Club Cricket: Buttar-Scurr does it again; two games, 12 wickets
Seven days on Blake Buttar-Scurr again played the lead role with the ball for Invercargill-Old Boys, this time against Marist on a cracker day at Queens Park in Invercargill on Saturday.
Blake Buttar-Scurr has made a remarkable start to his Southland club cricket campaign taking 12 wickets in two games in the ILT Premier League.
Last week Buttar-Scurr rolled through the Southland Boys’ High School batting lineup taking six wickets, including four in four balls.
Seven days later he again played the lead role with the ball for Invercargill-Old Boys, this time against Marist on a cracker day at Queens Park in Invercargill.
Earlier in the day Invercargill-Old Boys captain Sam McLachlan won the toss and chose to bat first.
Brendan Domigan was the key figure with the bat with his unbeaten 62 from 66 balls lifting Invercargill-Old Boys to 207 for seven from its 40 overs.
He got some support from Buttar-Scurr (26 from 51 balls), while McLachlan produced an entertaining cameo with his 24 from 12 balls which included four fours and a six.
It was an absolute disaster of a start for Marist in its chase losing three wickets without registering a run.
Included was the key wicket of Shaun Fitzgibbon who was bowled by Jordan Tooby with Buttar-Scurr taking the other two early wickets.
Buttar-Scurr then removed Marty McKenzie, Sithum Niluminda Bandara, Thomas McCabe, and Jordan Goodall, to reduce Marist to 43 for seven. That before the innings was eventually wrapped up at 84, 124 runs short of victory.
Invercargill-Old Boys has made an early statement that they will take some beating in the 2023-2024 season.
Aaron Hart’s encouraging English summer has rolled into a positive start to the Southland cricket season.
Hart played a key role in helping defending champions Appleby to a victory over Waikoikoi on Saturday.
Hart had spent the New Zealand winter playing cricket in England which included scoring back-to-back hundreds for the Berwick Cricket Club.
On Saturday Appleby captain Sam Downing won the toss and chose to bat first and Hart was back in the runs.
Appleby was 56 for two when Hart entered the game and his unbeaten 78 from 73 balls lifted his team to 198 for six from their 40 overs.
Jared McKenzie was the pick of the Waikoikoi bowlers taking four for 27.
At 62 for one Waikoikoi had set itself up for a good shot at overhauling the target through Welby Reed (38) and Ryan McFaul’s (29) contributions.
However, Sam Downing removed both Reed and McFaul and it started to come unstuck for the Waikoikoi in the game played at Hamilton Park in Gore.
Waikoikoi lost its last wicket in the 40th over for 161 - 38 runs short of victory.