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Monday, November 4, 2013
■ CRICKET
Ashburton Guardian 21
In brief Tennis girls winners Stacey Hopwood and Ashleigh Leonard made it two from two with Hagley Park in the Christchurch Premier women’s tennis competition recording a 5-1 over win Shirley on Saturday. The Mid Canterbury pair were split up for the doubles where Leonard and Shirley Haig won 6-2, 6-0 while Hopwood and Adele Orangi lost 4-6, 0-6. Leonard won her singles 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 over Chelze Phillips and Hopwood won 6-2, 6-3 over Cassandra Riordan.
Breakers turn it around The Breakers will be breathing a big sigh of relief after snapping their losing streak and seeing off the pesky Hawks in Wollongong yesterday. After a four-game losing streak - their first since January 2010 - the defending champions would have taken any manner of victory at the Sandpit, but their 9789 win was impressive regardless of the circumstances. They enjoyed key contributions from their starters, all of whom made double figures, to finally shake an opposition undoubtedly buoyed by the Breakers’ recent struggles. - APNZ
Black Sticks pipped
Tech Shark Matt Hurley prepares to get on the front foot against Allenton in the Mid Canterbury senior Cricket Twenty20 final at the Ashburton Domain on Saturday. Photo tetsuro MitoMo 021113-tM-388
Sharks make it six straight By Jonathan Leask
jonathan.l@theguardian.co.nz
The Tech Sharks recorded a sixth-straight Twenty20 championship title in Mid Canterbury senior cricket on Saturday. The five-time defending champions turned on a trademark performance of big hitting and restrictive bowling to beat the previously unbeaten Allenton by 66 runs in the final. As they have in the previous five seasons the Sharks showed
they are the twenty20 masters, despite some mixed form in the round robin. The Sharks won the toss and elected to bat, and captain Jason Morrison made 31 at the top of the order before Sam Hurley blasted 67 not out off 36 balls including, seven sixes, to lead the Sharks to 170/5. Mitch Stoddart was the pick of the Allenton bowlers with 2/17 while Matt Tait chimed in with 2/34.
Requiring 8.5 an over in reply, Allenton were 17-0 in the second over before Dan Hurley removed Josh Worsfold and danger man Jeff Naish, and an over later Allenton were in early trouble at 20/3. Tait looked to steady the ship with his 43 off 24 balls, hitting five sixes, but when he fell at 85/5 the collapse began, as Allenton lost their remaining five wickets for just 19 runs to be all out for 104 in the 18th over.
Ben Mably finished with 3/42 from his four overs with Hurley 2/13 and Jason Morrison 2/28, while Robbie Polson claimed the final two wickets with his 2/5 off two overs. Senior cricket now heads into the 45-over Pritchard Shield competition this week, with the Tech Sharks looking to defend the trophy and they are also the holders of the Bevan Stroud Memorial Challenge Trophy.
■ TENNIS
Dorie charges to tennis’ top spot By Jonathan Leask
jonathan.l@theguardian.co.nz
Dorie dispatched Hinds 5-1 to move into outright first place after week three of Mid Canterbury Open A grade tennis. The two sides had shared first place heading into Saturday but Dorie turned in a dominant display. Dorie took the early advantage by winning both doubles as Rhys Cromie and Luke Glendining beat James Watt and Hayden McNulty 6-2, 6-3 in the top doubles while MaryAnne Thyne and James Wild were too good for Duncan Rollinson and Charlie Stock 6-2, 6-3.
Cromie outgunned Watt 6-2, 6-3 but Glendining had a tougher time subduing McNulty, needing a third set super tiebreak 5-7, 6-4, 1-0 (10-6). Wild was too strong for Rollinson 6-0, 6-0 but Stock saved Hinds the whitewash by beating Thyne 6-1, 6-3. In the other match Hampstead won two tightly contested doubles matches and were able to finish the job in the singles for a 5-1 win over Tinwald. Hampstead’s Joseph Langley and Connor Brosnahan came back from a set down to beat Don Lake and Aidan Mitchell 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-5), while
Flynn Ness and Christal Brosnahan also needed a third set super tie break to finally get the better of Isaac Langley and Bradley Chisnall 7-6, 4-6, 1-0 (10-6). Joseph Langley and Lake then played out a big battle with Lake taking the first set 6-2 before momentum swung Langley’s way, taking the second set 6-3 and then the super tie break 10-7. Tinwald number two Mitchell swept past Connor Brosnahan 6-0, 6-0 in their match for Tinwald’s sole victory on the day. Ness beat Isaac Langley 6-1, 6-1 while in the number four
match Chisnall won the first set 6-2 but retired hurt in the second set with Brosnahan up 3-2. In A reserve Allenton surged ahead at the top of the table as both the Hampstead sides faltered. Allenton edged out third ranked Hampstead Blue on a count back 8-7 on sets, while the previously unbeaten Hampstead Ferns went down to Methven on a count back, with Methven getting the win 8-6 on sets. In the bottom of the table clash the Foothill Flyers fired a 5-1 win past Rakaia.
Australia have continued their Oceania Cup dominance with a 5-2 win over the men’s Black Sticks in Stratford yesterday. The tournament was first contested in 1999 and the Australian men have won every edition of the event, which is held every two years. Australia were the more clinical side throughout the first half as the Kookaburras scored twice before the break to build a lead they would never cough up. - APNZ
Mexican standoff Just 11 days out from the All Whites’ most important game in four years, New Zealand Football and the Phoenix are embroiled in an argument which could disrupt preparations for the match at the Azteca Stadium. NZF has insisted all selected players are released on November 9, the same day the club play Perth in Christchurch. The Phoenix had sought a compromise which would see their All Whites Glen Moss, Leo Bertos, Andrew Durante, Jeremy Brockie and Ben Sigmund play and then fly to Auckland just in time to catch the late night flight to Los Angeles. NZF has refused the request. - NZH
Watson tough to replace Australia face the problematic task of replacing Shane Watson, should the allrounder receive the injury news selectors fear on the eve on an Ashes campaign. Watson was forced from the field with a hamstring injury in Australia’s series-deciding one-day loss to India in Bangalore on Saturday, putting him in doubt for the Ashes opening Test at the Gabba starting on November 21. The 32-year-old suffered the injury while bowling and, although he returned later to bat, he was in pain and his availability for the Test won’t be known until he undergoes scans after returning to Sydney on Monday. Should finding a new No.3 be the main priority, several contenders - including Phil Hughes, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh and Alex Doolan - stand out. - AAP