North Otago defeated Otago Country by sixty five runs in the Hawke Cup elimination match played at Milner Park, Oamaru over the weekend mainly due to a  bowling marathon from North Otago allrounder Francois Mostert in Otago Country’s second innings. Mostert bowled  twenty five overs and four balls on the trot to finish with six for 40. The other outstandin individual was teenager Nathan Smith who with four for 34 in Country’s first innings and two for 32 in the second innings added to this with an unbeaten 47 in North Otago’s second innings featured in a tenth wicket stand of 66 with Ricky Whyte(24). Ironically this was one run more than North Otago’s eventual winning margin.

Otago Country won the  toss and decided to bowl on a greenish Milner Park pitch on Saturday, a decision which appeared to have been an inspired one as the Otago Country bowling attack spearheaded by Sam Blakely had North Otago 17 for three as Glynn Cameron, Jeremy Smith and  Jeremiah Shields departed. Duncan Drew(33) and Ben Cant(30) righted the ship adding 61 for the fourth wicket and with the demise of Cant, North Otago slumped to 78 for five as Francois Mostert faced just two balls and Regan George went cheaply to have North Otago 85 for six. Seventeen year old Nathan Smith joined Drew and this  pair added an invaluable 41 before Drew went at 116. Lachie Kingan(13 not out) gave Smith support before Smith’s(24) wicket was the ninth to fall at 126 and the North Otago innings closing at 142. Blakely was the outstanding Otago Country bowler claiming five for  55 while Mark Knox claimed three for 43.

Otago Country was dismissed for 105 in its first innings with only  Michael  Goldstein and Fraser Wilson, both of whom made 33 showing any resistance.Nathan Smith made it a memorable day as the teenager claimed four for 34 while Cant took three for 13 and Mostert,two for 29. Otago Country hit back late in the day with North Otago  22 for three at stumps, an overall lead of 59 with seven second wickets in hand.

On day two North Otago slumped to  99 for nine an overall lead of just 126. But it was Nathan Smith who  with an unbeaten 47 combined with number eleven batsman, Ricky Whyte(24) added an invaluable 66 runs for the tenth wicket leaving Otago Country to score 193 for outright points.At tean Otago Country was struggling at 71 for five with Mostert bowling a lengthy spell to have taken three for 22 off seventeen overs while Nathan Smith at the other end had claimed two for 29 off nine overs.  In the final session of play. Apart from Michael Goldstein(27) and Chris Beck(37) the Otago Country buckled under the pressure exerted especially by Mostert and was dismissed for 127.

Short Scorecard(s)

Representative - Hawke Cup - Zone Series

Otago Country vs North Otago at Milner Park, Oamaru
North Otago 142 ( D.J. Drew 33, B.C. Cant 30, N.G. Smith 24, L.T. Kingan 13no, S. Blakely 5-55, M. Knox 3-43 ) & 155 ( N.G. Smith 47no, R.J. George 27, G.R. Cameron 25, R.I. Whyte 24, B. Buttar-Scurr 5-37, S. Blakely 4-53 )
Otago Country 105 ( M. Goldstein 33, F. Wilson 33, N.G. Smith 4-34, B.C. Cant 3-13, F. Mostert 2-29 ) & 127 ( C. Beck 37, M. Goldstein 27, F. Wilson 14, K. Paterson 11, F. Mostert 6-40, J.B. Smith 2-9, N.G. Smith 2-32 )
North Otago won by 65 runs
Full scorecard for the match

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