Campion College Green opener Liam Spring, Year 13, made 55 before retiring. He and opening partner — and team captain — Hamish Swann each struck nine fours in their innings. Swann was out for 49 to a sharp catch by Connor Starck off the bowling of Jacob Douglas (1-19).
Bekko Page, first drop for The Admiralty, would have some sympathy for Swann. He was in good touch before falling for 46, leg before wicket, to burly Blues and Royals wicketkeeper-cum-seamer Noah Torrance-Cribb (2-35).
Fry won the toss on NP 3 and chose to bat. The Admiralty were bowled out for 142 with five balls remaining in the T20 match.
Taylor Scott (1-17) hit the toe of Fry’s left shoe on the full to trap him lbw, ending his 119-run second-wicket partnership with Page after left-hander Kavindu Withanage was bowled for a duck three balls into the game.
Withanage, who missed his sweep-shot against left-arm orthodox spinner Riker Rolls (1-21), later revealed himself to be a capable wicketkeeper. He caught Jett Whitaker (eight runs from No.4) off Dylan Worsnop (2-16). It was a good catch but an even better delivery, that pitched full on middle stump and left Whitaker a touch. Many experienced players would have found that ball hard to play.
Blues and Royals opener Akira Makiri (15) led his team’s scorers and showed not just good technique but application after losing his partner Torrance-Cribb (nine runs) 10 balls into the run-chase. The Blues and Royals were dismissed for 88 in 16.4 overs.
Tairawhiti Women’s Cricket Club captain Kayley Knight won the toss and the girls went in to bat. They made 106 in 14.3 overs.
Courageous Grace Kuil (32 from 20 balls with six fours, batting at No.5) and No.1 Kayley Knight (17 off 18 balls) played a great hand to stabilise the middle order.
Against the TWCC, left-arm pace bowler Johnathan Gray took 2-9 off three, including the scalp of New Zealand under-19 representative Knight, caught at slip by Dylan Foster.
Johnathan Gray’s twin, Marcus, took 1-14 and leg-spinner Foster, 1-18, but the women’s running between wickets needs attention. Three of their batters were run out.
The Guards lost one wicket, that of skipper David Gray (four sixes and five fours in his 53 runs off 20 balls) before winning the game. They reached 107-1 in 14.3 overs. Gray was caught by Kayley Knight at deep midwicket off the gentle seam bowling of Helen Evans (1-17), whose persistence paid off.
In the Campion College derby on NP5, Swann won the toss. He and Spring compiled 93 together for Green before the latter retired.
Swann was out two balls into the 10th over, and so Green lost their first wicket at 126.
Taye McGuinness then played extremely well for 27 off 25 balls from No.5. First-drop Philburgh Viljoen (23 off 27 balls) likewise batted with urgency. The Green opening pair’s high standard of batsmanship laid the platform for victory: the total was 190-4.
Set a titanic target of 191 to win, Rhys Grogan’s Gold reached 128-6. Wicketkeeper-opener Reuben Swanepoel (27) and first-drop Grogan (21) were Gold’s best batsmen, while McGuinness (1-13) bowled cleverly for Green.
Grogan (1-22) bowled out for Gold in the earlier innings and he is at the forefront of a very capable group of Campion cricketers on the rise, although Green, under Hamish Swann, won this Round 5 clash by 62 runs.
