IN the Lakelands Championship T20 Competition, Eastern Bay of Cricket Club’s 1st XI faced off against their own 2nd XI in the first match of the 2024/25 season on a beautiful Saturday at Rex Morpeth Park.

With both teams sporting new-look line-ups, the atmosphere was charged with excitement.

Club captain and committee member veteran Jared McLaughlin was also playing his 100th competitive match for his club.

Eastern Bay of Plenty were last season’s losing finalists in T20, so there’s a clear determination to go one step further this year.

The 1st XI won the toss and opted to bat first.

Newly-appointed 2nd XI captain Simon James would have been pleased with his bowlers’ discipline line and length, with Lynton Nillesen rolling back the years by removing opener Shane Ballie early with the ball of the day.

The 2nd XI bowlers restricting early runs. However, the 1st XI soon picked up the pace with a solid partnership of 62 contributions from returning premier player Hamish Wilde, top scoring with 33 and Josiah Atkinson 23, before the bowling threat of 2nd XI vice-captain Sampath Dissanayake bowled impressively with 4 over 3 for 23 to move the momentum back for the 2nd XI.

There was some fine hitting from the 1st XI lower order: Stephen Spratt’s 10 runs off 9 balls and skipper Jared McLaughlin’s 13 runs off 7 balls to move the score quickly to a competitive final total of 126 for 7 wickets off their allotted 20 overs.

In response, the 2nd XI’s batting lineup started well; Jaskaran Singh with 24 provided some momentum early on. The 1st XI’s bowlers applied pressure through tight lines and effective field placements. Kunal Mahajan with 2 for 15 off his 4 overs, Sathish Umaiyar 4 overs.

1 for 26 were the pick of the bowling but always in the game the ever-reliable all-rounders Stephen Spratt 2-16 off 3 overs and Liam Jones aka MVP 2-15 off 3 overs.

Despite a few last blows the 2nd XI’s middle order, they were unable to chase down the target, falling short 21 runs short.

It was a spirited match between the two teams, with the 1st XI coming out on top, showing their experience and depth. For the 2nd XI, it was the first time playing together and a learning experience and they displayed a lot of promise for the rest of the 2024/25 season.

Eastern Bay of Plenty 1st XI’s victory sets them on a strong path, and the club as a whole can take pride in a competitive showing.

Results:

Eastern BOP Cricket Club 1st XI 126/7 (20)
H Wilde 34, J Atkinson 23, S Dissanayake 3/23.
Eastern BOP Cricket Club 2nd XI 106/9 (20)
Jaskaran Singh 24, Kunal Mahajan 2/15, Stephen Spratt 2/16, Liam Jones 2/15.
1st XI won by 21 runs.