Sam Ferrick and Jesse Fairley chipped in at psychologically crucial moments, Fairley striking off stump with the final ball before the drinks break.  The Bakery produced a tidy fielding display, with all catches held, to dismiss Karori '1' for a total of 117.

Ferrick and Dan Croft (65) were immediately on top of the run rate.  Croft, harsh on anything remotely short of a length, dispatched five sixes over midwicket, to the general alarm of the good burghers of suburbia.  Steady contributions from the middle order ensured The Bakery reached its target shortly after their own batting interval.  Greg Stanton slammed the winning runs down the ground for a final score of 120 for 5.

Lukas Davidson, not playing due to an adductor injury from his bullish activities while vacationing in the deep south, was pleased to lay claim to the 40 ounces of the finest bourbon money can buy, as staked by the opposing captain.

Karori The Bakery v Collegians Axemen, Sunday 22 February 2009 at Karori Park No. 4

An inspection of the pitch prior to the match revealed a very green, soft wicket which appeared to suit The Bakery's pace attack.  Accordingly, after losing the toss and being asked to bowl, The Bakery were fairly confident of making some early inroads into the Axemen.  However, the pitch offered nothing to the bowlers and the Axemen took severe toll of anything remotely short of a length.  The battering being taken by the bowlers was compounded by a fielding performance that is best quickly forgotten with numerous catches being put down.  Ferrick was the stand-out bowler who was difficult to get away and should have been rewarded with 2 or 3 more wickets but for the fielding woes.  The total set by the Axemen was an imposing 385/5.   

In reply, a quick start was needed by The Bakery's opening batsmen, Ferrick and Gascoigne, and they duly obliged - Gascoigne going on to make a composed top score of 93 (his fourth consecutive half century).  Unfortunately, no other batsmen could stay with him and a quick procession of wickets in the middle order meant that The Bakery were going to fall well short of the target.  Some lusty lower order hitting from Ewing (50), Croft (54*) and Dorrans (23*) pushed the total up to a respectable 312/9, with Croft and Dorrans sharing an unbeaten 60 run 10th wicket partnership.

The Bakery will be looking to right the fielding wrongs against Thorndon this coming Saturday.

Karori '2' vs Johnsonville Cripples, Saturday 14 February 2009

This match was relocated to the artificial pitch at Ascot 2 due to heavy rain during the week.  Johnsonville won the toss and elected to bat.  Blair Martin was the pick of the bowlers taking 3 for 33 from his 8 overs.  The previous week Paul Dorrans took a hat trick and Martin almost repeated the feat here.  With the fielders crowding the striker's end, the prospective third victim flashed and missed at a ball that then almost clipped off stump.  Dylan Ewing was as parsimonious as he was unlucky, consistently swinging the ball away from the right hander, finishing with figures of 8-3-17-1.  Disciplined fielding helped restrict Johnsonville to 160 for 7 from their 40 overs.

Much like the Woolloongabba, Ascot 2 has short boundaries straight down the ground.  Karori's openers took full advantage of this feature.  While Ryan repeatedly struck the ball with the splice of the bat, nine times it carried for six.  It was on the tenth mistimed drive that a Cripple, tip-toeing along the boundary line at mid-off, made a stunning one handed catch to dismiss Ryan for 81.  Oliver Gascoigne promptly hit the winning runs to finish on 69 not out, his third consecutive half century.  Karori '2' have won four of their five matches since the new year.

Karori '2' vs Indians, Sunday 8 February 2009 

Captain Paul Dorrans won the toss and elected to bat on a hot and blustery day at the Ngatitoa Domain, Plimmerton.  Sam Ferrick and Paul Dungey rewarded the decision with an opening stand of 118.  Ferrick showed good positive intent from the outset, his first three deliveries faced all dispatched to the cover boundary.  The opposition could only stand back and admire as Ferrick became Karori 2's first centurion of the season.  He was dismissed after the drinks break for 110, swinging, in a manner incongruous with his previous, brutal, classicism, across the line.  Piers Ovenden (81 not out) and David Abricossow (44 not out) ran well between the wickets to push the total to 298-3.

Dorrans (3-34) then erupted, taking a hat trick with the new ball, to rip through Indians' top order.  All three batsmen were clean bowled as the skipper exhibited that rare combination of talents: control and accuracy at a disconcerting pace.  Two wickets for Dan Croft and a smart run out by Croft and Rob Sanson put an end to the match as a contest.  Indians' seventh wicket pair conducted a stout, defensive vigil, seeing off the remainder of their 40 overs to finish on 181 for 6.  Croft and Abricossow were unlucky not to record any further dismissals.  Karori 2 have now won three of their last four matches.