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The season got underway for the Coast men’s premier cricket team at Ken Maunder Park in New Lynn on Saturday, October 17 and it was a very challenging start.
The locals were up against a gun line up in Suburbs New Lynn Cricket Club who had all their Blackcaps, including Finn Allen and Jimmy Neesham, available to play club cricket in preparation for the coming season.
Hibiscus Coast Cricket’s club manager Gair McSkimming says to line up against international and full time Auckland contracted players was a massive learning experience for the team, and bodes well for the future.
“It was fun, and crazy, all at the same time,” he says.
In the Coast’s corner was our own Blackcap, Bevon John Jacobs (BJ), a batter who is fast establishing a strong reputation in the top order. He made 45 runs off 37 balls.
The win went to Suburbs New Lynn (who posted 348/6) by 222 runs.That total included Finn Allen’s innings of 75 off 50 balls. Allen’s run came to an end when he was caught by Ranindu de Silva off the bowling of Johan Minnaar.
“Although the match didn’t go our way, sharing the field with seven full time professional players sets us up for the season ahead,” McSkimming says.
The Hibiscus Coast Cricket men have a new premier captain, Kieran McClintock, aged 20, who has been with the club since he was only eight years old. The all-rounder was previously captain of the Hibiscus Coast club’s under 17 Auckland championship winning team, and also captained the premier reserves.
