Back to business for OBR

CLEAN BOWLED: Horouta captain David Situ loses his off stump to the bowling of HSOB's Andrew Gibbs in a DJ Barry Cup senior club cricket game last weekend. Situ, out for 11, will be hoping for better things tomorrow when his side face OBR. Picture by Paul Rickard

Horouta had a cricket game last week so they got to blow out some of the cobwebs.

Their opponents, OBR, are coming off a long break.

OBR tomorrow play their first match in Poverty Bay club cricket's DJ Barry Cup competition this season.

The competition champions haven't played since being outgunned in the Doleman Cup 40-over competition final before Christmas.

“The boys are keen to get back into it for the year,” senior bowler Matt Cook said.

Horouta captain David Situ said last week's game against High School Old Boys gave them something to build on.

Bollywood Stars HSOB cruised past their total but, in the end, Horouta picked up four bowling points for claiming eight wickets as HSOB pushed towards 200.

HSOB didn't quite get there but did well out of the day and banked a win.

Landmark Homes OBR will be out to match the HSOB performance against Horouta.

“OBR are always a strong team. It will be a good match,” Situ said.

The format used in the DJ Barry Cup rewards teams with points for taking wickets and passing milestones for runs. It resembles a longer form of the game but is still played across 80 overs.

Situ experienced it for the first time last week and could see why it held appeal.

“We got a taste of what it's like,” he said.

“I like it. There's a lot of thinking involved, a lot of tactics.”

Cook said the format encouraged fielding sides to be attacking in the pursuit of wickets.

Teams may also deny their opponents points if they're able to conserve wickets and then declare their innings closed with a healthy total on the board.

OBR will be without Nick Greeks, who has become a key batsman in their middle order, but Cook was confident they would field a good side.

He expected the weather to be “stinking hot”.

MetService is predicting a high of 28 degrees Celsius.

The game, at Harry Barker Reserve, starts at 1pm.