Gutsy effort from Bay in tourney

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

Poverty Bay were winless at the Northern Districts senior secondary schoolboys’ tournament in Gisborne this year but finished with a gutsy effort against the ND Invitation team.

In yesterday’s one wicket-loss to the Invitation side — who beat the Bay by five runs in a T20 game — the home team again offered glimpses of their ability with the bat without setting a defendable target.

Bay captain Paul Stewart won the toss and cholse to bat, but the hosts were all out for 123 in 34.4 overs.

Opener Robert Schwass’s 47 off 53 balls was the Bay’s best innings. The Bay’s next highest score was Matt McNeil’s 18 from 13 batting at No.9.

Left-arm quickie Cullum Vincent (3-12), paceman Justin Pretorious (3-26) and medium-pacer Hunter Reid (2-28) were the bowlers to prosper.

The Bay fought hard to defend 123 for 39.4 overs until gritty wicketkeeper-batsman Luke Halligan (27 not out off 50 balls) — in with No.11 Ryan Kleuskens — hit a pull-shot for four to end the contest.

Seamers Stewart (3-27), Jacob Colbert (1-10) and Drew Scott (2-28) took the wickets, and the Graham Hudson-coached Bay were tenacious in the field.

Invitation team coach Jake Rowe, a Rotorua-based English professional and former Poverty Bay men’s senior representative, said both teams fought hard.

“Poverty Bay bowled and fielded fantastically well, with three run-outs,” he said.

Northern Districts chairman of selectors Pat Malcon — in whose honour the first presentation of the Pat Malcon T20 Trophy was made to Hamilton at this tournament — said Poverty Bay Cricket again showed that this wa s the best Northern Districts venue for age-group representative cricket.

Hamilton 80 (J Parker 22; C Riley 4-24, J Logan 2-4) Bay of Plenty Coastlands 82-0 (J Logan 49 not out, T Bettelheim 19no). Coastlands won by 10 wickets to win the 50-over championship.

Northland 227-7 (L Trigg 76, M Turner 44, A Gordon 25, K Oldridge 25, K Bird 21; D O’Brien 3-39) Counties-Manukau 178-3 (L Marconi 59, M Marconi 33, C Dickson 25, T Florence 23; N Parkes 2-15). Northland won by 10 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis formula to take third place.

Waikato Valley 274-9 (T Houston 87, D Coles 81; T Pini 3-46, B Astwood 2-49, C Tupaea 2-54) Bay of Plenty Lakelands 125 (C Tupaea 20; B Sidhu 3-23, C Robb 3-26). Waikato Valley won by 149 runs to take fifth place.

Poverty Bay 123 (R Schwass 47; C Vincent 3-12, J Pretorious 3-26, H Reid 2-28) NORTHERN DISTRICTS Invitation 124-9 (L Halligan 27, H Reid 20). ND Invitation won by one wicket to take seventh place.