Gisborne boys Loffler, Bryant lay the foundation for victory

JUST SHORT OF A CENTURY: Gisborne Boys’ Cohen Loffler played from No. five in the batting order and scored 93 runs which contributed to beating Hastings AkinaPicture by Paul Rickard

Gisborne Boys’ High School cricket was reborn at Harry Barker Reserve yesterday.

Following a 291-run loss to Tauranga Boys’ College in their Pool 2 Super 8 opener and a 162-run loss to New Plymouth BHS in Round 2, the Malcolm Trowell-coached Galaxy World GBHS first 11 won their first 50-over game at this year’s tournament — by 43 runs — against Hastings Akina.

Gisborne’s last Super 8 win here came under Paul Stewart, against Rotorua BHS in the playoff for seventh and eighth in 2016. Gisborne’s last win away was against the Tauranga Boys’ College second 11, also in the seventh/eighth playoff, at Fergusson Park, Tauranga, in 2015.

But yesterday’s showing by the hosts under Nathan Trowell ended Gisborne’s four-year streak of coming eighth; they did not go to New Plymouth in 2020.

Trowell junior won his second toss of the tourney and chose to bat.

GBHS No.1 Luke Fisher was bowled by tall paceman William Taylor (1-41 off six overs) for a royal duck (following two wides) off the first legitimate delivery of the match on HBR 2.

Cohen Loffler (93 from No.5 in the order) and first-drop Kelan Bryant (52) starred for the home team with the bat, while the sixth-wicket stand of 55 between Loffler and Alex Shanks (9) was the biggest partnership of the innings.

For the first time at this tournament, Gisborne batted with positive intent and, critically, capable strokemakers spent significant periods of time in the middle.

Loffler put pressure on the field with aggressive running and batsmanship. Bryant had earlier found a scoring shot of choice against Hastings leg-spinner Kulwant Singh, who took 2-15 bowling out with three maiden overs.

Singh curved the ball in, then turned it away sharply: he was magic, as was the visitors’ first-change seamer Michael Lansdown (4-38).

Lansdown bowled with great heart and Akina’s persistence in the field also paid dividends — Loffler was run out with the total at 222-9 two balls into the 47th over. Gisborne Boys’ High were all out for 222 with 3.2 overs left and 250 on offer.

With runs in the bank, the Gisborne bowlers received super support from the field, despite Akina’s batsmen making hay early on. Before Kelan Bryant held the first of his two catches in the gully, Hastings were 41-1 one ball into just the seventh over. Bryant’s low grab, from a wide Trowell full-toss which took the end of Hastings skipper Koji Hardgrave-Abe’s outstretched bat, was a phenomenal effort.

No.3 Hardgrave-Abe made only 7 before falling to Nathan Trowell yesterday but he is both classy with the bat and a very talented off-spin bowler.

Brayden Reeve scored 53 from 73 balls at No.4 and his match-effort was the equal of that made by any other player in an eventful game.

Brodie Lewis (38 from No.7) jammed down on a yorker from Loffler which took a slow roll back on to his stumps: the second drinks break was then taken three balls early.

Loffler (3-40 off seven overs), Trowell (2-43 off 8.2) and Fisher (3-25 off 10), were the most successful bowlers and Fisher, 17, can now speak to the joy of having an all-round role as opposed to being a one-dimensional cricketer. His line and length were the tightest of any seamer in the match. Opportunities with bat and ball for Gisborne’s younger set were limited but they proved themselves willing to dive when appropriate where, not so long ago, they might merely have been witnesses to history.

Koji Hardgrave-Abe spoke for Hastings: “Brayden and Brodie batted extremely well and Michael Lansdown was the pick of our bowlers. It was a close game but a well-deserved win to Gisborne, as they outplayed us.”

Malcolm Trowell and his crew have achieved a form reversal of major proportions.

“The boys came back from two heavy defeats, spoke about what we needed to improve, wrote down what we needed to do, and executed the plan,” Trowell senior said.

“Kelan played an exceptional knock for 52. We then fell into a middle-order slump and Cohen, along with Alex, set about rebuilding. Cohen’s innings was one of the finest I’ve seen from a Gisborne Boys’ High School batsman. With support from Adam Situ and George Gillies in the latter parts, he got us to a good total.

“Luke bowled in the channel, Nathan set good fields, we got three run-outs, we showed commitment, and the change bowlers did a good job.

“That was the best our leg-spinner Dylan Foster (0-43 off eight overs) has bowled for us so far this season — without luck. All the lads played a part in the win.”

A delighted Andrew Turner, Gisborne Boys’ High School principal, said: “We’re rapt that our young men are making the most of the sporting opportunities that we provide to grow their character, skills and resilience.”

Today from 10am was finals day at Harry Barker Reserve. Napier BHS were to play Gisborne BHS in the fifth/sixth playoff on HBR 4, Palmerston North were to take on New Plymouth in the third/fourth playoff on HBR 3 and Tauranga Boys’ College, beaten finalists at home in 2021, were to play Hamilton BHS on HBR 2.

This 2022 Super 8 final could be a special edition.

The Tim Clarke-coached Tauranga team could win their third Super 8 crown today. They go into the final on the back of a 51-run win against New Plymouth BHS.

Tauranga captain Darcy Collett won the toss on HBR 4 and TBC were dismissed for 187 in 48 overs.

Lone tournament centurion and opening batsman Sebastian Heath made 46, second-drop Billy Syme reached 40, Collett chipped in with 26 coming in at No.8 and No.5 Luke Scrimgeour put up 22.

Josh Gard (5-31 off eight overs) and Fianlay Barnes (2-23 off six) were New Plymouth’s best-performed bowlers on the day, although leg-spinner William Jull (1-26 off 10 overs, two of them maidens) could make the same claim.

New Plymouth captain Jacob Mitchell hit five fours in his 46 but the next best score by one of his teammates was 19, by opener Gard. New Plymouth were dismissed for 136 in 39.3 overs. Jack Jones — Jull’s Tauranga opposite — claimed 6-15 off 7.3 overs. While some may bemoan slightly slower pitches, such wickets could increase the number of opportunities for good spin bowlers to dominate and the incentive for capable batsmen to use their feet to attack the bowling. There can be too much medium-pace bowling. New Plymouth head coach JB Burger said: “We started off really well with the ball. Fianlay Barnes took two wickets in two balls.

“Riley Bettington backed that up with the key wicket of Seb Heath. Our spinners tied them down, but then we let them off the hook and they got to 187. We were well-positioned at 98-3 in the chase, but then a string of soft dismissals and a run-out left us well short of the target.”

Tim Clarke is happy but wants yet more of his team.

“That was a good win but we should have scored 220-plus. We were in trouble when New Plymouth were 90-2 but Jack Jones came on to bowl and we’ve sealed a spot in the final.

“Our boys have improved in terms of their fielding energy, and the spinners were all very good . . . they bowled slowly to be more threatening.”

Although the Harry Barker Reserve has been abuzz with spin in the past three days, two bowlers have captured the public imagination: Charlie Geange of Napier BHS and Ewald Schreuder of Hamilton BHS.

Left-armer Schreuder is quick, and Hamilton — who beat Palmerston North BHS yesterday by seven wickets — have in him a not-so-secret weapon that the youngest of cricket fans who have seen him let the ball go this week can’t wait to see bowl in the final.