My main worry for this game is that it is the first we've played this season where we are not only expected to win but expected to win easily. 13+ to us is the favoured result at the TAB. I worry that we will stop doing the hard work that has got us into this position (especially in defence) and may also be tempted to rotate too much.
{Banana skin emoji}
Kyle Abbott claims the best 4th best ever bowling figures in the county championship and 10th best in first class cricket - 17-86
It's the final round for the team's comp before the semi-finals start next week - 4 weeks to go of tipping and then it's the summer break.
Broad seems to have single-handedly defused the supposed advantage that left handed opening batsmen have. Bowl around the wicket, hit that spot on a good length just outside off and move it both ways. The same thing that right-handed batsmen have to cope with against the new ball where you don't know what to play and what to leave.
Much easier said than done though and Broad's control has been excellent from around the wicket such that Warner has just been bamboozled (and so has Harris). With Lyon being somewhat nullified by the lack of left-handers to bowl to, maybe the left-hander will go back to being the exception rather than the rule in the top order.
Everything is live in the usual place.
Wellington with the narrow win over Northland to stay at the top, Wairarapa Bush beat the winless Harbour-Auckland to stay 2nd and Hawke's Bay thrash 4 man BOP to stay 3rd - these 3 are all assured of a semi-final place. South Island, Northland and Counties-Waikato can all take the final place.
Canes4life picked 7 from 7 but was only 7th best for the weekend with only 1 margin and no category pick. Number 10 was the best with 57 but is still only 16th overall. Winger leads again but the top 5 are separated by only 6 points so all to play for.
Justin77 and Higgins will play the TSF Cup final over the next 2 weekends.
The only absentee this week is @trooa which explains BOP's appalling total. Canes4life is the only one to pick 5/5 so far but Stargazer leads for the week with 4 margins from 4 picks. The overall TSF individual title race is very tight with only 6 points separating the top 6.
Donsteppa and Justin77 have identical picks so far so their Cup replay is ongoing. They differ on the Tasman margin of victory so 17+ wins it for Donsteppa, any other result and it is J77 going through.
Counties-Waikato 28 - 27 South Island
BOP 22 - 34 Hawke's Bay
Wairarapa Bush 31 - 28 Harbour-Auckland
Wellington 28 - 26 Northland
Donsteppa or Justin77 29 v 17 Waynes World
Higgins 37 v 26 Propsicle
Stargazer 40
Higgins 37
Number 10 37
Plastered Peni 37
Canes4life 36
Joan and Mary 34
Phooey 34
Triple T 34
Canes4life 273
Winger 273
Propsicle 270
Bay Imports 269
Victor 268
Stargazer 267
Buck 258
Higgins 256
Donsteppa 255
Justin77 255
@Number-10 said in Taranaki vs BOP:
Sept 30, 1995 - BOP won 41-27
Wow that's pretty momentous then - must be one of the longer streaks broken then.
Anyone remember the last time we won a game in New Plymouth? We usually get humped there.
Also thank me for consistently picking us to lose .....
If the answer was Mitchell Marsh, I wonder what the question was.
Faced with a choice between the 2, I'd shout "Give me Head" every time ....