Attacking centuries from Assad Vala and Lega Siaka lead Papua New Guinea (PNG) to an by eight-wicket victory over Kenya at Pukekura Park, New Plymouth on day one of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier New Zealand 2014 (CWCQ) at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui on Monday.


In other matches of the day, Netherlands defeated Uganda by seven wickets, tournament top seed United Arab Emirates (UAE) recorded a comfortable 102-run victory over Nepal, and Hong Kong defeated Scotland by 17 runs.


At Pukekura Park, New Plymouth, Vala (105 not out) and Siaka (103) put on a 154-run second-wicket partnership to lead PNG to victory over Kenya with 7.1 overs and eight wickets to spare.

It was a day for the batsmen at New Plymouth, with three centuries being scored. Kenya’s Collins Obuya (106) set the tone, bringing up his century with a six over long off. PNG’s Siaka (103) followed suit with a six to bring up his century from 80 balls, and man of the match Vala (105 not out) hit a straight six to get into three figures.


Twenty-one-year-old Siaka struck 11 boundaries and four sixes to reach 103 from only 83 deliveries, while Vala crafted an unbeaten 105 from just 109 balls (8x4, 6x6) to star in PNG’s win.


Earlier, Kenya reached 249 for nine from its 50 overs, with Raymond Haoda (four for 50) and Pipi Raho (two for 47) being the leading wicket takers for PNG.


Vala said he was pleased to score a century, and even more pleased to be at the crease at the end: “That was the most important and best innings I’ve played for my country. This win sets us up well for the tournament and gives us some real momentum.”


Kenya captain Rakep Patel said he was disappointed to lose the opening match of the tournament: “After posting 250 I thought the batsmen did well. But we bowled both sides of the wickets and dropped a couple of crucial catches.”


“We have to bounce back and the players have to take more individual responsibility,” he said.

In the second Group B clash of the day, Netherlands’ Michael Rippon claimed four wickets in his side’s seven-wicket victory over Uganda at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.

Rippon’s spell ensured that Uganda was dismissed for 152 in 46.1 overs. Uganda openers Roger Mukasa (44) and Abram Mutyagaba (36) put on a 76-run first-wicket partnership, but once Mutyagaba was dismissed in the 26th over, Uganda fell from 98 for three to152 all out.


In response, Wesley Barresi (61 from 70 deliveries) and captain Peter Borren (50 from 56 deliveries) combined for a 85-run third-wicket-stand to lead the Netherlands’ run chase, with Barresi still at the crease when the Netherlands reached its target, posting 155 for the loss of three wickets in 30.1 overs.


Twenty-two-year-old man of the match Rippon was delighted with his side’s opening performance: “We didn’t have the two best warm-up games but a lot of preparation has gone into this tour and luckily for us I think today it all just clicked. There was lots of buzz in the field and obviously we wanted to put up a good performance in the first game of the tournament.”


“I thought it was a great team effort. All the bowlers bowled really well and obviously Wesley Barassi and Peter Borren finished the game off in style,” he said.


Reflecting on his own performance Rippon remarked: “The conditions were perfect for me. The pitch was quite stoppy and took a bit of spin, I had a perfect breeze and the skipper brought me on at a perfect time to bowl.”


Uganda captain Davis Karashani Arinaitwe said: “It is very disappointing, because we always thought we had a weakness in the top order, but today they did well and it was we the middle order that didn't pitch up.”


In a Group A clash on the South Island, the tournament’s top-ranked side, UAE, defeated Nepal by 102 at Rangiora Oval, Christchurch.


After being sent in to bat, the UAE reached 297 for eight thanks to a fine century from man of the match Shaiman Anwar (109 from 96 balls) and a quick-fire 74 off 78 balls from Swapnil Patil. For Nepal, Basant Regmi bagged three for 43 and Jitendra Mukhiya claimed two for 58.


A gritty half century from Sharad Vesawkar (54) was not enough to galvanise the Nepal response, and the side was dismissed for 195 in 48.1 overs. Kamran Shazad was the leading wicket taker for the UAE, claiming three for 46.


Also in the South Island, Hong Kong overcame a century by Preston Mommsen to defeat Scotland by 17 runs at Queenstown Events Centre, Queenstown. After being sent in to bat, Hong Kong reached 263 for the loss of seven wickets from its 50 overs, with opener Irfan Ahmed crafting a patient knock of 75. Tanwir Afzal (42 runs from 38 deliveries), Mark Chapman (36 runs from 38 balls) and Babar Hayat (31 runs from 37 balls) added quick runs to keep the Scotland run rate above 5.00.

Iain Wardlaw was the pick of the Scotland bowlers, claimed three for 57, which Matt Machan took two for 37.

Man of the match Preston Mommsen led the Scotland response with a blistering 109-ball knock of 118. Mommsen was the last man to be dismissed as Scotland was all out for 246 in the penultimate over.

Scores in brief:

At Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui, Tauranga, North Island

Uganda 152 all out, 46.1 overs (Roger Mukasa 44, Abram Mutyagaba 36; Michael Rippon 4-15, Michael Swart 2-28, Mudassar Bukhari 2-30)

Netherlands 155 for three, 30.1 overs (Wesley Barresi 61 not out, Peter Borren 50)

Result: Netherlands won by seven wickets

Man of the Match: Michael Rippon (Netherlands)


At Pukekura Park, New Plymouth, North Island

Kenya 249 for nine, 50 overs (Collins Obuya 106, Rakep Patel 24, Maurice Ouma 24, Thomas Odoyo 42 not out; Raymond Haoda 4-50, Pipi Raho 2-47)

PNG 250 for two, 42.5 overs (Assad Vala 105 not out, Lega Siaka 103, Chris Amini 28)

Result: PNG won by eight wickets

Man of the Match: Assad Vala (PNG)


At Rangiora Oval, Christchurch, South Island

UAE 297 for eight, 50 overs (Shaiman Anwar 109, Swapnil Patil 74, Salman Faris 35; Basant Regmi 3-43, Jitendra Mukhiya 2-58)

Nepal 195 all out, 48.1 overs (Sharad Vesawkar 54, Shakti Gauchan 37 not out, Binod Bhandari 37; Kamran Shazad 3-46, Khurram Khan 2-19, Manjula Guruge 2-25, Amjad Javed 2-44)

Result: UAE won by 102 runs

Man of the Match: Shaiman Anwar (UAE)

At Queenstown Events Centre, Queenstown, South Island

Hong Kong 263 for seven, 50 overs (Irfan Ahmed 75, Tanwir Afzal 42, Mark Chapman 36, Babar Hayat 31, Jamie Atkinson 27, Aizaz Khan 22 not out; Iain Wardlaw 3-57, Matt Machan 2-37)

Scotland 246 all out, 48.4 overs (Preston Mommsen 118, Matt Machan 34, Rob Taylor 28; Nadeem Ahmed 4-37, Haseeb Amjad 3-53)

Result: Hong Kong won by 17 runs

Man of the Match: Preston Mommsen (Scotland)