Campion can’t wait to play ‘awesome’ Horouta

Glen Udall (left).

CRICKET

WIN or lose tomorrow’s Hope Cup cricket semifinal, Campion College player-coach Mark Naden says Horouta are “awesome to play against” and the Campion boys can’t wait.

“They play hard and no doubt will want to make the final against Gisborne Boys’ High School, but they are a good bunch of cricketers, and we enjoy playing against them.”

Coastal Ultrasound Horouta, who won the Hope Cup in the 2015-16 season, will go in as favourites against a young Campion side who have yet to win a game this season.

However, Naden’s lads have earned the respect of all their rivals for refusing to throw in the towel.

“They have fronted up every week and deserve credit for that,” High School Old boys skipper Scott Tallott said.

Naden said that Tallott gave the boys some good advice after last week’s game and Jak Rowe (Poverty Bay and HSOB medium-pace bowler) gave Max Briant some tips and had offered to keep working with him.

“That’s awesome,” Naden said.

“We’re hoping to stick to our simple plan: patience, score 10 runs each, bowl six good deliveries in a row and field our hearts out.

“Max Briant and Nathan Andrews will open the bowling for us, and they are both keen-as.”

Horouta skipper Blake Taylor will return from Hawke’s Bay and will be a key man with bat and ball.

In medium-pacer Greg Taylor, Clarence Campbell, Keegan Martin, Mel Knight, Billy Morse and Chad Collins, Horouta have potential match-winners.

Collins took a career-best 4-30 last week against OBR.

“Chad is in his second season with us,” Greg Taylor said.

“He took 13 wickets last season, with a best of 3-16 off five overs, and grabbed six catches.

“He has eight wickets this season and improved his economy rate in the T20 format. He’s also taken two good catches.”