New Zealand: Easts set up title chance in day of drama (8 March 1999)

8 March 1999

New Zealand: Easts set up title chance in day of drama

The Christchurch Press

Just when Phil Monk's hat-trick seemed to have assured Riccarton of at least a share of the Canterbury club cricket championship, East-Shirley splashed its way to the win which could ultimately give it sole possession of the WestpacTrust Trophy.

Between those two events on Saturday a thunderstorm had drenched Hagley Oval. Monk and his mates had already demolished Old Collegians on Hagley 3, and were savouring the prospect of sitting out the last-round bye with the cushion of a 16-point lead.

East-Shirley, meanwhile, had faltered in pursuit of St Albans' modest 110 on Hagley 1. It collapsed from 42 without loss to 74 for nine, though last hopes Karl Smith and Dave Neill added 18 runs before the downpour.

An extra hour was claimed, it was all hands to the brooms as surface water was swept from the outfield, and the umpires decided nine overs could be bowled after play resumed.

Neill, the No. 11, reignited East's challenge with two boundaries in the first over and with Smith went on to capture 12 priceless points. East meets High School Old Boys at Hagley 1 in the final round on March 20 and 27, having reduced Riccarton's lead to four points.

Saturday's eighth round had been reduced to a one-day unlimited-overs affair after the previous week's wash out. Old Boys had also harboured title aspirations but dropped out of contention when well beaten by Lancaster Park-Woolston at Garrick Park.

East-Shirley's feat of turning water into celebratory wine might have dampened the celebration of Monk's hat-trick across the park, but did not diminish the achievement itself.

Andrew Reid's unbeaten half-century had carried Riccarton to a total which always appeared to be out of Old Collegians' range. Monk hinted at what was to come by dismissing Tim Walton with his first ball. When Scott Taylor was out to the fifth ball of his third over, Monk was primed for action.

His hat-trick was an unassisted effort from the second ball of his fifth over, bowling Andrew McRae and Andrew Hughes and having Dave Cartwright leg before wicket.

"It was my sort of wicket, holding up a bit, and I just concentrated on bowling a good line," said Monk, a 32-year-old right-arm medium-pacer who had claimed previous hat-tricks for Birkenhead in Auckland and Timaru in South Canterbury. Old Collegians lost five wickets with its score anchored on 74.

St Albans medium-pacer Garfield Charles matched Monk's six-wicket bag and, with left-arm spinner James Ward, almost sunk East-Shirley until Smith and Neill produced their last-wicket heroics.

Meanwhile, a confident 67 from Park-Woolston's Carlos McGillivray and a testing seven-over spell from captain and left-arm medium-pacer John Quinn dashed Old Boys' title aspirations.

Old Boys enjoyed early success after choosing to bowl first. But from 34 for four, McGillivray and James Hindson produced a 95-run partnership for Lancaster Park-Woolston, and Hindson and John Stuart shared a hard-hitting sixth-wicket stand of 80.

The Old Boys innings started just as disastrously, but it never recovered against the sharp medium pace of Anthony Timpson, the Cornelius brothers, and Quinn.

Marist, 11 runs short of Sydenham with four wickets in hand, was probably robbed of victory by the rain which caused an early finish at Sydenham Park.

Riccarton 214-8 dec beat Old Collegians 85 by 129 runs

St Albans 110 lost to East Christchurch-Shirley 114-9 by one wicket

Sydenham 147 drew with Marist 137-6

Lancaster Park-Woolston 232-7 dec beat High School Old Boys 86 by 146 runs

Burnside-West University bye

Riccarton 81, East-Shirley 77, Old Boys 64, Park-Woolston 49, St Albans 36, Burnside-West 29, Old Collegians 22, Marist 17, Sydenham 6.

Source :: The Christchurch Press (https://www.press.co.nz/)