“We were two wickets down with six runs on the board when Luke and Nathan, second-drop, came together against Counties in Game 1. They put on 76 for the third wicket with a high-quality partnership and Luke anchored the innings.
“Luke’s been training since July, and is one of the hardest-working players around. To see him make runs for us here was heart-warming. He batted beautifully.”
Fisher, 16, scored his first half-century, 72, against Horouta at Doleman Cup level for the Gisborne Boys’ High School first 11 on October 31; his 50 not out from 55 balls against Counties yesterday was his first age-group representative 50 for Poverty Bay.
When asked about his innings, the Bay’s first batsman to make a score of consequence at this tournament was typically self-deprecating.
“I was put down three times and also was nearly stumped, but it was my day and I backed myself,” Fisher said.
Trowell (37 off 42 balls) won the toss and elected to bat against Counties. Fisher and his skipper steered the Bay to 118-6 — a great recovery after Counties leg-spinner Hamish Farrell (2-21 off four overs) had bowled Fisher’s opening partner Liam Spring for 2 and No.3 Cohen Loffler first ball.
Counties’ left-handed openers Connor Hooper (67 off 44, two sixes, seven fours) and Rikesh Patel (43 off 43, three sixes, three fours) then flayed all of the Poverty Bay seamers bar Max Briant (0-7 off two); third-change Loffler’s only over cost 16 runs.
The South Auckland crew were 60 without loss after six overs and the Bay’s spinners also came under fire: off-spinner Daniel Stewart went for 43 in 3.5 overs.
Counties coach Dave Davies said his batsmen went out with the intention of taking to the opposition bowlers — which they did — and acknowledged Poverty Bay’s work ethic in the first innings, to reach 118 “on a dead pitch”.
In Game 2, Lakelands captain Ben Astwood won the toss and chose to bowl.
Lakelands restricted the Bay to 84-9. Pace bowling all-rounder Brock Cameron was top-scorer with a run-a-ball 30 from No.8.
Leg-spinner Liam Barbier (16no from No.9) was next best as seven Poverty Bay batsmen made five runs or less. Lakelands seamer Sam Lund (3-14 off four) and offie Astwood (2-8 off four) did much of the damage.
In the Lakelands innings, Stewart (2-18 off four overs) and Barbier (1-9 off three) came into their own. Briant (1-11 off three) was again the most effective of the Bay’s pace bowlers.
The Bay never gave an inch in the field. Loffler — in close on the leg side — held a superb one-handed catch low to his right to dismiss Lakelands opener Jordy Smith (3) off the 6ft 6in Briant. Five overs later, Trowell, at point, dived forward to catch opener Cohen Stewart (34 off 35) off Daniel Stewart’s bowling from an attempted cut shot.
Such catches point to a high level of commitment within this Poverty Bay team.
Second-drop Harry Jones, after Cohen Stewart, was Lakelands’ next highest scorer, with an unbeaten 22 from 20 balls. The hosts finished on 88-9 to win the game in 16.5 overs.
Today the Bay were to play Northland at Ray Boord Park this morning and a yet-to-be-determined opponent at an unspecified ground in the last T20 fixture this afternoon.
Poverty Bay are to play Bay of Plenty Coastlands in the first 50-over game of the tourney at Ray Boord Park tomorrow morning.