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Kavinda Herath / Things
Southland’s Sam Downing bowling against Mid Canterbury in the Hawke Cup in Queens Park at Invercargill on Saturday.
Benji Culhane has announced himself on the Hawke Cup cricket stage for all to see with an all-important century to go.
Southland opened their 2020-21 Hawke Cup campaign with a first-inning win over Mid Canterbury in the weekend’s two-day game.
The Southland youth team victory was organized by two school talents.
Southland was on shaky ground at 122 for six chasing Mid Canterbury’s total of 276 first innings he posted Saturday after winning the toss and choosing to hit.
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Culhane, a Southland Boys ‘High School alumnus, teamed up with Finn Hurley, who hails from Gore but attends Otago Boys’, to put up a remarkable 176-run finish in the seventh inning to lead Southland to the points of the first entry.
When Hurley left, he got the job done with his 81 of 75 balls providing vital.
With the result selected for Southland, Culhane found time to fight his way through an impressive century.
His hit of 105 came from 147 balls and included 14 limits and three sixes.
When Culhane was finally fired, both teams agreed to call for time with no absolute points for either team.
Culhane teams up with fellow Southland Boys’ High School Greg Dawson to post a century in his Hawke Cup debut.
Dawson’s debut century came in 2006 when he was 16 when he scored 125 against Central Otago in Queens Park while facing 310 balls.
Southland coach Steve Jackson was thrilled with the calm and determination shown by Culhane and Hurley to bring the team home.
He said they both found it challenging early in their innings with Culhane taking more than 20 balls to get off the mark. However, they quickly began pouncing on any loose bowling pins that came their way, Jackson said.
While it was the youngsters who looked with the bat on Sunday, it was Kieran Lloyd who did the damage with the ball on Saturday for Southland.
He racked up a six-wicket loot for Southland, his first five-wicket purse at the Hawke Cup level.
Lloyd eliminated both of Mid Canterbury’s starters to reduce them to two for 25 in one stage before Des Kruger took over the game.
Kruger hit 112 of 163 balls, and found support through William Southby, who stepped in with 50 when Mid Canterbury went from two for 25 to three for 202.
Part-time spinner Hamish Cooke took Kruger’s key wicket with a catch and throw before Lloyd took over.
Lloyd knocked out four of Mid Canterbury’s last five wickets, bringing them down to a total of 279 innings in the first inning, which at one point looked like it could get closer to 400.
Jackson said Lloyd’s contribution was huge in the context of the game.
“It was a flat, flat field where the players struggled to get something out of it. So for him, finding something and getting six plots was very special. “
Southland 330-9 (B Culhane 105, F Hurley 81, H Cooke 43; R Bell 30-8-160-5); South Canterbury 279 butt (D Kruger 112, W Southby 50; K Lloyd 12.2-3-40-6). First entry victory to Southland.
