Mark Steventon scored an unbeaten half-century on debut in Red Star’s win over Paraparaumu. PHOTO/JADE CVETKOV
Red Star eye up semifinal spot in 2021
CRICKET
CHRIS COGDALE
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Captain Peter Sigvertsen was the hat-trick hero and debutant Mark Steventon the batting hero in Burger King Red Star’s tense three-wicket win over Paraparaumu on Saturday.
After winning the toss and deciding to bat on the Queen Elizabeth Park Oval, Paraparaumu’s prospects of setting the home side a big target were soon in tatters, with Sigvertsen taking a brilliant
hat-trick in his third over, and then taking his fourth wicket in six balls at the start of his fourth over.
The hat-trick included opener Reece Gilden [bowled], former Wairarapa representative Kelsey Fahey [caught], and Jono Griffith [bowled].
Although the hat-trick isn’t Sigvertsen’s first, it had special significance for the slow-medium bowler.
“The other ones I’ve had I was really young, and it’s my first one in senior cricket, so I was pretty stoked, but I was more surprised to be honest, especially how the ball was coming out at the start, it felt good,” he said.
Red Star continued to chip away with regular wickets, and Paraparaumu looked as if they would struggle to post a three-figure a score when they fell to 63-8.
However, an aggressive 29 not out by number 10 Kamal Patel had the visitors through to a more respectable 118, although Sigvertsen said his side took their foot off the throat.
“We did talk about not doing it, but a few guys took it a little bit lightly, just expecting the last two to come and it nearly cost us.”
“That was one of the disappointing factors from the game because we could have easily rolled them for 80 to 90, and we should have.”
Red Star made a watchful start, but once Jake Jonas went with the score at 30, a collapse followed, with six wickets falling for just 15 runs, on a pitch that always offered the bowlers some assistance.
“I think our top order took it a bit too lightly, and just thought they could hit through the line like they usually do, which ultimately cost them their wickets and going from 30-0 to 45-6 is not good, especially for a leading team in the comp,” Sigversten said.
Wairarapa College student Steventon and Sigvertsen started the revival adding 41 runs for the seventh wicket.
Another debutant Dean Napier then joined Steventon, and the pair had Red Star through to the bonus point victory.
Steventon’s 66 was all class and came off 48 balls, and featured eight fours and one six, which brought up the winning runs.
The 16-year-old showed the other batsmen how to play on the tricky pitch, with a mixture of patience and the ability to punish the bad ball.
Sigvertsen was thrilled for the talented youngster.
“He seemed to enjoy it and he looked very good with the bat, and hopefully he can carry on scoring runs for us, because he looked a class act, and he looked well above anyone else batting for us, actually well above everyone in the game.”
The win lifted Red Star to top of the championship table with one game to play against Whanganui Marist on January 9.
A win over Marist would guarantee Red Star a home semifinal.
Meanwhile, United’s semifinal prospects took a hit with a nine-wicket loss to Whanganui Marist at Greytown.
Gus Borren and Jared van Deventer gave United a bright start, putting on 46 for the first wicket, before van Deventer was bowled by medium pacer Connor O’Leary, who within the space of six balls, also had Wairarapa reps John McKenzie and Jaco Vorster back in the pavilion without scoring,
Some lower order heroics from Quinn Childs [34] and number 11 Gurdev Singh [41] added some respectability to the United score, although 175 was probably never going to be enough against the talented Marist batting lineup.
Whanganui representative Chris Stewart led the way with an unbeaten 81 as the visitors chased down the target in the 36th over.
United must now beat Whanganui United and Whanganui Collegiate and hope that other results go their way to make the semifinals.
