Cricket: Batsman Fergus Lellman shines for Aquinas College

Aquinas College batsman Fergus Lellman is congratulated after his century against Tauranga Boys' College. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

A spectacular Western Bay of Plenty School derby closed the two Bay of Plenty teams' campaign at the ND First XI Cup finals played in Hamilton this week.

Tauranga Boys' College and Aquinas College met to battle out third place on day four of the national qualifying tournament.

Aquinas College took first use of the wicket at Jansen Park after winning the toss, with opening batsman Fergus Lellman leading from the front. Two Aquinas wickets fell at the 52-run mark and at 121-7, the Tauranga Boys' bowlers looked to be in complete control.

However, the Aquinas tail wagged with Lellman (116) putting together two useful partnerships with Ben Woodrow and Toby Taylor to see the team through to a solid total of 208.

Lellman's knock was the highest individual score of the tournament and came from 146 balls, including 11 fours and two sixes. Tauranga Boys' College bowlers Iman Singh and Rhys Donaghy both bowled extremely good line and length to be rewarded with four wickets apiece.

Marcel Collett and Taylor Bettelheim strode to the wicket full of purpose and Tauranga Boys' were well in control when Collett was caught and bowled by Louie Robinson for 44.

The arrival of Ben Pomare, after Tauranga Boys' lost their second wicket with 116 runs on the board produced a winning 97-run partnership between Bettelheim and the Tauranga Boys' keeper.

Bettelheim was in sublime touch, as he carried his bat to 105 not out at a strike rate of 84.68. Bettelheim finished the ND competition as the tournament's leading run scorer, with 215 runs at an outstanding average of 71.67. He scored another century against St Peter's School.

Both Western Bay schools started the tournament with wins, with Tauranga Boys' easily defeating St Peter's School from Cambridge and Aquinas accounting for Whangarei Boys' High School.

There were mixed fortunes on day two and three. Tauranga Boys' got past Hamilton Boys' second 11 and Aquinas lost to St Paul's Collegiate on day two with Tauranga Boys' beaten by arch rivals Hamilton Boys' First XI and Aquinas accounting for St John's College by eight wickets on day three.

ND First XI Cup Finals
Day Four March 22
Aquinas College 209 (Fergus Lellman 116; Iman Singh 4/32, Rhys Donaghy 4/49) lost to Tauranga Boys' College 213/2 (Taylor Bettelheim 105no, Ben Pomare 46no, Marcel Collett 44)

Day Three — 21 March 2018
St John's College 90 (Ben Woodrow 3/23, Louis Robinson 3/28, Finn Dempsey 2/16) lost to Aquinas College 92/2 (F Dempsey 42no, Carson Wills 21)
Tauranga Boys' College 122 (Tim Pringle 28, Jacob Logan 24) lost to Hamilton BHS 125/5 (T Pringle 3/40, Iman Singh 2/21)

Day Two — 20 March 2018)
Hamilton BHS Second XI 141 (Iman Singh 4/19, Rhys Donaghy 2/13, Tim Pringle 2/27) lost to Tauranga Boys' College 142/6)
St Paul's Collegiate 284/9 (Finn Dempsey 3/50, Louis Robinson 3/51) defeated Aquinas College 151 (F Dempsey 38, Fergus Lellman 24)

Day One — March 19
Tauranga Boys' College 278/5 (Taylor Bettelheim 103, Tim Pringle 83, Ben Pomare 27) defeated St Peter's School 114 (T Pringle 3/16, R Mischewski 2/15, Iman Singh 2/15)
Whangarei BHS 145 (George Catto 3/21, Finn Dempsey 2/29, Darcy Hoskin 2/35) lost to Aquinas College 146/4 (Carson Wills 41no, F Dempsey 38, G Catto 28no)