Run machine Drysdale claims another trophy

By KELLY EXELBY
Peter Drysdale's second XI teammates might have seen the last of their run-scoring machine this season after he blazed an unbeaten century to carry Tauranga Boys College to the Super Eight title in Taupo.
Drysdale, younger sibling of world single sculls rowing champion Mahe, has languished in Tauranga Boys second XI for the past 12 months, making few appearances for the top team. But first XI coach Neil Howard dangled a carrot ahead of the Super Eight final against New Plymouth Boys High.
"I told Pete 'get some runs today and you'll make it hard for me to leave you out of our Baywide side'," Howard said.
"Suffice to say Pete will be batting at No 3 in our Baywide game [today against Whakatane's Kope]."
Tauranga Boys College's trophy cabinet is bulging after they shared the Gillette Cup national schoolboy title with Christchurch Boys' in December.
Super Eight is a secondary school competition contested by eight North Island boys' schools, with Tauranga Boys the only side in the nine-year history of the tournament to win back-to-back cricket titles.
Making this week's win even more remarkable is that the team is completely rebuilt from the one that lifted the Gillette Cup after seven Year 13 players left school. They are unbeaten in the Williams Cup Baywide this season and the Super Eight win takes their trot to 10 games.
Tauranga Boys batted first in the final - which had been delayed two weeks because of rain - and set New Plymouth a massive target after scoring 283-3 in 50 overs.
Drysdale, who opened, and New Zealand secondary schools elite squad player Kane Williamson put on 155 for the second wicket, with Williamson also bagging 3-50 from 10 overs of offspin.
Drysdale, head prefect at Tauranga Boys, went out on to Owen Delany Park with a point to prove. "I've been scoring runs for the second XI [450 so far this season to lead the Western Bay championship batting aggregate] but I haven't been part of the first XI much and didn't get picked for Gillette Cup.
"I also got a bit fired up by the article (in the Bay of Plenty Times) which made us out to be underdogs. We were always quietly confident of winning."
A mix-up between Williamson and Drysdale in the first ball of their partnership nearly spelled disaster - but the pair survived and batted in synch.
"The outfield was fast and the pitch was great - scoring at eight an over wasn't too difficult," 15-year-old Williamson said.
Faced with a mini-Everest to scale, New Plymouth didn't lie down. They were 142-3 after 35 overs, lashing 130 in the last 15 overs to fall 13 runs short of victory, with Drysdale and Dane Sorrenson slowing the Taranaki side's momentum as Williamson took the wickets.
Boys College skipper Matt Golding, who played a lead role in Super Eight qualifying wins over Hastings, Napier and Hamilton Boys High schools and - with Drysdale - hit 55 from the final five overs on Thursday, said victory was even sweeter than winning the Gillette Cup.
"At the start of the season we decided that last season was last season ... we'd been written off after losing so many players.
"Because the Gillette Cup was so rain-affected and didn't produce an outright winner the boys were hugely satisfied with this."