Gray hits 173 not out

The task of batsmen has always been to score as many runs as possible.

David Gray did that last night in his superb unbeaten 173 in the Sonrise-Lytton High School combined team’s 192-run win against the Gisborne Boys’ High School Blues and Royals at Harry Barker Reserve.

It was the biggest individual score made at Senior C level since first-drop Rowan Smith’s 101 for Campion College when they beat the Poverty Bay boys’ B team by 255 runs on the superb No.1 grass wicket, pre-hockey-turf, at the Reserve in 2009.

Yet Gray was dropped first ball last night.

Having won the toss and chosen to bat first on artificial pitch 2 at Nelson Park, the Sonrise-Lytton captain hit two sixes and 33 fours off 70 balls in a 100-run opening stand with Jonah Reynolds (24). David’s younger brother, Marcus Gray (61 not out with 10 fours in 30 balls from No.4), put 173 runs on with his skipper for the third wicket.

Blues and Royals spearhead Akira Makiri (2-32) had Reynolds caught at the wicket by his captain, George Gillies, and the dangerous Charlie Castles caught and bowled to be on a hat-trick two balls into the ninth over. The complexion of a match can change in the blink of an eye — that is the great attraction of the game without grace periods and warnings on leg before wicket for batsmen, or ball-caps on overs for bowlers: true-hearted cricketers reap what they sow.

Makiri bowled a fuller length more often than his teammates, which is why he had greater success.

Gillies dropped a catch off David Gray (who was out first ball against the Tairawhiti Women’s Cricket Club in Round 1 of the T20 Challenge Cup competition last week) from the bowling of Makiri last night, first ball of the match.

In response, the Blues and Royals were dismissed for 81 in 17.2 overs, but not before aspiring all-rounder and outswing bowler Arlo Willis had made 23 from No.3, and 11-year-old debutant Conrad Parkes — younger brother of the Otago Volts’ Thorn Parkes — had made 19 at second-drop. Thorn first played Senior B club cricket as a Year 5 student at Te Hapara School.

Conrad was the last batsman to fall, caught behind by David Gray off a very good leg-break from Castles (3-10 off 2.2 overs).

David Gray and Akira Makiri were the CricHQ MVPs (most valuable players) for their teams.

GBHS Challenge Cup captains Nathaniel Fearnley and Riker Rolls both needed runs going into last night’s game.

Admiralty skipper Fearnley won the toss and made a polished 52 off 50 balls, including five fours, from No.1 in his team’s 85-run win. He timed some lofted drives, maintaining good form in the shot, and took as many single runs off his hip.

Second-drop Ben Langford sent seven short balls to the fence in his 40no off 23 balls as the Admiralty posted 159-3 in 20 overs.

Left-arm paceman-in-progress Caleb Taewa was the best of the Life Guards’ bowlers with 1-23 off three overs. He took the king wicket of Fearnley, bowled by the inswinging yorker.

Rolls made 21 off 20 balls with four fours in the run-chase. It was his best knock of the season so far. A capable left-hander, he batted at No.2 yesterday.

Malsha Mahabalage made 20 off 15 balls batting at No.3, following up on his 21 against Campion College for GBHS (2) in Senior B cricket on Saturday. He, too, could do with getting to 50 before summer ends. He is a fine off-side player, and a fair seam bowler to boot.

Irrepressible wicketkeeper Kavindu Withanage assisted Year 9 medium-pace bowler Micah Langford, 1-25 in two overs, in taking his first Challenge Cup wicket, that of Mahabalage (stumped). Withanage is athletic and lively, and at times drives the opposition batty. He caught last man Adolf von Staden (2) off the bowling of Ted Gillies (2-19 off 2.3 overs), with the score at 81, to end the game three balls into the 16th over.

Rolls, who made his second direct hit in three weeks to effect a run-out (Withanage) from mid-on, was pleased with his team’s over-rate and three of his bowlers in particular: Mahabalage, for his line and length; Taewa, for his bowling and fielding; and Torrie, for his steady improvement as a left-arm wrist-spinner.

Rolls and Ben Langford, who in addition to his unbeaten 40 took 1-3 from two overs, were their teams’ CricHQ MVPs.

Kayley Knight has done the Tairawhiti Women’s Cricket Club and junior cricket the world of good.

Northern Spirit opening bowler Knight, 18, made 58 in her last game for the side — a 28-run loss to Campion College — before leaving to study health sport and human performance at Waikato University.

As captain on the day, she said: “Grace Kuil took 3-30 in four overs and Helen Evans bowled without luck, but I’m proud of our girls because we came out to bat aggressively after an average day in the field, hoping to get off to a strong start.

“For me, to make 50-plus and lose was gutting.”

Campion captain Hamish Swann won the toss on Nelson Park 3 and the college reached 143-4, with first-drop Joe Singh (39), opener Izahn Duckworth (32) and No.4 Ramandeep Singh (30no) all in excellent form.

Kuil and fifth-change bowler Savanah McGhee (1-11 from two overs) were the best-performed with the ball for TWCC.

Knight was the only TWCC batter to score in double figures. Her 58 runs came off 41 balls, with 12 fours, from No.4. With her dismissal, run out by Gagandeep Singh and wicketkeeper Daniel Baillie, the pressure on TWCC became difficult to bear.

Taye McGuinness (3-14 in 2.1 overs) ended the match by bowling No.8 Grace Levy (2) with the first ball of the 19th over. TWCC were all out for 115.

McGuinness and Kuil were the MVPs.

Sonrise-Lytton High School and the GBHS Admiralty are unbeaten with 2-2 (six points), both the TWCC and Campion College have 1-2 (3pts) while the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals are still seeking their first win.

Sonrise-Lytton High School combined 273-2 (David Gray 173 not out, Marcus Gray 61no, Jonah Reynolds 24; Akira Makiri 2-32) beat the Gisborne Boys’ High School Blues and Royals 81-6 (Arlo Willis 23, Conrad Parkes 19; Charlie Castles 3-10).

The GBHS Admiralty 159-3 (Nathaniel Fearnley 52, Ben Langford 40no) beat the GBHS Life Guards 74-6 (Riker Rolls 21, Malsha Mahabalage 20; Ted Gillies 2-19).

Campion College 143-4 (Joe Singh 39, Izahn Duckworth 32, Ramandeep Singh 30no; Grace Kuil 3-30) beat Tairawhiti Women’s Cricket Club 115 (Kayley Knight 58; Taye McGuinness 3-14).

ROUND 3 draw, nine-a-side Challenge Cup — WEDNESDAY (March 2), Nelson Park, 3.30pm: Tairawhiti Women’s Cricket Club v Sonrise-Lytton High School combined; The Admiralty v Campion College; The Blues and Royals v The Life Guards.