The squeeze is on for players in the Hope Cup.
And the opening to blood young cricketers in the Senior B Grade for Poverty Bay's clubs is an opportunity too good to pass up.
With the Lukas Fry-led Gisborne Boys' High School second 11 well-manned, Year 9 and 10 players who might otherwise be spectators only tomorrow will turn out for OBR, Ngatapa and High School Old Boys Presidents.
Brandon Fearnley will be with Presidents, Ted Gillies will get a run with Ngatapa and Zyden Worsnop, Jett Whitaker, Jack Holden and Adolf von Staden will link up with OBR.
Round 12 of the 30-over B Grade competition tomorrow features Campion College (10 points) and Horouta Te Waka (19pts) on the Harry Barker Reserve practice wicket, Bollywood HSOB Presidents (13pts) and GBHS (1pt) on HBR 4, and Rawhiti Legal OBR (19pts) and Civil Project Solutions Ngatapa Green Caps (25pts) on HBR 1, all games starting at 2pm.
Umpiring will be Gary Coutts and James Raroa.
OBR game-day captain Thom Berry said it best: “We want payback.”
OBR lost to Ngatapa by one wicket with three balls remaining on December 18 in what was at that time a top-of-the-table clash.
Gloveman Berry and paceman Lloyd van Zyl have deputised for regular skipper Craig Christophers in the past fortnight. OBR are coming off a 151-run shellacking from Horouta, whose second-drop Chaitanya Sambare gave the bowlers a tune-up during the course of his 86 in 57 balls from No.4.
Pleasing to OBR should be the news that Zac Borrie, who took 5-37 against HSOB last weekend, is unavailable. Boys' High will miss their standing captain George Gillies (hand injury) but found more Challenge Cup batting form on Wednesday night when Nathaniel Fearnley scored 52 off 50 balls in The Admiralty's 85-run win against The Life Guards.
Presidents wicketkeeper skipper Ollie Needham said: “We're looking forward to playing an improving GBHS team. We had to work hard to subdue them in our first win of the season. We'll be looking to play with energy and polish to maintain our standards from last week and secure three points for a semifinal place. We welcome back Jason Lines, spearhead of the pace attack.”
Campion College have good swing and seam as the secret of their success this season. Rhys Grogan, Connor Starck and Taye McGuinness bowl at a lively pace under the mature leadership of Hamish Swann.
In Mel Knight's absence, Billy Morse is in charge of Te Waka, but Knight's parting refrain is heartfelt: “We really just want to keep the Naden-Taylor Trophy in Horouta hands until we meet again next season.
“Our aim will be to tidy up our bowling, because we've been giving away a few too many extras lately, and keep wickets in hand. A couple of us need to get back to scoring runs.”