Marlborough’s two representatives in the Tasman Premier League cricket competition both suffered narrow losses on opening day.
The Dolphins (chosen from Renwick and Celtic clubs) and the Falcons (from the Wairau and Wairau Valley clubs) both had home 50-over games on Saturday to start their 2026-27 season campaign.
The Falcons were up against Taylors Contracting Wolves on the Horton Park number one ground while Dolphins took on NBS ACOB on the number three wicket.
Both games came down to the wire, the Nelson-based sides scoring the winning runs with their last pair at the wicket.
The Falcons batted first and battled their way to 106 all out in 33 overs, Jarrod Englefield top scoring with a gritty 31 not out from 80 balls after Sukh Aulakh had scored 28 from 21 balls opening the innings. Sean Neal and Tommy McFarlane both claimed three wickets.
Wolves lost wickets regularly in reply on a difficult deck, including three wickets with just three runs required. However, their last pair saw them home in the 27th over. James Bell picked up three wickets, Matthew Stretch, Sam Boyce and Aulakh all bagging a brace.
The Dolphins managed to register a more substantial score on the adjoining wicket, an unbeaten 82 from 93 balls from Josh Poole anchoring their score of 149 in 35 overs. Vinod Perera claimed 5-34 for ACOB to wrap up the local side’s innings.
Early wickets from Jaden Adams and Luke Holdaway put ACOB under pressure, the visitors sitting at 25-4 before James Graham and Jonty Raxworthy staged a recovery, Raxworthy going on to accumulate a composed unbeaten 69 from 105 balls. Adams ended up with 4-19 while Holdaway claimed 3-42 from their full complement of overs.
Schools quad
Earlier in the week the annual quadrangular First XI secondary school tournament played out at Horton Park.
Marlborough Boys’ College, Otago Boys’ High School, Auckland Grammar and Christ’s College each played three games over three days, relishing the opportunity to get in some hard-fought cricket on grass wickets so early in the season.
Although they were competitive in all matches, MBC battled for runs, losing all three encounters.
First up they played Christ’s College, who batted first and scored 278-7 from their 50 overs. Aiden Batty, Josh Harris and Lachie Brick were the pick of the MBC bowlers. In reply MBC were rolled for 79, Brick’s unbeaten 27 the top score.
Against Otago BHS the local lads registered 135 in 43 overs, Harris top scoring with 45 from 66 balls after a promising start with openers Niko Russell and Alex Neal putting together an opening partnership of 51. Otago reached the required score for the loss of two wickets in the 28th over, Batty claiming those wickets at the start of the innings.
The final match was a 40-over affair, MBC scoring 120 from 38 overs, with Dane Winstanley top scoring with a hard-hit 36. Grammar reached the target for two down, underlining their status as the top school First XI in Auckland.
