This year, the sun was shining bright as we played for the first time at the fantastic Takapuna Grammar.
Auckland always brings a strong team of rising stars to the table and this year was no different, boasting one of their strongest sides yet on paper. A number of the players we have played against in this fixture in previous years are now playing professional Domestic cricket which is great to see.
The NZ Croatia 2020 squad was up for the task and was brimming with talent, both Croatian and Kiwi.
Guest debutants include Adam Jones (Formerly DFA), Brian Barnard (Gauteng first-class), Conor Ansell (NZ U19), William Lintott (University) and Enrico Du Toit (Waitakere).
We also saw the NZ Croatia debut of Quinn Sunde (NZ U19), NZ Croatia number 39, with Quinn previously having played against us in this fixture.
The Club also wishes to congratulate Christy O’Brien (Voykovich) on his first match as skipper – the 5th captain in our short history.
After winning the toss and warming up, the Croatians hit the field with passion after Coach Marsic delivered one of his most inspiring pre-match talks to date. (Editor's note: So we're told.)
Auckland always brings a strong team of rising stars to the table and this year was no different, boasting one of their strongest sides yet on paper. A number of the players we have played against in this fixture in previous years are now playing professional Domestic cricket which is great to see.
The NZ Croatia 2020 squad was up for the task and was brimming with talent, both Croatian and Kiwi.
Guest debutants include Adam Jones (Formerly DFA), Brian Barnard (Gauteng first-class), Conor Ansell (NZ U19), William Lintott (University) and Enrico Du Toit (Waitakere).
We also saw the NZ Croatia debut of Quinn Sunde (NZ U19), NZ Croatia number 39, with Quinn previously having played against us in this fixture.
The Club also wishes to congratulate Christy O’Brien (Voykovich) on his first match as skipper – the 5th captain in our short history.
After winning the toss and warming up, the Croatians hit the field with passion after Coach Marsic delivered one of his most inspiring pre-match talks to date. (Editor's note: So we're told.)
Clearly, it worked. The young Auckland side didn’t know what struck them after an early runout and sensational one-handed catch by Joey Yovich.
Wickets from Adam Jones (3-35) and four catches behind the stumps from Sunde sent the DFA to 112/8.
A late partnership between Duffy and Patel saw the Auckland team post 184 from 50 overs.
Set 185 to win, the top order steadied the chase with Jones 33 and Ansell 30 taking us to 68/2.
An excellent captain's knock from O’Brien (69*) and power-hitting from Yovich (27*) sealed the deal with six overs to spare – a great win for NZ Croatia!
Thank you again to all those involved on the day and those that came down to support the teams. Thanks also to Takapuna Grammar for providing the facilities and aftermatch function. We look forward to meeting again in 2021.
Match Scorecard here:
https://www.crichq.com/matches/878150/1st_innings
Wickets from Adam Jones (3-35) and four catches behind the stumps from Sunde sent the DFA to 112/8.
A late partnership between Duffy and Patel saw the Auckland team post 184 from 50 overs.
Set 185 to win, the top order steadied the chase with Jones 33 and Ansell 30 taking us to 68/2.
An excellent captain's knock from O’Brien (69*) and power-hitting from Yovich (27*) sealed the deal with six overs to spare – a great win for NZ Croatia!
Thank you again to all those involved on the day and those that came down to support the teams. Thanks also to Takapuna Grammar for providing the facilities and aftermatch function. We look forward to meeting again in 2021.
Match Scorecard here:
https://www.crichq.com/matches/878150/1st_innings