Malcolm Trowell and Graham Sharp stumped five batsmen off Liam’s bowling in the first half of the season for a Boys’ High team who marked their return to first grade competition — after a year in the Senior B championship — with four wins in eight games.
Liam has been a key contributor to the rebirth and resurgence of cricket at Gisborne Boys’ High.
The younger brother of Elisa, 17, and son of former semi-professional footballer Eric and Helen Barbier, née Jones, Liam was born in Montpellier, France.
He attended Central School in Years 1 to 6 and Campion College in Years 7 to 10, then moved to Boys’ High.
“I’ve loved cricket since I was six,” he said.
“I had a Size 3 Kookaburra Kahuna bat, and I remember Dad throwing semisoft balls to me in the practice nets at Central on Sunday afternoons.
“My first school coach was Nan Baker at Central in Year 4, and Danny Gibbs — who was taking the Gisborne Boys’ High first 11 then — encouraged me to bowl leg-spin during Poverty Bay Cricket’s summer holiday programme; I think he saw something in me.
“Danny played a key role in my developing a passion for the game. He taught me that cricket should be fun, but also that you have to know when to be serious.
“Cricket is something I couldn’t live without. It’s an amazing game. Every chance I have to play, I’m going to take it.
“Leg-spin is my driving force. Having been exposed to a little of the art now, I appreciate the miracle balls and the guys on TV more — the wonder of their accuracy — because I understand how hard it is to bowl well.”
Liam has bowled some superb spells in the past five years. He took 3-25 in six overs for the Poverty Bay primary boys against Northern Districts age-group cricket powerhouse Bay of Plenty Coastlands at primary level here in December, 2017.
But perhaps his greatest feat with the ball to that point came in a Senior B semifinal after Christmas that season, when the 13-year-old rookie took five wickets for eight runs in 19 balls at Harry Barker Reserve as Horouta were reduced from 130-5 in 14.3 overs to 151 all out in 20.1.
Tushar Balat (47) was caught by Richard Briant at mid-on off the slower ball, Amit Vyas (fourth-ball duck) was bowled around his legs, Jake Brooks made two before a top-spinner hit his middle stump and left-hander Clarence Campbell (fourth-ball duck) was out leg before wicket — hit on the right foot in front of the sticks — before veteran Greg Taylor (8) was castled by a ball that curved outside leg and hit off.
That stupendous performance was followed a year later by 4-27 in five overs against Ngatapa with the new ball.
Liam has batted in spots from 1 to 11 in different teams, but his determination and technique under pressure against good bowling were never more evident than at Rotorua a fortnight ago.
In at No.9 with the Poverty Bay boys’ senior secondary schools crew on 28-7 after 13 overs against Hamilton, Liam gutsed out 30 runs off 96 balls in 26-degree heat. He shared a 54-run stand for the eighth wicket with No.7 Logan Andrews (23), which was finally broken two balls into the 31st over. Liam was the last man out, caught behind from the fourth ball of the 44th over with the score at 114. Poverty lost that game by nine wickets.
Liam’s best return in a tough tournament for the Bay was 1-9 in three overs against Bay of Plenty Lakelands — remarkable stuff for a wrist-spinner in T20 cricket.
Liam’s sporting exploits are not limited to cricket. In football, he played in midfield for the Gisborne Boys’ High first 11 at the Super 8 in Rotorua last season and for the Gisborne under-16s here, in Napier and in Palmerston North.
As a Level 1 football referee, he controlled women’s Eastern League 1 games on Sunday mornings and ran the line for men’s Pacific Premiership games on Saturday afternoons.
With work taking the family to Hawke’s Bay in 2021, Liam is enrolled for Gisborne Boys’ High’s oldest traditional school rivals — Napier Boys’ High — in Year 12.
Liam, who envisions a career in sports medicine, likened Napier Boys’ High to Gisborne Boys’ High.
“Their sports teams are quality on the field, good people off it,” he said.
“I’m going there from a supportive community. Everything I’ve ever done in sport, at any of the four schools I’ve been to, has been a positive experience — from Danny with my cricket early on, to Mark Naden at Campion, who backed me no matter what the situation was, to Malcolm Trowell (head coach of the GBHS first 11), who told me that my first job was to take wickets.”
The Trowells — Mal and Nathan (first 11 captain) — Luke Fisher, Daniel Stewart and my other teammates, I’ll miss all of them. Our GBHS and Poverty Bay teams were close and they mean a lot to me. I’d love to play with them again in the future if I can.”
■
■
■
■
■
