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North Shore was disciplined through most of Day One, while University’s Keiren MacKenzie helped drag back a threatening total.
Graeme Beghin (78) and Mitch Bremner (41) set North Shore on their way with a mix of patience and aggression. However, just when the hosts were looking to build on their platform, MacKenzie was able to make regular breakthroughs. 
While Michael Olsen and Simon Keene scored 38, it was Asiri Wickramanayake’s 52 that ensured North Shore pushed past 300. MacKenzie led University’s effort with the ball claiming outstanding figures of 6-75 on a slowing wicket.
In the end, North Shore might see it as a blessing that they were bowled out with 11 overs left in the day. 
Tim Duncraft fired up to leave University reeling at 3/2 before Tendai Chitongo added a third. The visitors will need another middle-order fight back against what is likely to be a trial by spin next weekend. 
North Shore 312 (G Beghin 78, A Wickramanayake 58, M Bremner 41, M Olsen 38, S Keene 38, K MacKenzie 6-57) play Auckland University 18/3


Premier Reserves Major
A day to remember for the North Shore Reserves as they encountered Kumeu at home on the number two at Devonport. 
Losing the toss on what appeared to be a strip of mowed outfield, Kumeu was gleeful about sending us in to bat.
Opening bat, Malav, decided after a few balls that a helmet would only slow him down as he walloped his way into the 30s in quick time. More surprisingly was Elliot who seemed eager to play a few shots as he hooked and drove to the 30s as well.
These batsmen set the standard as Riley, Will and Rory later joined in on the party, all scoring a rolicking quick 30s and 40s.  Will Clark top-scored after playing his most free-flowing knock of the season. 
Ending up on 225 after 51 overs all out, Shore had plenty of time in the field to make it count.
Syme and Rory took the new pill and started a procession of tumbling wickets. Syme with three, Rory five and Goose coming with two including the second-best leave of the day, if you ask Watto. Of note was the sharp catching behind the wickets of Will, Raz and Strain who took a worldly flying to his right. All of which led to rolling Kumeu for 63. 
If that wasn't enough Shore enforced the follow on, and had them in a similar state of trouble with Syme getting three, Newey two, Watto one and Bessell with a late entry also. 
Again, the catching was extremely dependable and made Kumeu pay for every error. 
With Kumeu still trailing by 81 with only 3 wickets in hand, Shore will fancy themselves to finish off the job with an outright win if the weather plays ball.

Premier Reserves Minor
With regular skipper Liam awaiting his newborn baby, he was unavailable again this week, but the odds of actually winning a toss had increased dramatically. 
We turned up to Cornwall with a pic-in-mix team filled with a handful of regulars, ring-ins and retired pros. 
Greeted by a soft green wicket with one boundary being double the size of the other, winning the toss for the first time this season and with the fear of being stuck in the field for 80 overs, I opted to bat first. 
A new look opening pair of Kent Donnell and Jasper Edgar got us off to a slow, but solid start with Kent ending up on 44. 
We were ticking along slow and steady with an innings to remember for Tom Marshall notching up his highest score of the summer including a huge, 23 meter six! 
With the score at 120 for five, the game was in the balance, enter North Shore veteran turned golf-pro, Hamish Grant, with a solid 39, along with Lewis Goodwin's Captain's knock of 59* we ended up on 223. 
Adding to the score, we kept Cornwall out in the heat of the day for 72 overs. 
With 24 overs left in the day and the light fading quickly, we had one mindset - attack! 
And boy did Kent Donnell deliver! After his handy knock with the bat, he was fired up to really stick it to his old club. What followed was the most entertaining overs ever seen in club cricket with his second and third ball both sending the off stump cartwheeling. Unfortunately, the hat trick ball calmly flicked off the pads for four. 
But the boys were buzzing in the field and with Kent still steaming in he managed to claim the 3rd and 4th wicket in quick succession. 
Followed by some sloppy fielding and numerous drop catches, we ended the day on a high note with Skipper Lewis Goodwin bamboozling the Cornwall batsmen into leaving a rare arm ball that clipped middle and leg.
Cornwall are 96 for 5 going into day two, and Shore with first-innings points firmly in sight. 
Credit to Kent for a great day out with bat and ball and stand-in skipper Lewis for showing the faith in him that he so longed for all season.

Sportslink International Premier Reserve Women

We were fired up to play our closest rival Takapuna this week. 
It doesn’t happen that often, as they are usually in a higher grade – so like last week an excellent opportunity to see how we would go against a new team. 
Batting first we only managed 95 runs, being bowled out in the 20th over. 
We’re learning that in this T20 game it’s often the unorthodox shots that get the runs and the momentum. 
So while the top three played some lovely orthodox shots the strike rates just weren’t high enough and at only 4.5 runs an over we knew that we were likely to need more to post a competitive total. 
Jo and Theresa batted really well in the middle order and got us humming along – and they were having a great time doing it! They were cursing the spongy outfield at times though as that ball would not cross the boundary line, resulting in lots of running between the wickets.
Our bowling was much more accurate than last week, but we didn’t have enough runs to put pressure on their batsmen. 
They liked the quicker bowlers, so we tried to slow it down - but if we bowled too short, it was dispatched to the boundary. 
Izzy was the pick of the bowlers – beautiful line and length, just missing the edge numerous times. 
There were some great efforts in the field as well – Lucy C saving a certain boundary by diving and flicking it back in, Rhian chasing everything hard in the outfield, and Lucy P doing a great job behind the stumps.

Only 2 more games left before the gear is packed away – always a sad moment… We have improved so much as a team this season and learnt a lot from the last two weeks. 
Hopefully, we can keep our focus over the last two games and end the season on a high.