Southland's cricketers met contrasting conditions on Saturday compared to the roasting heat they played in on opening day of the 2019-20 senior club competitions last weekend.
With wet outfields and rain predicted to fall all day in Invercargill, the only ILT Premier League match played was at Waikoikoi, where Southland Boys' High School beat the locals by 47 runs.
School opener Brayden Thomas scored 66 and Benji Culhane added 30 in the middle order. The team was seven wickets down for 210 when its 50 overs were complete. Blair McKenzie was unbeaten on 50.
Waikoikoi's top order batsmen looked good. Todd Thayer was the first out for 34 in the 15th over. Fellow opener Angus Simmers was sent packing in the next over for 26. When Hamish Cooke (41) was dismissed Waikoikoi was still in the game at 146 for five but the tail folded quickly. Boys' High left-arm spin bowler Hayden Hart took four wickets for just 12 runs.
In the PGG Wrightson division one competition, defending champion Central Western beat Old Boys B by four wickets in Winton.
Old Boys B was rolled for just 91 runs in the 33rd over. CW fast bowler Connor Wells took four cheap wickets and captain Grant Kean trapped two batsmen lbw with his spin bowling.
Central opening batsmen James Wadsworth scored a run-a-ball 41 before becoming one of Mike Mehra's three scalps. Central was six wickets down when it reached the target in the 22nd over.
Blue Mountain hosted Te Anau, which posted 178, Geoff Macfarlane top-scoring with 56. Shannon Cunningham (35) and Jono Hodson (21) were the other main contributors.
Blueys opening bowler Ben Rea took two wickets and then scored 41 runs but no other local batsman made double figures, as the chase ended 95 runs short on 83. All six Te Anau bowlers had success. Jason van de Wetering took three for 14.
Appleby B beat Albion by six wickets at Hamilton Park, in Gore. Appleby B's bowlers found their rhythm early and dismissed Albion for 122 in the 37th over. Only Rueban Sleeman (22) and captain Devon Brown (29) found the middle of the bat. Ethan Holland took the last five wickets for Appleby and was also involved in the run-out of Sleeman.
Appleby opening batsmen Ken Singleton (40) and Suraj Lama (38) put on 63 before Singleton was run out. Steven White and Ethan Holland chipped in with 15 runs each as Appleby cruised to victory.
Wyndale had the bye.
All three games in the division two grade were abandoned.
- John Langford
