CRICKET
IAN Loffler’s captain’s knock of 74 not out propelled OBR to victory over 10-man Horouta in Doleman Cup cricket on Saturday.
OBR scored 209-9 in their 40 overs. In reply, Horouta were all out for 134.
Horouta captain David Situ, who was out of town and kept up with the game through live-scoring, said his side had several players unavailable.
They were unable to bring in a suitable replacement from the club’s Senior B side, so they were a player short for both fielding and batting.
Despite being a man down, Horouta held firm. The whole team contributed to making the game competitive.
Ben Brick (3-41) and Parminder Kulaar (3-47) were the chief wicket-takers for Horouta.
Brick bowled his entire eight overs in a single spell to give Horouta a great foundation, Situ said.
However, lapses in concentration late in the innings cost them.
“The first and last 10 overs are really important,” he said.
“Our fielding let us down in the last 10 . . . again.”
Situ said his team had lost a couple of their key playmakers coming into this season.
“This year is a bit of a rebuilding phase, and to have OBR 127-6 at one point was promising.”
OBR’s innings started with an opening partnership of 25 between Kieran Venema (18) and Nick Greeks (37), with a good helping of boundaries.
Loffler said it provided a good foundation for his innings.
His 74 runs, with a strike-rate of 85, helped his team to 209-9. It could have been more, but the last eight OBR batsmen all had single-digit run totals.
“A few of the boys didn’t protect their wickets, and Horouta bowled quite well; they stopped the flow of runs,” Loffler said.
“Early in the season, we were happy to have batted 40 overs. I knew the longer I stayed out there, the easier it would be for us.”
Despite being a man short, Horouta gave them a good test, Loffler said.
“They fought right till the end, but our bowling was pretty tight, and we didn’t allow them to get into the game.”
Best with the bat for Horouta were Brick (25), Tushar Balat (24) and Kulaar (23).
Bowling for OBR, Cody Andrews, Sam Patterson and Jimmy Holden each took two wickets for under 20 runs.
Gisborne Boys’ High School head the points table, with six points from two wins. Next are High School Old Boys and OBR, both with three points from a win and a loss. Horouta have no points, from two losses.
(Ian Loffler 74 not out, Nick Greeks 37, Kieran Venema 18; Ben Brick 3-41, Parminder Kulaar 3-47) defeated (Ben Brick 25, Tushar Balat 24, Parminder Kulaar 23; Cody Andrews 2-14, Sam Patterson 2-15, Jimmy Holden 2-19).