Boys’ High taking on Tauranga

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

by Ben O’Brien-Leaf

The Gisborne Boys’ High School Colts — Poverty Bay’s representatives in the New Zealand Community Trust Cricket Championship — haven’t beaten Tauranga Boys’ College for seven years, but the Nathan Trowell-led Gisborne side have a chance to do that tomorrow.

“We’ve been working hard on our fielding and in the nets,” Trowell said.

“We can’t wait to give it 100 percent . . . get out there and show some fight.”

Boys’ High last beat Tauranga in 2012, at Harry Barker Reserve. Jarrod Davenport took 3-20 and scored 40, and opening batsman Robbie Tallott scored 33 as the home team chased down Tauranga’s 131 in 33.1 overs.

Tomorrow the teams will play a 40-over game on the artificial pitch at Rex Morpeth Park in Whakatane. Last year, the Boys’ High Colts travelled to Tauranga for a nine-wicket loss, bowled out for 61 in 23.4 overs on turf. Then-captain Daniel Stewart faced 30 balls for three runs and was the only batsman to apply himself.

GISBORNE BOYS’ HIGH SCHOOL COLTS: Nathan Trowell (c), Jack Whitehead-McKay (wicketkeeper), Travis O’Rourke, Noah Torrance-Cribb, Daniel Watts, Dylan Foster, Te-Reimana Gray, Luke Fisher, Ben Phelps, DJ Penfold, Sebastian Wilson and Henry Watson.