Horouta win Gisborne club cricket’s inaugural 30-overs Championship

Horouta ended their Premier club cricket season on a high with victory in the inaugural 30-overs Championship at Harry Barker Reserve on Saturday.

Poverty Bay club cricket’s Finals Day 2026 was what King Leonidas of Sparta would consider a wild night.

Moshim’s Spice Horouta Te Waka defied recent history to beat Gisborne Boys’ High School First XI by eight wickets in the Premier Grade’s inaugural 30-over Championship.

Bollywood High School Old Boys Presidents – who for the day, in honour of Pirates life member Wynsley Wrigley (who passed away on Saturday), assumed the mantle of honorary Pirates Presidents – defeated Pioneer Ngatapa Green Caps by one run to claim Poverty Bay Reserve Grade’s Hope Cup.

Both 30-over games were played on a wet Saturday at Harry Barker Reserve. The start of the Premier Grade clash was held off for an hour due to conditions.

Two things decided both games ... off-spin and high full tosses.

Horouta skipper James Birrell, on at first change, took 5-20 in six overs. He bowled GBGHS skipper Charlie Whitfield (2, batting at five), Robbie Newlands (0 at seven), wicketkeeper Alex Langford (10 at six), debutant Matthew Langford (0 first ball at nine) and 10th man in Jack Williams (0) leg before wicket to complete his five-for.

Opening bowler Tharuka Fernando, a swinger of the ball in the same mould as fellow countryman and Sri Lankan speedster Lasith Malinga (aka “Malinga the Slinger”), bowled consistently in taking 3-26 off six overs.

For GBHS, only Joel Kirkpatrick (17), at the top of the order, and eighth man in Jordyn Haley (15 not out), spent more than three overs in the middle on a windswept, overcast day.

Gisborne Boys’ were dismissed for 83 in 18.2 overs, No 11 Brandon Fearnley (1) the last to fall, caught by Fernando at mid-on from the bowling of flighty leg-spinner Gautam Sareen (1-4-1.2).

Boys’ High opening bowlers Jonah Reynolds (1-25-5) and Fearnley (1-21-3) asked questions of the batsmen, but – as was more often the case in the Reserve Grade final – a full toss succeeded where, aside from off-spin, most else failed. Reynolds bowled the Waka’s Bobby Maan with a doodlebug fifth ball of the ninth over.

Sareen (39no in 27 balls), Maan (20 from 21) and left-handed No 3 Hansa Fernando (a run-a-ball 9), took up the run chase at a brisk clip.

Stylish leftie Fernando hit the first ball of the 13th over from medium-pacer Williams (nought for 15 from seven balls) over cover to the boundary for the win.

Horouta bounced back from their DJ Barry Cup final loss by three wickets to GBHS on the same deck a week ago to taste sweet revenge.

“Our spearhead Jagroop Singh (1-18-3) and Tharuka took wickets early on and from there, I ripped through the middle order,” Birrell said.

“As we began our run chase, the weather took a turn for the worse, so we needed to score runs quickly to seal the deal. Bobby and Himanshu Bhargav (6) got us started, and Gautam finished it off to get us the trophy. We played well to the conditions.”