Five-wicket win sees Ngatapa-Horouta final

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CRICKET

Club cricket heavyweights Coastal Ultrasound Horouta and the Stirling Logging Ngatapa Green Caps will thrash it out for Poverty Bay’s 30-over Hope Cup championship this Saturday.

Umpires Gary Coutts and Jason Trowill — the latter having stood in Ngatapa’s five-wicket win with last year’s beaten finalists Campion College — will stand in this Saturday’s Hope Cup final. The Horouta-Old Boys’ Rugby (2) semi-final on Harry Barker Reserve ground No.3 was abandoned because of weather conditions (heavy rain).

It should be noted that umpires are responsible for determining the fitness of conditions and the ground for play, and pitch/ground conditions can vary at the same venue.

Campion, under co-captains Blake Marshall and Liam Spring, won the toss on Harry Barker Reserve ground No.4 and opted to bat first. Campion reached 113-5 in 22.3 overs before rain stopped play: in the interests of efficiency, three balls and two runs were docked from the first innings to make Campion’s total 111, their score minus the three balls bowled and two runs scored in the defunct 23rd over.

Big left-hander Darryl Dunn (63 not-out from No.5) and player-coach Mark Naden (13 not-out, batting at 7), were at the wicket when the rain came. Earlier, second-drop Blake Marshall had made 16 as Campion’s second highest-scorer. Well-served by ace wicket-keeper Simon Wilson, Ngatapa’s most successful bowler was 6’8” seamer Matt Cooper with 2-19 in four overs.

Chasing 112 to win in 22 overs, Ngatapa achieved victory by five wickets in 18.2 overs despite a magnificent spell of leg-spin bowling by Liam Barbier. The 14-year-old produced 4-27-5, having taken the new ball with steady medium-pacer Luke Hurlstone. The experience of first-drop Joe Loffler, with 49 not-out, and an unbeaten 27 from Ngatapa’s stand-in skipper and the team’s Most Valuable Player Lyle Crudis, saw the Green Caps home.

Matt Raleigh, Ngatapa’s regular captain, said: “It was a tough day for bowling with the wet conditions — and we didn’t make the greatest start with the bat either — but Joe and Lyle were solid. It was a good result, and the boys are looking forward to the game this weekend.”

“Big raps to Ngatapa, who could have taken the win when heavy rain came in the first innings but, with umpire Jason Trowill, opted to give us a chance instead by chasing 112 in 22 overs,” said Naden. “At 5 for 60, we gave them a fright but we hadn’t made enough runs to defend. Our Most Valuable Player award — for the second week in a row — went to Darryl and Liam Barbier.

“Good luck to Ngatapa and Horouta: they both deserve their places in the final.”