Bay avoid wooden spoon

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

POVERTY Bay avoided the wooden spoon when they beat the Northern Districts Invitation team in the game for seventh and eighth place at the Northern Districts senior secondary schoolboys’ cricket tournament, which finished at Harry Barker Reserve yesterday.

Batting first in the two-day playoff match, the Bay declared at 248-6.

After the Bay lost opener Drew Scott for nought with the score at five, skipper Robbie Tallott and Thorn Parkes put on 70 runs before Tallott was out for 47.

Parkes and Jak Rowe advanced the score to 112 before Parkes was dismissed. Jarrod Davenport and Rowe then shared a 37-run stand before Rowe was run out for eight. Davenport continued to take the attack to the bowlers as he and Keegan Martin added 68 runs for the fifth wicket.

“Jarrod batted really well for his 82, which included two sixes and 10 fours,” Bay manager David McDonald said. “He missed a few weeks of cricket with an ankle injury but came back strongly and improved with every game.”

Rowe then took centre stage with the ball, capturing six wickets for 68 runs as the Invitation side were dismissed for 236. Tallott chipped in with two wickets before the Bay went into bat again.

“We were 63-3 when stumps were drawn, and that left us with first innings points,” McDonald said.

Hamilton beat Bay of Plenty Coastlands to win the tournament. Led by Matt Whitley’s 64, Hamilton scored 314-9 then dismissed Coastlands for 116.

“Hamilton went in again and were 32-3 when the game finished,” McDonald said.

Waikato Valley posted the highest score of the day when they smashed 407-5 in the battle for third with Bay of Plenty Lakelands, who were rolled for 89. Lakelands improved in their second dig but were all out for 208, giving Valley an outright victory.

Highlights of the match were the two centuries from Waikato Valley players vice-captain Matt Clark (156) and Dillon Kelliher (130).

“It was tremendous batting from both boys,” McDonald said.

Counties Manukau clinched fifth place when they beat Northland on first innings points. Counties batted first and scored 246. Northland declared at 95-8. Counties were 60-3 when stumps were drawn.

“Apart from the centuries, I think it’s fair to say the bowlers took the honours over the five days,” McDonald said. “I was particularly impressed with Joshua Healy-Ormrod (Coastlands), Brayden Gaylor (Hamilton), Tom Yarrall (Lakelands), and Jak Rowe and Jarrod Davenport from our team.

“We lost a few players who were unavailable or injured and we had to call in James Faulkner and Paul Stewart from the junior secondary schoolboys and both boys showed real potential. Technically they’re both very good. Ben McNeil was another to stand out. He took six wickets against the ND invitation team in a pool match.

“Realistically we’d be looking at Robbie and Thorn being in contention for the ND u17 side for the national tournament. The team will probably be named within the next 10 days.

“A few of the stronger players missed the tournament, having been called into the ND u19 side playing their national tournament in Lincoln, near Christchurch, but overall the standard was high.”