The format used in Poverty Bay Cricket's DJ Barry Cup rewards teams for passing run milestones and taking wickets, and a depleted HSOB banked more competition points than could reasonably have been expected of a side affected by injury, illness and absence.
Gibbs produced what the makeshift bowling unit needed after HSOB won the toss and chose to field.
On an afternoon that edged above 30 degrees Celsius, he bowled his 14 overs on the trot.
“It was hard work. It was hot,” he said.
“I had a little period after about five overs when I felt a bit gassed.”
But he got through that, carried on and, when his team fell behind the over rate, he rushed through some overs off a short run-up.
Gibbs has captained Poverty Bay in their one-day matches this season.
He normally plays his club cricket for the Central Indians in Rotorua but the Bay of Plenty competition took a weekend off with the Auckland Anniversary holiday and Gibbs took his chance to get game time on a favourite ground, Harry Barker Reserve.
He'll be back there on Sunday, when the Poverty Bay men's representative side play the Waikato Valley second 11.
The ball he bowled to dismiss Horouta No.4 Graham Hudson was a key moment.
Horouta had been fairly well placed at 86-2 after 20 overs when Gibbs began his sixth over. He twice shaped the ball away and then brought one back in; Hudson (16) left it and lost his off stump.
Gibbs's next wicket will live long in his memory.
Wicketkeeper Tallott took a spectacular catch diving away to the leg-side to dismiss opener Parminder Kulaar (44), who glanced the ball a touch too fine.
“It was the best catch I've ever had off my bowling,” Gibbs said.
“It was straight off the face of the bat.
“Parry had batted well up till that point.”
Horouta slumped to 101-6 — enough to earn them a batting point — and though No.6 Jo van der Veen (18) offered resistance, she eventually fell to Gibbs. He needed one more ball to snare his eighth wicket and the Horouta total was just shy of the 126 needed for another batting point.
With Horouta dismissed in 37 overs, the 10-man HSOB line-up were left with up to 43 overs to bat.
Mackay and Tallott put on a 56-run opening stand and HSOB cruised past the Horouta total with one wicket down.
HSOB pushed on towards 200 in an effort to pick up a fourth batting point.
In the end, Horouta picked up four bowling points, because HSOB lost eight wickets.
The final over, by Matt Wotherspoon, was a flurry of activity.
HSOB needed five runs to get to 201 but they lost two wickets in the first three balls.
Still in the hunt for the extra batting point, HSOB sent in Drew Scott, who had injured his shoulder while fielding.
Needing four runs, he and Josiah Turner managed two.
Hudson, returning to the bowling crease after injuring his back in November, finished with 3-54 from 15 overs.
Horouta captain David Situ said his side started well with the bat but the innings fell away.
“Considering how (the HSOB) batting started, we're happy to get some points out of it. We clawed it back with our bowling.”
Smith, who batted at No.3 for HSOB, was pleased his side overhauled the Horouta total with just one wicket down.
“The first partnership was key.”
He said Gibbs put in a phenomenal effort and was happy to keep bowling.
“We were pretty lucky to have him.”
Horouta 124 off 37 overs (Parminder Kulaar 44; Andrew Gibbs 8-46) lost to High School Old Boys 199-8 off 43 overs (Baxter Mackay 57, Scott Tallott 30, Rowan Smith 24; Graham Hudson 3-54, Matt Wotherspoon 2-21, Tushar Balat 2-47).
