Accelerate Automotive Bloomfield Premier 3 vs Palmy Stallions P3
Celaeno Park, Saturday November 9.
If you had turned up at Celaeno Park last Saturday around 12:30 pm, you would have seen two cricket teams preparing in dramatically different ways. Last year's P3 champions, the Palmy Stallions, were all present and engaged in focused pre-match warmups. Meanwhile, Bloomfield seemed only half there, with some players missing and others either napping, eating pies, or sharing stories on the edge of the pitch. There might be a lesson in that contrast—perhaps not.
Captain Trout won the toss and decided we would bowl first. Benjamin, waking from his power nap, was surprised to learn he wouldn't be opening the bowling, as Trout took the new ball himself. This decision shocked everyone and made it clear that failing to bring quality pre-match yarns was now unacceptable.
Justice came quickly, as Trout was hit for a six in each of his first two overs, with the wind helping carry the ball over the long-on fielder. Bowling with the wind, Gaz had no such troubles and immediately found a good line and length. Benjamin, replacing Trout into the wind, made an impact by dismissing Jithu Juby, caught by Trout for 23, and then bowling Varghese George for a golden duck. Both Ben and Gaz maintained tight lines, making scoring difficult.
This disciplined spell was punctuated by Gaz taking the wicket of Alex Benny, caught by Randy at mid-on. Whether Ben was replaced due to rolling his ankle on a pitch-side hole or because the team grew weary of his long run-up, James Pilcher stepped in and bowled Stallions’ captain Renju Joseph for 3 with his first delivery. Quick runouts by Gary Francis and Tyler Stewart further weakened the Stallions' position.
Despite the low run rate and falling wickets, the remaining batsmen showed some grit. Kurtis, who replaced Gaz, found himself under pressure as risky shots began yielding boundaries. Both Kurtis and Pilch were swapped for Randy and Luke, but the Stallions' batsmen continued their aggressive play. The partnership between Raynold Ignasious and Vibin Roy threatened to unravel our hard work until Tyler’s crucial runout shifted the momentum. Pilch and Trout then returned to wrap up the innings, dismissing the last batsmen and bowling the Stallions out for 158.
Jason, eager to shake off last season's quiet form, set the tempo brilliantly. The wind troubled the Stallions' opening bowlers, who struggled with their length and occasionally bowled full tosses that Jason dispatched effortlessly over the boundary. He raced to 31 off just nine deliveries before being bowled in the second over. The Stallions’ woes continued as they bowled numerous wides, easing any remaining pressure.
From there, our batters only needed to stay at the crease and keep the scoreboard ticking over—easier said than done, as both Tyler and Pilch were run out by sharp fielding. With Big Doggs and Kurtis at the crease, we kept control, aided by a generous 41 extras, and eventually chased down the target of 159.
MVP- Kurtis 3, Pilch 2, Gaz 1
Bloomfield Omanuka vs Feilding CC
Kowhai Park, Saturday November 9.
After a rain out last weekend, Saturday finally saw the brand-new Bloomfield P4 team play their first game. The team is filled with the cricketers of tomorrow with a handful of experienced heads to help develop them. After a good showing in the pre-season games, there was a bit of confidence with how this new team will fair playing more experienced teams.
After winning the toss on a beautiful Saturday in Feilding and on a smaller ground which should help us, we decided to set the tone and bat first. Unfortunately, it couldn’t have gone off to a worse start after losing the first wicket inside the first over and being 4-4 very early. With just enough movement in the air and tight bowling lines, the Feilding team slowly continued to take wickets before we were all out for 46. All the young guys got out to some really good balls, and we didn’t expect all the experienced guys to fail. Highlights of the innings were George and Jimi’s partnership with George counterattacking and Jimi showing a lot of Patience and fight.
Only defending a small total, we were left with one decision which was to attack in the field. This always meant there were to be runs on offer however with good tight bowling and pressure building early we were able to take 3 early wickets, and a few more chances created with 3 tough drop catches in the field. In the end, Feilding chased down the total inside 13 overs. Every bowler bowled really well but unfortunately not enough runs to defend.
With another 40 or so runs and the way that the team was bowling it could have been a completely different story. It may not be the ideal start, but with the squad we have we are building into a promising season.
MVP- George 3, Senitha 2, Shane 1.
Bloomfield Gators vs Dannevirke
Dannevirke Domain, Saturday November 9
After a LONG time with no cricket it was setup for a thrilling one-day encounter at Dannevirke Domain, Bloomfield P4 Gators secured a comfortable 62-run victory over Dannevirke P4 One Day, thanks to disciplined batting and a resilient bowling performance.
After being sent in to bat, Bloomfield Gators faced an early collapse with both openers, Greg Morrison and Chris, dismissed for ducks by Blair Moynihan. Despite a shaky start, Bloomfield regained momentum through solid contributions from Warren Trim (40 off 34 balls, 5 fours) and Craig Trim (25 off 14 balls, 3 fours, 1 six), which helped push the score to a respectable total.
Bevan Catley (22* off 63 balls) anchored the lower order, while a Dan added a valuable unbeaten 19* off 32 balls. Extras played a significant role, adding 40 runs to Bloomfield’s total, largely due to wides (27) and no-balls (4). Bloomfield P4 Gators ended their innings at 183/9 in their allotted 40 overs.
Chasing 184, Dannevirke struggled from the outset, with Bloomfield’s bowlers proving too disciplined and effective. They were eventually bowled out for 121 runs in 38.3 overs, falling 62 runs short of the target.
Key Bowling Performances (Bloomfield P4 Gators):
Warren Trim : 7 overs, 6 runs, 2 Wickets
Bevan : 6 Overs 27 2 Wickets
Chris Gordan 4 overs 27 1 Wicket
Craig Trim 8 Overs 22 2 Wickets
Scott 5 Overs 12 1 Wicket
Craig Dawson 8 Overs 26 1 Wicket
Steveo .03 Overs 1 Run 1 Wicket
Dannevirke’s batting line-up faltered under Bloomfield’s bowling attack, and none of their batters managed to stay long enough to stabilize the innings.
Bloomfield P4 Gators claimed a well-earned victory through disciplined batting recovery and effective bowling, setting a promising start to their season.
Congratulations on Ethin and Dan getting there first club runs
Scott with his first Bloomfield wicket
MVP- Trimmy 3, Craig Trim 2, Bevan 1.
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