DJ Barry Cup in the balance

GAME CHANGER: Graham Hudson is capable of producing a match-turning performance with both bat and ball for OBR.File picture by Paul Rickard

CRICKET

DEFENDING a slim lead in Poverty Bay cricket’s DJ Barry Cup, OBR may need to make full use of their strike power to secure the trophy.

“We’re pretty confident we can get the job done,” captain Jonathan Purcell said ahead of tomorrow’s final round at Harry Barker Reserve.

“It’s like a final for us.”

Bain Construction OBR are three points ahead of Bollywood Stars High School Old Boys.

It’s the sort of lead that can disappear quickly and both teams will fancy their chances tomorrow.

Top-of-the-table OBR will play third-placed Kevin Hollis Glass Pirates, while HSOB are against bottom-placed Gisborne Boys’ High School.

Purcell said he would focus on his own game, rather than worry too much about what was happening in the other match.

Senior HSOB batsman Glen Udall had a similar outlook.

“We can’t control what happens in the other game — all we can do on Saturday is have influence over our result,” he said.

“Boys’ High have shown some strong resistance in the batting department over previous weeks.

“Our only hope is that they might be willing to engage in the game with a positive mindset, looking to beat us and not play defensively.

“We are hopeful that the last game of the season might be an exciting affair.”

Boys’ High captain Paul Stewart said the team would continue to “try to play the best cricket we can”.

He expected HSOB to push hard in a bid to win the trophy.

“They’ll come out firing and be aggressive with the bat,” Stewart said.

Though their bowling attack sometimes looks limited, HSOB have still been able to exert pressure in the field and they have canny operators with both ball and bat.

OBR are the most likely team in the competition to have a batting line-up in early trouble but Pirates are capable of getting a good score, and quickly.

Indifferent last week, Pirates are the great unknown and they’ve been up and down since format changes were made mid-competition.

With no final, the team with the most points at the end of the regular season tomorrow will win the DJ Barry Cup.

If the two teams are tied on points it will come down to net run rate. HSOB are ahead on that.

OBR have hitting power of their own, as Graham Hudson showed last week with a rapid hundred.

Their batting has been more assured in recent weeks.

Likely to bowl first if he wins the toss, Purcell expected the rep wicket, rarely played on lately, to be flat.

The DJ Barry Cup games are scheduled to get under way at 10.30am, with prizegiving to follow.