Australian Over 60s New Zealand Tour.
Match 14. Sunday 17th February 2013
vs Tawa Turtles, North City Cricket Ground, Linden, Wellington
Summary: Australia Over 60s 5-195 off 40 overs (R. Haling 33 n.o., J. Mason 32 n.o., N. Kratzmann
31 n.o.) defeated by Tawa Turtles Cricket Club 3-196 off 38 overs (Murray Riley 33 n.o., Howard
Isaacs 30 n.o., Peter Hill 30 n.o., R. Kasputis 1 for 12 off 6 overs, D. Axelby 1 for 20 off 3 overs, R.
Chapman 1 for 37 off 4 overs) at North City Cricket Ground, Linden, Wellington.
The Australian Team: Ross Chapman (Captain), Derek Grove , John Mason, Rob Haling, Chris Tobin,
Tony Paterson, Gill Chapman, Geoff Field, John Fryer, Nev Kratzmann, Denis Axelby, Ron Kasputis.
After two days of cloudless sightseeing in Napier and Wellington, and a long cramped drive with
luggage between those cities, we awoke Sunday morning to see overnight drizzle. Two days without
cricket is our longest break from the game and this morning there was clear tension in the air at
breakfast as withdrawal symptoms started to set in. But at 10.30am we assembled in the foyer for
the trip to Linden to do battle with the Tawa Turtles. The tension rose considerably when one of our
very aged (over 200,000km on the clock) vehicles refused to budge. Jumper leads and eventually a
brick persuader against the alternator saw us wend our way to the pretty ground at Linden, on the
extreme outskirts of Wellington City Region.
After the customary warm-up and set of exercises (did we overdo them?) we had a light lunch, lost
the toss and were sent in to bat. The game was 40 overs each, 6 per bowler, retire at 30, and as the
Turtles were 2 men short, Stirling Hamman and Peter Harrison joined the opposition. Nearly half the
Turtles were of our age, but many of the rest were the ages of our children, a common problem we
have faced throughout the tour.
Chris Tobin (14) and Nev Kratzmann (31 n.o.) took the score to 30 before the first wicket fell. Ross
Chapman (15) joined in but his wicket fell when the score was 63 in the 15th over. John Mason (32
n.o.) and Rob Haling (33 n.o.) added a solid partnership but both were retired by the 32nd over with
score at 140. John Fryer (20) and Denis Axelby (16) raised the run rate, but they were soon followed
to the change-rooms by Tony Paterson (6), Derek Grove (1 n.o.) and Ron Kasputis (1 n.o.) for the
score to finish on 5 for 195 off 40 overs. Was it enough?
The first over of the Tawa Turtles innings saw Ron Kasputis (1 for 12 off 6 overs) bowl steadily for 4
runs. The second over from Geoff Field (0 for 26 off 5.2 overs) saw a quick 18 runs to a young
dynamo, including a six off the roof of a building adjacent to the oval. Ron Kasputis regained the
ascendency for Australia by removing his off-stump and then their innings slowed to a crawl as
Kasputis, Field, Paterson (0 for 17 off 6) and Fryer (0 for 27 off 5.4 overs) kept them to 72 after 20
overs. The odd number of balls bowled by Field and Fryer refer to a missed chance by Field off his
bowling which badly bruised a finger, and he had to adjourn his hand to the ice bucket for a while.
The equation at drinks was at least 6 per over for the last 20 overs, but rapid-fire batting by the
remaining Tawa Turtles’ batsmen, and some ordinary fielding by the Aussies saw a close finish with
the Turtles getting home with 2 overs to spare. Bowlers who tried hard but suffered under the
onslaught were Nev Kratzmann (0 for 27 off 4 overs), Ross Chapman (1 for 37 off 4 overs), Denis
Axelby (1 for 20 off 3 overs), Derek Grove (0 for 21 off 2 overs), John Mason (0 for 4 off 1 over) and
Chris Tobin (0 for 1 off 1 ball). An excellent roast was cooked in the club-house for dinner. The
home-made desserts and the after-match speeches were, as usual, a highlight. The man-of-thematch for the Aussies was Nev Kratzmann.
Serious Moment Photos
Stirling Hamman presents Brian Scott with the ball and a plaque to commemorate his 5 for 7 off 7
overs in the match against the Auckland Fingletoads at a team dinner in Wellington.
Not-so-Serious Photos
Pitch preparation in the more agricultural regions of New Zealand, and an escapee from ‘Footrot
Flats’ seen at the match in Taupo (Yes, he did have a terry-towelling hat).
Lighter moment: Help in the Field
In the recent game against Clifton County Cricket Club, the field lay in a natural amphitheatre of
rolling grassy hillocks which rose up quite steeply from the boundaries. One of our players (on
rotation and hence ‘off-duty’ for the game) had ‘tramped’ up the tallest hill to get a commanding
view of the game. One of our valiant Over 60s off-spinners was in the middle of getting 23 taken off
his final over and former NZ Test player Mark Greatbatch had just sent a delivery for a massive 6
down the ground. When the captain asked if the bowler wanted any minor field changes before his
next delivery, he asked if the man atop the hill could be moved a few metres closer!