Defending champs Appleby get the job done again
Appleby and Marist were winners in round four of Southland's ILT Premier League competition.
Invercargill-Old Boys’ attempt to get one back over Appleby has come up short.
Appleby has won a tight round four ILT Premier League game against Invercargill-Old Boys at Appleby on Saturday.
It was a repeat of the 2022-2023 final played in March and again it was Appleby who came away with the honours.
They did so against an Invercargill-Old Boys team that was coming off two big wins.
Invercargill-Old Boys won the toss and had a chance to bat first.
Sam Downing and Connor Hart delivered with the ball as Invercargill-Old Boys slumped to 25 for four.
Added to Invercargill-Old Boys’ early struggles was the fact that experienced batsman Liam McWilliam was forced from the field with a nasty migraine and did not return.
Brendon Domigan (46), Kieran O’Neill (30), and Sam Nicholson (35) provided some stability in the middle order and helped get Invercargill-Old Boys to 155 for nine from their 40 overs.
Downing finished with four for 28 and Hart three for 30 from their eight overs.
At 71 for six in reply - and Ryan Acland and Chris Chase making good inroads with the ball - Appleby was in a touch of bother.
But again, it was Downing and Hart who stepped up for the defending champions. Downing chipped in with an important 32 runs and Hart 26.
Although probably the most important contribution was Ryan Rusk’s batting at nine for Appleby.
When Downing departed Appleby was 123 for eight still needing 33 runs for victory.
Rusk struck an unbeaten 28 from 27 balls which included two sixes and a four to get Appleby home with two wickets and two overs to spare.
Mark Billcliff turned back the clock impressing for Southland Boys’ High School on Saturday, but it wasn’t enough to lift them to a win over Marist.
Billcliff carved out an impressive career which included lining up for the Otago Volts in 1999 and 2000 before a lengthy stint playing for Southland at Hawke Cup level.
The 46-year-old is now teaching at Southland Boys’ and is helping out the school’s first XI which plays in Southland’s senior club competition.
SBHS won the toss and batted first on Saturday against Marist and struggled early in the innings at 53 for five.
Sam Smaill (40) provided some stability before Billcliff - batting at nine - struck an unbeaten 55 from just 28 balls which included five fours and three sixes.
It got SBHS through to 193 setting Marist a tough challenge in its chase.
Although Marist managed to overhaul the target with four wickets in hand and 23 balls to spare.
Waikoikoi had the bye on Saturday.