The opening round of the T20 Dick Hunt Holiday competition took place on Friday night, with Albion edging out Oamaru in a nail-biter and Glenavy securing a solid victory over Valley.
At the Glenavy Domain, the home side chose to bat first and put up 173/5 in their 20 overs. Openers Hamish McCulloch (22) and Harry Murphy (57) provided a fast start, while Jordan Mulligan's unbeaten 44 and Matt Tangney's 21 added crucial runs at the death. Valley's Jack Cameron took 2-39 from his four overs.
In response, Valley skipper Jack Price kept his team in the hunt with 69, and Hunter Growcott added 34 to keep the chase alive. However, Growcott's dismissal in the 18th over proved pivotal, and Valley finished their innings on 153/5, 21 runs short of the target. Mulligan took 3-24 from his four overs to complete an all-round performance.
The other match of the round, between Albion and Oamaru, delivered a thrilling finish. Chasing Albion's 153/7, Oamaru needed six runs from the final over. Albion's Hayden Creedy rose to the occasion, taking two wickets in the first two deliveries and conceding just one run, clinching a dramatic four-run win as Oamaru closed at 149/7.
Hayden Creedy finished with 2-23 and Tom Squire 2-27.
For Oamaru, Lachlan Brookes nearly pulled off the chase with an unbeaten 38, while Jordan Horrell smashed 42 off just 22 balls, rescuing the innings after a disastrous start that saw them slump to 3-2.
Earlier, Albion's innings were built on the back of Amal Asok's 41 off 29 balls and Aneesh Bose's 46 off 28 balls, setting up a competitive total that proved just enough.
Short Scorecard(s)
Senior - Dick Hunt - Round 1
Albion Senior vs Oamaru Senior at Whitestone Contracting Oval
Oamaru Senior 149-7 ( J. Horrell 42, L. Brookes 38no, H. Creedy 2-23, T. Squire 2-27 )
Albion Senior 153-7 ( A. Bose 46, A. Ashok 41, S. Ramesh 20 )
Albion by 3 wickets.
Valley Senior vs Glenavy at Glenavy Domain
Glenavy 174-7 ( H. Murphy 56, J. Mulligan 42no, H. McCulloch 24, J. Matthews 2-26, J.E. Cameron 2-37 )
Valley Senior 151-4 ( J.J. Price 69, H. Growcott 33, J. Mulligan 2-26 )
Glenavy by 23 runs.
Second Grade - Holiday Club20 - Round 2
Albion Club30 vs Oamaru Club30 at Whitestone Contracting Oval
Albion Club30 77-9 ( B. Wheeler 16, J. Minnaar 4-13, S. Rana 2-11 )
Oamaru Club30 78-1 ( S. Rana 39no, J. Minaar 24 )
Oamaru by 8 wickets.
Valley Club30 vs Union Club30 at King George Park
Valley Club30 119-5 ( C. Mclachlan 33, R. Sheehan 21, G. Curry 2-16, H. Armstrong 2-26 )
Union Club30 123-4 ( T. Anderson 51, A. Nockels 22 )
Union by 6 wickets.