TARANAKI is celebrating raising the Hawke Cup for the first time since since 2006/07, after beating HAWKE'S BAY on the first innings in a remarkable opening Challenge Match of the 2025 summer.

Regular holders, Hawke’s Bay had kept the historic silverware since the beginning of last season, when they won their cyclone-rescheduled Challenge against arch rival Canterbury Country, and won back the silverware.

But they were coming off a flat CD Furlong Cup season, and missing some experienced performers who were now with the Central Stags, busy winning the Dream11 Super Smash on the same weekend.

Taranaki, by contrast, had earned its Hawke Cup Challenge by virtue of dominating the Zone 2 Furlong Cup (where Manawatū had been their last serious threat for the title) and was making the District’s first Challenge since an unsuccessful foray back in the 2017/18 summer.

SCORECARD

It was an opportunity not to be wasted. After Taranaki captain Sam Fastier won the toss and elected to bowl on a muggy, warm Napier morning, the bowlers certainly did not waste time taking wickets.

Hawke's Bay would not have been keen to bat first with the ball nipping around for the first two sessions, and they got off off to a rocky start — losing four early wickets.

Paceman Ben Frewin and keeper-batter Rupert Young (brother of BLACKCAP Will Young) combined to remove both openers.

Frewin carried on to have the dangerous Bayley Wiggins caught behind at 24/4 in the 24th, and Hawke’s Bay knew they were in for a big fight against the team that had trumped them already at District level this summer.

The match was a doubly special one for Hawke's Bay as senior paceman Ben Stoyanoff's 100th game — “Stoyns” becoming just the second man to play 100 games for the province, joining former captain Angus Schaw who was away with the Stags.

A schoolteacher, a number of pupils from his school were there to watch, but the big occasion did not go to plan at all for the hosts who collapsed to 59/7 by lunch.

The chances of winning on the first innings were not looking flash and captain Dominic Thompson had a big decision to make, after the team discussed and debated the merits of declaring while the chips were down — in order to leave more time in the three-day match to play for an outright.

A capable batter, Thompson was still batting at the time, unbeaten on 19* after more than an hour’s toil trying to salvage the nightmare for the hosts.

Never before in a Hawke Cup Challenge had the team batting first declared their first innings like this and the lunchtime tactical declaration would become one of the big talking points of the match.

However, by stumps there was a sliver of daylight for Hawke’s Bay — they had got Taranaki eight down in reply, by the close of the all-action opening day at Nelson Park.

Frewin had carried on starring with the ball, scything through the hosts for a haul of 4/12 in just his nine overs.

The more experienced paceman Ryan Watson (above) chimed in with 2/23 and Jordie Gard, 1/24 — the Hawke’s Bay declaration preventing what might have been a richly deserved Frewin bag.

But their were bigger prizes at stake.

Now it was Hawke’s Bay’s turn to turn it on with the cherry, and young Liam McCarthy (3/20, above) struck with his first ball of the match, after Stoyanoff had bowled the opening maiden to Bailey Wisneski.

Taranaki stalwart Dean Robinson was the unfortunate recipient of the golden duck against McCarthy, leaving fellow opener Wisnewski to scrap for almost an hour and a half for his 14 runs.

By the time ex-Nelson rep Thomas Zohrab — better known for his batting — claimed Wisneski, Taranaki was 38/3. They would lose a further two wickets in the middle session to be in a bit of a pickle of their own at 44/5 by tea.

With his old-school angled run-up, Zohrab was having a good day with the ball, and would ultimately finish with 4/34 off his 24 overs, an important contributor for the Bay after experienced paceman Todd Watson had had to come off injured, early in the piece.

Zohrab broke the dangerous partnership that was brewing between Wisnewski and Young, and went on to add the wickets of Liam Muggeridge, Trent McGrath and Jordie Gard.

Stags legspinner Brad Schmulian (2/43) has meanwhile delighted in removing Young who had frequently looked like a carbon copy of his better known brother, whose spare bats he had put to good use.

A number of the Stags from both Districts turned up to take in some of the action, either side of training, on the first day, with the inevitable banter flying about.

By stumps, Taranaki was 108/8 — reinforcing Hawke’s Bay’s hopes of a chance of an outright, but the Challengers crucially leading, now, on the first innings.

Day Two saw a clutch Taranaki rearguard effort with the bat continue to pour the pressure on Hawke’s Bay.

Ryan Watson (38) and Frewin (with the top score of 40 not out, to complement his four-for) put on 39 for the penultimate wicket, belying their status as designated bowlers.

They had carried on some strong resistance from Mattie Thomas who had added 38 for the eighth wicket with Watson.

Then a 25-run stand for the final wicket really rubbed salt into Hawke’s Bay’s wounds, before Stoyanoff took the last wicket to fall at 157.

Taranaki had stretched their first innings lead to 98, and in the context of the match, that lead was gold.

Hawke’s Bay dug deep for 268 in their second dig as the conditions eased, but it wasn’t the quick counterpunch they had needed.

They had again lost early wickets, 19/3 by lunch on the second afternoon, and going on to lose Schmulian and Wiggins in quick succession after the break.

It took Thompson (52) and promising young Sam Cassidy (64) to stop the rot, almost reaching a century partnership after tea before Cassidy fell to Liam Carr at 147/6.

Thompson grew another partnership with Watson (who livened up the pace with his 51 off 62 balls), putting on 73 for the seventh wicket, and the pair got the hosts to 163/6 by stumps.

But whatever Hawke’s Bay tried, it never seemed enough, nor quick enough to seize back the advantage.

Youngster McCarthy came in and belted a bolshie 37 the next morning before Hawke’s Bay was all out, for an overall lead of 170.

Despite losing their openers early, all the balls were in Taranaki’s court once they had got a decent partnership in the final innings.

Young top-scored with an unbeaten 48* and Liam Muggeridge ambled to 42 not out as they dug in for the unbroken fourth wicket stand that secured the desired outcome for Taranaki.

The visitors were 130/3 when Thompson shook their lands on the Sunday evening, and the celebrations began.

Remarkably, none of the Taranaki squad had ever previously tasted success when challenging for the cup — even the veteran Robinson, who played in a Hawke Cup defence among more than 100 matches for his District.

• The Zone 2 Challenge Match was the first of a series of four this summer, the current holder of the historic silverware always hosting the next Challenger from each of the country's four Hawke Cup Zones
• Taranaki will now host Zone 1’s Hawke Cup challenger Hamilton at New Plymouth’s Pukekura Park from Friday 14 until Sunday 16 February 2025
• The following Challenge will be made by either Nelson or Canterbury Country, pending the outcome of the imminent Zone 3 Final in Rangiora.
• Livescores for the Zone 1 Challenge match will be available at www.nzc.nz and on the NZC app

HAWKE CUP

2024/25 Challenge Match Schedule

Zone 2 Challenge Match

31 January-2 February 2025

Holder Hawke's Bay lost to Zone 2 qualifier Taranaki on the first innings

At Nelson Park, Napier

Zone 1 Challenge Match

14-16 February 2025

Holder Taranaki v Zone 1 Qualifier Hamilton

At Pukekura Park, New Plymouth

Zone 3 Challenge Match

28 February-2 March 2025

Holder v Zone 3 Qualifier (Nelson or Canterbury Country)

At Holder's Home Ground

Zone 4 Challenge Match

14-16 March 2025

Holder v Zone 4 Qualifier

At Holder's Home Ground

Article added: Monday 3 February 2025