This story draws on reporting by The Southland Tribune.

Southland's club cricket season has begun the way last season ended, with Sithum Niluminda running through a batting line-up for Invercargill-Old Boys.

The Sri Lankan-born seamer took 5 wickets for 10 runs in the opening round of the ILT Premiership on Saturday 31 October, as Metropolitan Tigers were bowled out for 47. Invercargill-Old Boys, the defending champions, knocked off the target in 6.1 overs for the loss of one wicket, a nine-wicket win that was over almost before it began, the Southland Tribune reported.

Niluminda, who works as a dairy farmer, arrived in New Zealand from Sri Lanka in 2021. Southland cricket followers will remember his performance in last season's final, when the first six Appleby batsmen dismissed all fell to him and he finished with 7 for 19, earning man of the match honours and carrying Invercargill-Old Boys to the title.

Saturday's figures suggest he will again be central to the club's attempt at back-to-back premierships.

Elsewhere in round one, Marist, Central-Western and Appleby all recorded wins. Te Anau picked up a win by default when Waikoikoi defaulted their match.

Metropolitan's total of 47 leaves the Tigers with ground to make up early in a season in which only six of the ten teams will make the premiership stage, while the champions have banked a near-maximum return from their first outing.

The ILT Premiership is a 40-over competition. In the round-robin phase, each of the ten teams meets every other side once; the top six then go on to contest the premiership proper. The four sides that miss out drop into Division One, where they are joined by the IBAL Championship's top two teams, with the remaining six Championship teams playing for the Division Two title.

Saturday's draw also included Appleby Rams against United Southland, Marist against the Royal Riders, and the Southland Boys' High School 1st XI against Central-Western, while the IBAL Championship opened with SBHS Blue against Marist Reserves, Central-Western Development against SBHS Red and Wyndale against Appleby Cannons.

Full scorecards had not been posted on the Southland Cricket Association's website by Tuesday morning; the association publishes its draws and results through PlayHQ.

Round two is scheduled for Saturday 7 November, the same day as the general election, and clubs will be hoping for better weather than the wind that has buffeted the region's cyclists this week.