Games abandoned on rain-affected day

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Cricket by Jack Malcolm

RAIN halted local cricket after three hours of play on Saturday. All premier and Hope Cup games were abandoned.

The rain came at the perfect time for Galaxy World Gisborne Boys’ High School and Coastal Concrete OBR after they had looked in trouble early.

Siteworx Civil Horouta had a picture-perfect start, with Shubham Ralhan taking a wicket with the first delivery of the innings before Bruno Judd got an unlikely hat-trick.

Judd took two wickets to end the second over, with his hat-trick ball nearly dropped at gully but spooned back up into the air by the catch attempt and taken at point by Hasantha Vithanage.

With the fourth wicket down, Boys’ High had scored 10 runs. They stabilised their innings through Josiah Turner, 40 not out, and Alex Shanks, who faced 30 deliveries for eight runs before being dismissed just before the end of play.

In the other premier grade match, Bollywood Stars High School Old Boys had OBR under all sorts of pressure early.

With a wet pitch looking to suit the bowlers, their opening attack laid waste to the top order of OBR.

Cody Andrews took four wickets off seven overs, two of them maidens, and conceding only 22 runs. Marshall Norris also chipped in with a wicket for 25 runs off his six overs before play stopped.

The pair had reduced OBR to 29-5, but they had stabilised their innings.

OBR captain Nick Greeks (19no) and Kieran Venema (2no) had both got their eye in despite the tricky conditions and were starting to play some positive shots before rain stopped play for a third and final time.

With the conditions as poor as they were, the results leave no lasting impression on how the season might unfold for the premier teams.

The rain and a wet ball made for treacherous batting conditions and regular stoppages in play to put the covers on didn’t help batsmen establish themselves.