'BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES'

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

The expression “batten down the hatches” comes to mind.

But outside circumstances beyond their control, Poverty Bay's Senior B and Premier Grade club teams will be fully manned and on deck tomorrow.

If poor weather necessitates a move from the grass decks of the Harry Barker Reserve to the artificial pitches at Nelson Park, and playing conditions must change, that will happen, but at time of writing, the 1pm start for premier DJ Barry Cup two-day competition — with first ball at 2pm for B Grade Hope Cup — is still the go.

The DJ Barry Cup's fourth-placed team Horouta Te Waka (7.1 points) will host Coastal Concrete Old Boys' Rugby (19.7 pts) on the representative wicket and the Galaxy World Gisborne Boys' High School first 11 (7.6 pts) will toss the coin prior to their clash with Bollywood High School Old Boys' (13.9 pts) on ground number one.

Poverty Bay umpires manager Jason Trowill will stand in Horouta v OBR, Stewart Patrick has GBHS v HSOB.

OBR boast a strong bowling attack: Poverty Bay spearhead Cohen Loffler, Dane Thompson who hits the deck like a hammer, crafty medium-pacers Jimmy Holden, Matt Cook and Richie Needham with accurate finger-spin, left-arm and right-arm, to call on in the shape of captain Nick Greeks and Daniel Stewart.

Horouta skipper David Situ made 54 and Bruno Judd 22 in Round 2 of the T20 Walker Shield a month ago and Situ rates Judd and his workmanlike approach to batting highly: to Situ, it is his teammate's ability to apply himself that stands out.

And Horouta will need to apply themselves. Daniel Stewart took 4-6 in four overs against Te Waka in the second 40-over Doleman Cup semi-final on December 10 and he has bowled just as tidily less that spectacular return since.

Bowlers can be as impatient as batsmen — a habit budding spinners must lose as soon as they can. Stewart's skill in accurately wheeling away to his field is the mark of an off-spin bowler with a senior representative future.

Thompson's 53 off 54 balls in OBR's six-wicket Doleman Cup semifinal win against Horouta before Christmas, Holden's superb 6-20 in 11.1 overs against HSOB a fortnight ago — these have been both individual and team highlights of the season so far for OBR. Holden was full enough and straight enough to earn four leg-before-wicket decisions on February 11: if shock and awe doesn't work, pressure may tell.

Openers Situ and Harmanpreet Singh worked hard in the middle in Round 2 (32 up top as a pair constitutes a start), but the skipper, Ben Brick and Judd will need to be better for the better part of 60 overs tomorrow should they bat first.

Bowling-wise, Horouta's Jagroop Singh bustled his way to 4-43 on the Saturday before last and Tushar Ballat — he of both the outswinger and inswinger — maintained accuracy from over and around-the-wicket.

It is a defensive measure rarely seen in the modern game, one which Boys' High captain Alex Shanks (71) countered by playing in the L (between the stumps and mid-on) and off his legs with aplomb.

Situ is making no assumptions about how the rep wicket will play but Greeks, whose team fought hard on it against HSOB in the Doleman Cup final, said: “There's been movement for the seamers with the new ball and it's also taking turn.

“Batting on the rep's been hard this season. I believe anything over 120 could be a respectable first innings total tomorrow.”

They've batted well as a unit three times this season.

The Galaxy World Gisborne Boys' High School first 11 posted 178-6 in their three-wicket Round 2 Doleman Cup loss to Horouta and avenged themselves against Te Waka three weeks later, with victory by six wickets.

But it was only in posting 214-8 against Horouta a fortnight ago that Boys' High have passed 200 this season, and the first time since November 5 last year that they have put up a total that they've stood any chance of defending.

High School Old Boys under Carl Shaw are a strong, efficient cricket side that at the business end of things have more than enough depth and experience to make 2022-23 an unbeaten season.

Off-spinner Dave Castle took 5-9 from 5.2 overs, while skipper Shaw took 3-15 off eight against Gisborne Boys’ High School in the season opener on Harry Barker Reserve No.1.

Three areas in which Boys’ High as a batting unit need to improve are of a ball-and-chain order: the courage to play and time their shots on merit into gaps; the unceasing need to run hard and stay alert on second- and third-run opportunities; and the crucial importance of building partnerships.

A team’s innings can be hamstrung by the loss of wickets in quick succession.

Opener Dylan Torrie (38) and his captain Alex Shanks (71) put on 54 for the fourth wicket, the skipper later adding 90 with Bekko Page (51) for the fifth wicket. These partnerships of consequence are the key to building totals that test good opposition.

Baxter Mackay and David Salmon put on 54 at the top of the order for HSOB a fortnight ago. On January 21, Mackay scored 97 in a team effort of 216-3 in 43 overs . . . Salmon, Scott Tallott and Mitch Hammond all pitched in to good effect.

Although Hammond and fellow Poverty Bay representative Daniel Torrie are unavailable this weekend, High School Old Boys’ powerful batting line-up is complemented by the likes of pace bowlers Jak Rowe and Keegan Jooste, with the latter able to crush the ball bowled on a fullish length to him.

Marshall Norris can produce the unplayable ball when in the mood, while another lively swing bowler, all-rounder AJ Kumar, makes his return to DJ Barry Cup cricket tomorrow.

Carl Shaw’s 3-7 with the new cherry a fortnight ago reduced OBR to 35-5 in 23 overs, and Campion College’s B grade default will allow their opening bowler Taye McGuinness to play his second premier game for HSOB.

Against such quality, the likes of Jarrod Ormiston, Kelan Bryant, George Gillies, Nathaniel Fearnley and other capable GBHS batsmen desirous of runs will need to be all business on arrival tomorrow.

Alex Shanks wants his players to be focused: “A key aspect is that we need individual results — cricket’s an individual game before it’s a team game. Partnerships will be key when batting, and we’ll need to give it our all in the field.”

Fearnley, Makiri twins Akira and Keanu, and Bekko Page are promising pacemen. Should weather be a factor and play is moved to artificial wickets, spin will likely be removed from the equation and the spikes will need to come out of cricket boots.