From Collapse to Control: Bloomfield Outplay Manawatū-Foxton
- Pickle Rick
- Dec 17, 2025
- 3 min read
Bloomfield vs Manawatū-Foxton
Saturday 13th December, 1pm, Manawaroa Park 7, Palmerston North
It was a cracking day at Manawaroa Park in Palmy as Bloomfield took on Manawatū-Foxton in the final clash before the Christmas break. Captain Trout won the toss and elected to bat, but things got off to a rocky start.
Bish, stepping in for Geoffrey’s friend, took on the opening duties alongside Tyler. Looking to get things moving early, Bish made a positive start, with seven runs coming from his first over, but a top edge in the second brought an early end to his innings. In-form Caleb “Chicken” Greene was next in but soon followed Bish back under the pōhutukawa tree, departing for a classy three-ball duck.
Dave Watson arrived with intent, looking to inject some positive stroke play, but lost his middle stump to an absolute peach from Shayaan Khan. It was another top-order wobble, eerily similar to the last encounter with Manawatū-Foxton.
Chris “Geoffery” Sharrock was next to the crease and, just as he had done in the previous match-up, set about steadying the ship. Batting alongside Tyler, the pair built a vital partnership, adding 70 runs before Tyler was caught for a well-made 25. Trout then joined Geoffery and the two added a further 17 runs before Geoffery cruelly torpedoed his 299 average, nicking one through to a stunning catch by Brydon behind the stumps. Trout’s stay was brief, managing only a couple before heading back to the pavilion.
After Trout’s departure, Ben came in to rebuild alongside Kurtis. Kurtis looked in full control until an absolute seed from Brendon Munford scattered his stumps. With the score at 126 for 7, Bloomfield’s tail was well and truly exposed, and given the lack of recent batting form, a wag looked unlikely. Unlikely or not, wag it did.
Kieran, Gaz, and Glennis all contributed valuable time in the middle alongside Ben, pushing the total through to a very competitive 197 for 9. Ben finished unbeaten on 29, highlighted by plundering his second six in 17 years of club cricket.
With runs on the board, it was over to the bowlers.
Gaz and Baby Trout opened as usual, setting the tone early. Manawatū-Foxton came out positively, with Steve Mattock and Brydon Broadley looking to attack from the outset. Brydon found the boundary a couple of times before Gaz made the first breakthrough, bowling him for 9. Steve followed soon after, Kieran producing an absolute peach that found the outside edge and carried cleanly through to the keeper, departing for 14.
Faisal Khan was next to go, caught and bowled by Trout, before a solid partnership between Shayaan Khan and Andrew Laird began to threaten Bloomfield’s grip on the game. Both batters worked hard for their runs, each finishing with 37, and for a period Foxton looked well placed in the chase.
That was until Bloomfield’s spinners got to work. Kurtis, Chicken, and Bish were introduced through the middle overs and immediately put the squeeze on. As the required run rate crept beyond ten an over, the bigger shots began to appear and with them came wickets. Bish was the standout, ripping through the middle order to finish with four wickets, while Kurtis and Chicken chipped in with one apiece to keep Foxton firmly on the back foot.
The pressure told, and Foxton slid from a competitive position into real trouble. A late flurry from Jamie Bryan and Ryan Noble added some excitement at the death, but the gap was too large.
Manawatū-Foxton finished on 168 for 9 from their 40 overs, leaving Bloomfield comfortable 29-run winners in a well-rounded team performance heading into the Christmas break.
MVP: 3-Bish, 2-Geoffery, 1-Baby Trout
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