Classic Matches

NORTH OTAGO vs HAWKES BAY HAWKE CUP CHALLENGE McLean Park Napier 13th-15th December 1968

Index | Classic Matches

In 1968 the North Otago team travelled to Napier for its first ever Hawke Cup challenge. The team had the previous season qualified for the challenge after winning their zone against Southland, Central Otago and South Canterbury.
The team led by Brian Papps, had an outright victory against South Canterbury, and first innings results against Southland and Central Otago. Papps had led from the front scoring over 400 runs in all matches during the Representative season at an average of 54, while all-rounder Anthony Cartwright took over 20 wickets at an average of 14. In an exciting match with plenty of big hitting from the Fijian batsman, Papps showed his class top scoring in the match with an unbeaten 136 in North Otago's first innings.

North Otago was boosted in its batting depth with the inclusion of Arthur Berry who had played 4 first class matches for Otago during 1955/56. Other players in the team who played for Otago were Robert Wilson played 2 matches during the 1971/72 -1978/79 period and Anthony Cartwright played 6 matches between 1961/62 - 1963/64 seasons. Chris Taylor toured Australia with the Otago B team, and had a stint as the Otago coach during the 1990ties. Surprisely for Keith Murray was selected as twelveth man even though he had scored 500 runs before Christmas. The team that played the match was:
Brain Papps (capt), Robert Wilson, Anthony Cartwright (Oamaru), Robert Bowman, Russell Payne, Chris Taylor, Robert Mason, Robert Golden (Union), Micheal Kennard (Country), Arthur Berry, Doug Ranger (Albion) and Keith Murray (12th man).

Mike Shrimpton in 2002

North Otago travelled north to face the Hawke Cup holders Hawkes Bay. During the previous season the Hawke Cup had changed hands twice before Hawkes Bay beat Marlborough in the last challenge of the season, thanks mainly to a double century from Mike Shrimpton and a century from R Schofield. North Otago was the first challenge for the new season. The team for its first defence showed the strength of cricket in the Hawkes Bay region with 8 of the players playing first class cricket at some stage during their cricketing careers. Mike Shrimpton was a regular New Zealand representative, while Robin Schofield (53), Peter Coutts (29) and John Howell (34) played over 25 first class matches each. Others to play first class cricket were Richard Small, Blair Furlong and Donald Beuth.

The following challenge would be from a team familiar to North Otago, Ashburton County. Hawkes Bay held the Cup until the final challenge for the season when it lost to Waikato outright by 203 runs, after recording a score of only 83 in its first innings

North Otago was faced with an uphill struggle at the end of the first day’s play in its Hawke Cup challenge against Hawkes Bay at Napier yesterday.
North Otago was dismissed for 164, and in a bright closing period of play Hawkes Bay rattled on 120 runs for the loss of only two wickets.
Veteran A. Berry pulled together North Otago’s hopes with a patient 77 in a restrained 198 minutes at the crease.
C. Taylor, a former Waitaki Boys High School pupil, joined Berry in the early afternoon period and helped consolidate the North Otago innings.
Taylor, however, showed less patience than the experienced Berry and was out for 18 when attempting a big hit.
Berry continued the battle, and his was the second last wicket to fall after he had hit nine 4’s. He was caught at leg slip.
The Hawkes Bay attach was accurate throughout and against tight bowling, North Otago scored at a slow rate, taking 139 minutes to score 164, compared with Hawkes Bay 135 minutes for 120 runs.
Hawkes Bay retained the Hawke Cup when it beat North Otago by an innings and 30 runs on the third day at Napier yesterday.
A. E. Berry, the former Dunedin cricketer, was the hero of the North Otago team. Berry dominated play on the first day, when he scored 77, and in the North Otago second innings he scored 102 of his teams 248.
North Otago batted first and was out for 164 on the first day.
Hawkes Bay batted through most of Saturday to be out for 442.
CRISP PACE
Hawkes Bay set a crisp pace for its scoring on Saturday, resuming from 120 for two. I. Woon went on to make 127 and M. Shrimpton scored 71.
The Hawkes Bay batting had substance throughout, wicketkeeper R. M. Schofield scoring an unbeaten 66.
The Hawkes Bay total of 442 was scored in only 440 minutes – an indication of the steady and often spectacular batting.
But North Otago did not let up, and the fielding was always eager and clean.
The workhorse of the attack was A. Cartwright, who took five for 143. He and C. Taylor were the most effective of the North Otago bowlers.
Left 278 to make to avoid a first innings defeat, North Otago was in trouble at the close of play on Saturday, having lost three for 53.
The rot set in yesterday, but as in the first innings, Berry and Taylor put up the resistance. They took the score from 120 to 192 before Taylor was dismissed.
Captain B. Papps, who injured a thumb while fielding on Saturday, came in at the end to hold out until Berry scored his century, which took 237 minutes.
PATIENT
Berry batted with patience and skill throughout most of the day, even though the prospect of avoiding the innings defeat looked slimmer and slimmer.
Best of the Hawkes Bay bowlers was J. H. Howell, who took four for 49.

The scorecard for the match

NORTH OTAGO First Innings
R. Payne	b Beuth	18
R. Bowman	lbw Howell	14
B. P. Papps	c Schofield b Beuth	6
A. Berry	c Selby b Jones	77
R. Wilson	c Schofield b Beuth	3
A. Cartwright	c Coutts b Dine	0
R. Golden	b Dine	16
C. Taylor	lbw Dine	18
D. Ranger	b Jones	3
R. Mason	c Schofield b Jones	6
M. Kennard	not out	2
Extras		1
Total		164
Bowling Analysis :~ Howell 15 overs, 6 maidens, 27 runs, 1 wicket ; Beuth 20, 5, 54, 3; Dine 20, 6, 56, 3; Shrimpton 2, 0, 1, 0; Furlong 6, 2, 9, 0; Jones 6.6, 3, 5, 2

 

HAWKES BAY First Innings
P. Coutts	c Berry b Cartwright	20
L. Jones	b Taylor	33
D. Selby	lbw Cartwright	45
I. Woon	c Berry b Cartwright	127
M. Shrimpton	lbw Mason	71
R. Small	b Cartwright	31
R. Schofield	not out	66
B. Furlong	lbw Cartwright	0
D. Dine	c Payne b Golden	5
J. Howell	b Kennard	0
D. Beuth	c Cartwright b Golden	7
Extras		37
Total		442
Bowling Analysis :~ Cartwright 34 overs, 3 maidens, 143 runs, 5 wickets; Mason 26, 7, 85, 1; Kennard 17, 1, 53, 1; Taylor 23, 3, 85, 1; Golden 6, 0, 39, 2

 

NORTH OTAGO Second Innings
R. Bowman	b Beuth	0
R. Payne	c Small b Beuth	26
R. Wilson	c Schofield b Furlong	9
R. Golden	c Selby b Dine	6
R. Mason	b Howell	34
A. Berry	b Howell	102
A. Cartwright	b Howell	5
D. Ranger	b Howell	0
C. Taylor	c Woon b Beuth	28
M. Kennard	b Jones	11
B. Papps	not out	0
Extras		27
Total		248
Bowling Analysis :~ Beuth 21 overs, 2 maidens, 71 runs, 3 wickets; Howell 22.3, 8, 49, 4; Furlong 2, 0, 2, 1; Dine 11, 5, 20, 1; Jones 15, 1, 40, 1; Schofield 4, 1, 19, 0; Small 1, 0, 8, 0; Shrimpton 5, 2, 12, 0