Key players step up, putting OBR in DJ Barry Cup final

Influential player: Ian Loffler has etched his name into OBR's cricket history as one of the club's most influential players to wear the uniform. His performance helped his team to the final. File picture

Thom Berry, Ian Loffler and Jimmy Holden are three of the most influential players in OBR's cricket history.

Their match-effort in Coastal Concrete OBR's 43-run victory over Siteworx Civil Horouta on Saturday put their club in the DJ Barry Cup final.

The game, scheduled to start at 12.30pm, began at 3.30pm on a damp Harry Barker Reserve No.1 pitch and was reduced from 50 overs to 25.

OBR lost the toss and were put in to bat. They had lost to Horouta by one run on February 22 and by 275 runs a fortnight ago.

But the 79-run opening stand between Berry (77) and Loffler (37) put OBR in a good position, and they posted a competitive total of 149-4.

Loffler, with his mean off-spin (1-20 from five overs), later took the prize wicket of the green-and-gold's double-century-maker of two weeks ago, Teghbir Singh.

Opener Singh (10), coming off that phenomenal knock of 204, hit two boundaries in this must-win 2 v 3 playoff — one of them a six that whistled over long-on off Loffler — but his dismissal, caught and bowled pushing hard at a delivery that held up just a fraction, was the moment that swung the match.

In the OBR innings, CricHQ match and team MVP (most valuable player) Berry used his feet against offie Gaurav Chetan Kashyap (2-20 from five overs) to good effect. Although Berry was dropped once and had the odd close call chipping the ball over and wide of the infield, his partnership with Loffler was a purposeful, important collaboration.

By the time Horouta MVP Kashyap bowled Loffler with the first ball of the 13th over, fielders aware of the need to break up the OBR pair were fumbling occasionally on ground-stops. Had OBR hammered home their advantage, 180 to 200 was gettable.

Loffler's dismissal of Singh and lessons in tightness of line, length and fielding learned by OBR a fortnight ago, had Horouta at 52-4 in 12.4 overs of the chase.

Horouta vice-captain Shubham Ralhan (17 runs from 19 balls, batting at No.5) hit the ball hard but couldn't clear mighty OBR skipper and left-arm orthodox spinner Nick Greeks (2-18 from 5.2 overs), who dismissed Ralhan, caught and bowled.

Bruno Judd (three runs, in at No.8) fell to Loffler's new-ball partner Jimmy Holden (4-16 from 4.1 overs) — caught by Berry off an attempted lap-shot.

Ben Brick (32 from No.6), he of the never-say-die attitude, Te Waka's best batsman on the day, was run out trying to take two, and Horouta were 96-9.

Holden went through No.10 Aekamjot Singh (13) with the first ball of the 25th over, and Horouta were dismissed for 106.

Umpires Jason Trowill and Stu Patrick stood in a game very different from the thump-fest of a fortnight ago as Holden, OBR's regular spearhead, and the rest of their bowling unit bounced back hard from that mauling. They did justice to their championship experience and finals background.

Greeks felt that his team performed well in all departments of the game.

Horouta captain David Situ said: “This has been a stressful season occasionally, but it's also the best season — with two wins — that we've had for a while, and we had a good team environment this year.”

OBR now face Bollywood Stars High School Old Boys, who are unbeaten this season in the DJ Barry Cup. HSOB are led by towering left-hander Carl Shaw. Opener Shaw carried his bat for 39 and first-drop Scott Tallott struck seven boundaries in a knock of 64 from 66 balls when the teams last met, on February 26. On that occasion, HSOB won by eight wickets.

Saturday's premier-grade 50-over final for the DJ Barry Cup, under umpires Trowill and Patrick, will be played on Harry Barker Reserve No.2 at 12.30pm, with senior prize-giving for all clubs to follow.

Coastal Concrete Old Boys' Rugby 149-4 (Thom Berry 77, Ian Loffler 37; Gaurav Chetan Kashyap 2-20) beat Siteworx Civil Horouta 106 (Ben Brick 32; Jimmy Holden 4-16, Nick Greeks 2-18).