Tough task for Leeston as Canterbury Country cricket resumes

Leeston-Lincoln-Southbridge have a tough task on their hands on Saturday in their first Canterbury Country premier one-day competition game of the year.

They take on table-toppers Sefton, who had not lost a game heading into the Christmas break. Their side includes three of the top-four run-scorers in the competition, with Gaurav Vij leading the way with 390.

Leeston-Lincoln are coming off a win and a loss in the first two games of the T20 competition before the New Year, beating Darfield and losing to Weedons. 

Darfield will travel to play third-place Ohoka in their first game back after two losses to start the T20s, against Peninsula-Harbour and Leeston-Lincoln.

Peninsula-Harbour, also coming off a win and a loss in the T20s, take on Cheviot.

Weedons, who sit second, have the bye – meaning player-coach Jeremy Benton will have to wait to try and add to his tally of 18 wickets for the season, the equal-highest with Ohoka’s Austin Hamilton.

Kaiapoi play Oxford in the other game of the round, with all matches getting under way at 12.30pm on Saturday.

Top run-scorers
390 - Gaurav Vij (Sefton)
343 - Tim Petrie (Peninsula-Harbour)
327 - Amandeep Arora (Sefton)
269 - Mackenzie Smith (Sefton)
252 - Joe Williams (PH)

Top wicket-takers
18 - Jeremy Benton (Weedons), Austin Hamilton (Ohoka)
17 - Micah Walther (Weedons)
15 - Hamish D’Arcy (Weedons)
14 - Hunter Lowe (Leeston-Lincoln-Southbridge), Gaurav Vij (Sefton)