Bay come up against strong Hamilton side

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

POVERTY Bay coach David McDonald was expecting his side to face a Hamilton cricket team featuring a few Northern Districts guns for their Brian Dunning representative one-day competition game on Sunday.

His boys got that and a little more.

They turned up to Galloway Park in the Hamilton suburb of Hillcrest to find themselves pitted against a home side that included Anton Devcich, who has played 10 one-day internationals for New Zealand, and Knights squad members Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell and James Baker.

There was no David-Goliath outcome but neither were Poverty Bay ripped to shreds in their six-wicket defeat.

After winning the toss and choosing to bat, the Bay were dismissed for 143 in the 36th over of the 50-over match.

It was never going to be enough against such a powerful line-up and Hamilton made relatively short work of the chase, reaching the target for the loss of four wickets in the 25th over.

McDonald, well aware they were outclassed, felt they made “a good fist of it” against quality opposition.

Several of their dismissals were through poor shots rather than superior bowling. The odd decision went against them and when they were bowling a couple of shouts didn’t go their way, he said.

Poverty Bay opening batsmen Sam Tallott and high school student Thorn Parkes made a “reasonable” start before Parkes went for 18 off 23 balls with the score at 29.

Good effort“Against those guys it was a pretty good effort for a 15-year-old,” McDonald said. “He didn’t look out of place.”

The Bay lurched to 37-5. Matt Whitley and Tom Hayes were out without scoring, and Tallott fell, leg before wicket, for 13 to a ball McDonald felt was “a little high”.

Josh Bates and Scott Tallott arrested the slide with a sixth-wicket partnership of 49 runs.

Bates hit four boundaries and was dismissed for 27, with the total at 86-6.

Scott Tallott took it to a strong bowling attack, thumping seven fours and a six in topscoring with 43 off 42 balls, only to hole out with the score at 116.

The next two wickets — those of Hamilton-based players Devon Singh–Parhar (2) and Gurpreet Singh (5) — fell cheaply and Alex Gooding was the last to go, for 27.

Medium-pacer Baker took 3-19 off eight overs and spinner Joe Walker, 3-22 off five.

In their chase, opening batsman Michael Dodunski hit nine fours in a quickfire 58 off 51 balls as Hamilton streaked to the winning total in 35.2 overs.

Poverty Bay captain Mitchell Turner took 2-38 and Gurpreet Singh, 2-19.

Despite their fifth loss from as many one-day games, the team were “pretty positive”, McDonald said.

“They like to test themselves against the best at this level. It gives them perspective of where they need to be to compete at this level.”

The Bay finish their representative season with two Fergus Hickey two-day matches; Counties Manukau in Gisborne and Bay of Plenty in Mt Maunganui.