Celtic hold the box seat following round 2 action in the SBS Senior grade 40 over competition last weekend. Tarin Mason (36) and Nick Weaver (35) were the main contributors in Wairau’s total of 151 all out batting first with Tom Sutherland taking 4-18 for Celtic while Tom Sloan and Liam Young chipped in with 2 wickets each. Joel Logan (29) got the Celtic innings off to a quick start and Josh Poole with an unbeaten 42 ensured they were never troubled reaching the target with 5 wickets in hand. Josh Alexander was the pick of the Wairau bowlers with 2-9.
Celtic lead the table on 15 points ahead of Wairau Valley who have 10 points following a convincing 7 wicket win over Renwick who could only muster 68 all out batting first, Jethro Moran taking 4-14. In reply Sukh Aulakh (27 from 18 balls) and Greg Stretch (19 from 12) helped Valley reach their target in less than 11 overs to help boost their run rate. Renwick are now in 3rd place on 8 points with Wairau trailing on 4 points but still with a mathematical chance of making the final.
Unfortunately the heavy rain on Sunday forced the cancellation of our Cricket’s Back activation day but we hope to re-schedule the event prior to the start of junior grades. Also cancelled were the inter-squad practice games for the Primary School development players which will also be re-scheduled. It was great to see these players at least get an early season run out on Friday evening however and I was impressed by the enthusiasm and commitment of the players and also the great support from parents.
On Saturday morning our Technical Coaching Committee, led by Eden Pettigrew and Jarrod Englefield, attended the Wairau Valley club day and provided a coaching session with each junior coach and their team and it was fantastic to see the turn out and also to see how much the players and parents enjoyed the session. Jarrod and Eden will be carrying out similar sessions with each of our clubs to go through the basic skills we want coaches and players to focus on this season at each age group. More information on these “non-negotiable” skills along with other useful skill drills for team practice or at home can be found on the MCA website Coaches Corner or from this link: https://marlboroughcricket.co.nz/coaches-corner/coaching-manuals-nzc-coaching-a-cricket-team/
A reminder that you can register for any grade by emailing development@marlboroughcricket.co.nz or by visiting our website.