Albion convincing winner

Albion batsman Teja Nidamanuru goes for the unorthodox in front of Green Island wicketkeeper Ant...
Albion batsman Teja Nidamanuru goes for the unorthodox in front of Green Island wicketkeeper Ant Harris in the club twenty20 final at Logan Park on Saturday. Photo: Peter McIntosh.
Albion took the long handle to the Green Island attack and that was enough for the side to win the twenty20 club competition on Saturday.

Albion won five of its six games in the competition, over the first three weeks of play after Christmas, and was a deserving winner.

The side beat Taieri in the first round on Saturday, winning by 74 runs.

It knocked up 163 when it batted. Sam Wells scored 56 and shared a 79-run partnership with Mark Somerville.

In reply, Taieri, which sits bottom of the Bing Harris standings, could muster only 89, and was all out in the 17th over.

Green Island made it into the final after it beat Kaikorai on the final ball of their game.

Kaikorai made 135 when it batted first and Green Island got home after it needed 15 off the final over. Bradley Scott hit a six and a four before being dismissed but Russell Ritchie scored a single off the last ball to win the game.

North East Valley had a chance to get into the final but lost  to Carisbrook Dunedin.

Albion was on the front foot straight away in the final at Logan Park.Its Auckland import, Teja Nidamanuru, found the middle of the bat and raced to 61 before he was out to Mark Joyce.

But former Aucklander Josh Tasman-Jones was the key for the Albion team. He knocked the ball to all corners of the ground. Off the final four balls of the innings he hit 22 runs, which got the side up to 196 for five wickets.

That was always going to be a tough task for a Green Island side which was a little sloppy in the field. Batsmen had to score quickly and although  they started at 10 an over, the wickets soon  began to fall.

Joel Meade tried to hit out but when he went in the 12th over it was all but over.

Nidamanuru picked up three quick wickets at the end to complete a good all-round match.

Albion’s fielding was first class  and the team was a convincing winner by 87 runs.In the other games to complete the round, Taieri beat Carisbrook-Dunedin by three wickets as it scored its winning runs with five balls to spare in the playoff for fifth and sixth, and Kaikorai beat North East Valley by one run.

Kaikorai scored 168 and North East Valley required five runs off the final ball. Kaikorai bowled a wide and the batsmen also ran a single. That left three runs to win and Sam McLachlan was run out going for the second run.

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