They were Singh-ing. And they were winning.
Otago Country utterly dominated with the ball to put Mid Canterbury to the sword in a Hawke Cup qualifying game in Ashburton at the weekend.
Led by devastating bowling performances from Sukhdev Singh and Charanjeet Singh, Country won by an innings and 45 runs after scoring 256 then dismissing the home side for just 68 and 143.
The combined Mid Canterbury innings lasted just 73 overs.
After the top of the home side’s first knock had been ripped off by youngster Thomas O’Connor (three for 15), right-arm offspinner Sukhdev Singh went to work.
He bowled just 29 deliveries, conceding a single run and taking five wickets.
Three of them were leg before wicket as the Mid Canterbury batters had no clue what to do with his tweakers.
Otago Country’s decision to enforce the follow-on, while obvious, looked a masterstroke when two Mid Canterbury wickets fell without a run on the board.
It was soon 31 for five, and the result was a foregone conclusion.
Ryan Bell (43) and Will Southby (37) finally provided some resistance.
But it was not to last as right-arm medium-pace bowler Charanjeet Singh grabbed his share of the limelight with a wonderful spell that brought five for 33 off 11.4 overs.
O’Connor and Sam Blakely each added two wickets to wrap things up.
Earlier, Otago Country had scored patiently and consistently to build what seemed to be a decent total and turned out to be more than enough.
Cam Jackson led the way with a composed 65 from 134 balls, getting useful support from Charanjeet Singh (40 off 33), Michael Goldstein (33), Taylor Cumberland (25) and Sukhdev Singh (24).
Otago Country’s final game in the qualifying series is against South Canterbury in Alexandra this weekend.
— Class act Shaun Fitzgibbon scored a century to lead Southland to first-innings points against North Otago in Invercargill.
North Otago opened with a solid first innings of 264 before Southland rocketed to 323 for five declared, and the visiting side was 175 for seven in its second innings, leading by just 116, when stumps were called.
Fitzgibbon scored a classy unbeaten 101 off 162 balls, which included 15 boundaries.
He added 82 for the third wicket with captain Brendan Domigan (44) and 156 for the sixth with Benji Culhane (64).
Hunter Skelt contributed 54 batting at No 3 as Southland took control of the game despite some decent bowling from Cameron Grubb — whose three for 61 included a wicket with his first ball — and Stephan Grobler (two for 62).
Amal Ashok had played the anchor role in North Otago’s first innings, cracking 93 off 138 balls (16 fours and two sixes) and getting useful support from Nic Johnston (40) and captain Jeremy Smith (36).
Jack Mockford led the Southland bowlers with three for 52, and Kurt Thompson, Sitham Niluminda and Jason Osborne each took two wickets.
Ashok (37) made a useful start in North Otago’s second innings, and Tom Dempster steadied the ship when the middle order collapsed with a fine 59 not out.
Dempster and Blake James (28 not out off 86 balls) ensured the draw was secured.
Mockford shone in the afternoon with a six-wicket bag to give him nine for the game.
