Sport 30 Ashburton Guardian
In brief Series win in sight New Zealand fans could be forgiven for channelling Oliver Twist on the eve of the third and final test against the West Indies today. Having produced two strong batting performances to set the platform, New Zealand have dominated one test they should have won, and completed the job with a thoroughly convincing performance in the other. So the supporters might well be wondering: “Please skipper, could we have some more?” Certainly New Zealand appear to be on a small roll, if a solitary test win after 10 without success this year could be so called. They are confident, playing well against a West Indian team with collective backs to the wall and can sense another win to wrap up what would be a highly impressive home series victory - a first since 2006, coincidentally against the same opposition. - NZH
Ryder a shoo-in One thing is sure about today’s naming of New Zealand’s ODI squad - the selectors won’t please everyone. Coach Mike Hesson and general manager of national selection Bruce Edgar have had some curly choices. They are set to reunite Jesse Ryder and Martin Guptill at the top of the order for the first time since Hamilton in February 2011, when Ryder was run out without facing a ball. Ryder, who averages 34.37 from 39 ODIs, is back after almost two years in the wilderness; Guptill, going at 39.92, will return after a fractured finger and ankle surgery, having missed the tours of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. A top five of Guptill, Ryder, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum has plenty of bounce. - APNZ
Bonus for Hunt Kiwi UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt has received an early Christmas bonus. Details are emerging that his opponent at this month’s UFC Fight Night 33 main event bout, Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva, failed his post-fight drugs test due to an elevated level of testosterone. Website MMAjunkie.com has reported that Silva failed the screening and his $US50,000 (NZD$60,490) ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus will now be awarded to Hunt. The failed test means Silva, who was suspended for a year in 2008 for using steroid Boldenone, will now be stood down for nine months. - APNZ
Ko enters Aussie Open Teenage golf sensation Lydia Ko will be one of the star attractions at the women’s Australian Open in Melbourne in February. The 16-year-old New Zealander has rocketed up to number four in the world, and joined the professional ranks in October. Ko finished third at the 2013 Australian Open and is looking forward to travelling to the sandbelt to tackle Victoria Golf Club. Ko joins Australia’s world No.8 Karrie Webb and world No.14 and defending champion Korean Jiyai Shin in what is already a strong field. The championship is sanctioned by the LPGA Tour, the Ladies European Tour and the ALPG Tour. - AAP
Thursday, December 19, 2013
www.guardianonline.co.nz
■ CRICKET
Two centuries on one day By Jonathan Leask
jonathan.l@theguardian.co.nz
Batsmen know centuries don’t occur every day but for Methven cricketer Archie Redfern, the precious 100 mark was reached twice on the same day. It took England 15 days of cricket to post their first triple figure score, by Christchurchborn Ben Stokes, but Redfern matched it in a matter of hours in two games of fourth grade twenty20. Fourth grade played a knockout twenty20 competition on Saturday to end their preChristmas competition. Redfern made 102 not out against Lauriston before a knock of 110 not out in the final against Allenton, where he was the only Methven batsman to reach double, let alone triple
figures in their 178/6. With over 200 runs on the board for the day Redfern then delivered with the ball taking 3/0 as Methven won the final by 78 runs. Earlier in the season Redfern went close to the 100 mark in a 40-over game but was caught on 92, also against Allenton. He will be looking to maintain his rich run of scoring form for Mid Canterbury at the South Island Primary cricket tournament in Gore starting on January 6 where Mid Canterbury meet Christchurch Black, West Coast, South Canterbury, defending champions Christchurch Red and Southland Country. Right: Archie Redfern raises his bat after scoring a century, something he did twice on Saturday.
Photo SuPPlied
U15s feature in another cliffhanger finish By Jonathan Leask
jonathan.l@theguardian.co.nz
The Mid Canterbury under 15s made two last-gasp wins in three days at the regional cricket tournament at Mandeville. Mid Canterbury pulled off a second dramatic one-wicket win for the week beating South Canterbury yesterday. South Canterbury made 178/6 in their 50 overs before Mid Canterbury chased them
down in the 48th over with one wicket in hand. Opener Tom Ravenscroft scored 28, Toby Redfern made 26 while his brother Oscar played the anchor role at the death scoring 29 not out to steer Mid Canterbury home as Josh Buchanan scored 14 not out at the other end in the crucial 27 run stand for the last wicket. It didn’t go Mid Canterbury’s way a day earlier when they had
fallen to the West Coast after their run chase fell eight runs shy. West Coast made 136 all out, with Oscar Redfern 3/19, before Mid Canterbury were dismissed for 128 in the 37th over. Just 24 hours earlier they had celebrated their first get-out-of jail effort beating Christchurch Red by one wicket. Metro had made an imposing 185/9, with Redfern grabbing
4/24 and Sam Hall 3/36. A 52- run stand between Zac Naldrett (18) and Ravenscroft (26) laid the platform before Ben Niles (28), Toby Redfern (23) and Liam O’Connor (24) to Mid Canterbury into a position to win. It came down to Buchanan and Hall needing five runs to win, and Buchanan hit a boundary off the last ball to clinch the win.
■ OPINION
Finding the secrets to sporting success
W
hat is it with the Breakers and the Phoenix; are they joined at the hip by some magical (or non-magical) umbilical cord that makes them, both premier teams operating in a high-class competition, perform pretty much the same as each other, every week? For the Breakers, a team that in the last five seasons built up a winning culture, a culture that eventually brought up a hat-trick of titles, the answers as to why they are struggling this year aren’t too hard to find. In a competition where the margins between success and failure are minuscule (look at the finals series of 2011 and 2012), one or two little things can change the landscape completely. And the Breakers have had more than that - four major things have altered their landscape dramatically. New coach. No matter how good a guy he is, and even how skilled he is, very, very few coaches can smoothly take over a winning unit
the Breakers’ ball game; of course it is, but it’s not going to change. CJ Bruton. Downgraded from AAA+, age is catching up, as it does, and CJ is now ‘only’ a fantastic veteran with Steve Devereux a comprehensive range of tricks MY SHOUT still hiding up his sleeve - but no longer guaranteed to be the man to hit that clutch basket every and just carry on without a seritime. No matter that Mika Vukona ous hiccup on the way. is doing Superman impressions OK, the All Blacks do that all week in week out, and a couple of the time, but they’re the only youngsters are showing immense team in the whole wide world promise, you need the whole packwho do, so they’re the exception age, on the court, right now. that proves the rule. Ah, the oldest axiom, you don’t Dillon Boucher. Remember when the Crusaders’ know what you’ve got till it’s gone. To be fair we did know team song was ‘Reuben Thorne Reuben Thorne Reuben Thorne’, that they were a fantastic team, in a hugely demanding environdespite nobody outside Canterment, but they probably should bury knowing what the fuss was have had a couple of Halbergs in all about? Boucher was the same guy for the Breakers, the glue that the cupboard already to show for their efforts. holds it all together, but retireThe Phoenix were supposed ment comes to them all eventuto be on exactly the same train ally. track. Rule changes. Nice bright yellow uniforms, They happen, and if they affect the way your team plays, you have that was a good trick for starters. A study came out a few years to adapt. There’s little point whinback saying that yellow was the ing that it’s a conspiracy to blunt
colour that winners wore; the Wallabies were having a good time of it, picking up the William Webb Ellis on the way; the Chicago Bulls were the premier team every year in the NBA, and the Hurricanes burst on to the scene promising so much every year with all their razzle dazzle (ok, one of those three teams failed to deliver. At least they were consistently inconsistent.) A bright new coach, who, er, knew how to defend stuff really well, was supposed to guide the Phoenix to a title within a couple of seasons. But, despite a team roster that managed to max out their salary cap, which means some of them are ‘earning’ around the $200,000 mark, and another new coach this year, the results still just aren’t there. Are the ‘Canes and Phoenix fans actually the same people? If they are, they’ve certainly had more than their fair share of disappointments to contend with. Perhaps the biggest question is, in a few short months’ time, will the Warriors, shiny new fullback and all, fall into the same hole?