A roundup of premier club cricket games played in Dunedin at the weekend.
Albion 247/2 bt Uni-Grange 70 by 177 runs
They do not have the mercy rule in cricket, but it might have been the only way to stop Joshua Olliver and Quinn Sunde at Bishopscourt on Saturday.
The Albion openers were simply brutal as they set up a total that was always going to be far too difficult for battling University-Grange in the second round of the T20 portion of the Dunedin premier club season.
Olliver smashed 143 off 54 balls and Sunde contributed an unbeaten 90 off 52 balls as the Eagles rattled up 247 for two off their 20 overs.
Olliver had 15 fours and a whopping 11 sixes, while Sunde’s attacking was slightly more moderate as he stroked 11 fours and cleared the rope merely twice.
The openers put on 194 for the first wicket to effectively ensure the game was Albion’s for the taking.
University-Grange had nothing to lose in reply but they had the misfortune of playing an Albion attack in a mood to match their opening batters’ success.
Sithum Niluminda Bandara took four for 30, Matt Bacon three for 18, and Lahiru Vimukthi two for five as the Spartans folded for 70 in the 13th over.
NEV 176/4 beat Gr Is 175/7 by six wickets
Llew Johnson won the battle of the sidelined Otago Volts at Sunnyvale.
Johnson’s typically swashbuckling innings led North East Valley to victory despite an equally fine earlier effort from Jake Gibson, both men cooling their heels while the Volts attack their Plunket Shield campaign.
Chasing 176 for victory, North East Valley eased to victory in the 18th over with six wickets to spare.
Johnson led the way with a power-packed 82 not out off just 43 balls, including 10 fours and three sixes.
He got some handy support from Swans team-mates Nikith Perera (37 off 25) and captain Hunter Kindley (34 off 22).
Earlier, Gibson’s innings stood out like a beacon as Green Island recovered from a shaky start.
The Swamprats struggled to hold up one end and slumped to 60 for five before Gibson started swinging.
He and Elliot Santner (28 off 17) added 71 for the sixth wicket, and Gibson had charged to 95 off 52 balls (six fours, seven sixes) before he was run out while attempting a third run off the final ball of the innings. A century would have been richly deserved.
Jeremy Smith bowled a tidy spell to finish with two for 33 off his four overs.
Taieri 164/6 beat CDK 123 by 41 runs
Ruben Clinton has started the season well with the bat, and he showed his ability with the ball too as Taieri eased to victory at Brooklands.
CDK were relatively well placed at 102 for four, chasing 165 for victory, when their middle and tail collapsed, the Hounds losing six wickets for 21 runs.
Clinton tore through the second half of the innings to finish with four for 15 off 2.5 overs.
Regan Flaws added three for 20 and Ben McCall two for 12.
Jamal Todd led CDK with a punishing 59 off 35 balls (seven fours, three sixes) but only Henry Scott (21) was able to offer much support.
Earlier, Clinton had struck 39 off 31 but wickets tumbled at the other end and Taieri were in danger of posting a middling total.
Enter Kevin Loggenberg, who smashed 82 off 53 balls (four fours, seven sixes) to power Taieri to 164 for six off their 20 overs.
Both Jack O’Connor and Harry Sixton grabbed two wickets for CDK.
