The opening round of the T20 Dick Hunt holiday competition took place on Friday night with Albion edging 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 for five 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 bowler Jack Cameron took two for 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 for five, 21 runs short of the target.
Mulligan took three for 24 from his four overs to complete a fine all-round performance.
The other match of the round, between Albion and Oamaru, delivered a thrilling finish.
Chasing Albion’s 153 for seven, Oamaru needed six runs from the final over.
Albion bowler 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 for seven.
Creedy finished with two for 23 and Tom Squire two for 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 had Oamaru slumping to three for two.
Earlier, Albion’s innings was 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.
— Scott Cameron
