Marshall stepping up for Campion

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

CRICKET It's not quite time to say goodbye for Gisborne Boys' High School and Campion College.

Tomorrow they will do battle for the second and last time in round-robin play on Harry Barker Reserve ground No.1. Regardless of the result, they will face each other next Saturday for the last time this season to determine 5th place in the six-team Hope Cup Senior B championship.

Tomorrow the College will be without player-coach Mark Naden, his son Matt and regular captain wicketkeeper Liam Spring. In their gloveman's absence, Campion will be led for the first time by another 16 year-old, all-rounder Blake Marshall, who is the spearhead of their pace attack and as capable a young cricketer as any in Poverty Bay.

Marshall said: “I'm not going to ask the boys for anything big — just that we bat for our 30 overs, bowlers keep extras to a minimum. We have a real chance of winning the game.”

Daniel Stewart has led a GBHS unit whose work ethic has seen them play their cricket with greater urgency since the resumption. Opening batsmen Cohen Loffler and Max Briant have each scored half-centuries, while first-drop Nathan Trowell has twice come within one scoring shot of 50: in both cases, with a strike-rate close to 100.

“We're excited for our last round-robin game of the season,” said Stewart. “We'll need to play well to beat the improving Campion team.”

Is life tough at the top?

Competition leaders Rawhiti Legal Old Boys Rugby and defending champions the Civil Project Solutions Ngatapa Green Caps are 1, 2 both have 28 points for nine wins and an abandonment. With the 1 v 4, 2 v 3 format, the Bollywood High School Old Boys' Presidents (19pts) are third with Coastal Ultrasound Horouta (13pts) fourth, GBHS fifth (10pts) and Campion sixth (7pts).

OBR under Craig Christophers are coming off a 77-run win against HSOB. Both the OBR skipper (77 not-out) and his fellow opening bat Thom Berry (63 retired) were again influential — their 114-run partnership showcasing excellent cricket shots. The Isaac Hughes-led HSOB recovered from 56-5 to 105-7 but were bowled out for 127 in 24.3 overs. Hughes' Blues will want to show much more strongly tomorrow against Horouta on HB2 ahead of what may well be a semi-final showdown with Ngatapa next weekend.

The OBR-Ngatapa game tomorrow on HB3 is an interesting prospect. Ngatapa skipper Mike Gibson sees the match as “a challenge”: and one he himself will need to rise to. With first-choice 'keeper Simon Wilson, who made 52 against Campion last Saturday, again unavailable (Ngatapa cricket co-ordinator Chris Hurlstone is also out), Gibson will once more don the gloves. His 33 from 32 against Boys' High a fortnight ago was an excellent innings, and the Caps will need similar savvy from him and other veterans in Round 15. Big leftie Will Faulks (3-18-6 v Campion) is in harness with Angus Orsler, who hurried a few batsmen up in the Hope Cup this season. He could produce a ball to flummox Christophers, Berry or Ian Loffler. OBR stalwart Loffler is the third of OBR's key batsmen and a thoughtful cricketer. Christophers has two main aims: to beat Ngatapa; finish first in the round-robin, set up an OBR-Horouta 1 v 4 semi-final.

Horouta captain Heyan Ranasinghe and his crew, flushed with victory after a powerful showing against Boys' High, will go into battle against HSOB tomorrow without the hero of last weekend: Etienne Botes.

Botes made 22 off 28 from No.5 v GBHS and then took a stupendous 3-8-6: including three maiden overs. It was an inspired performance by the bowler backed up by fielding of the most committed sort.

HSOB bat deep: Hughes, Glen Udall and Ollie Needham have all made runs this season. Though former Northern Spirit off-spinner Mel Knight didn't bowl last weekend (Horouta were well-served instead by left-armer Clarence Campbell and leg-spinner Terry Temoananui), she remains an accurate, skilful option.

If Udall and co “get in”, experience and awareness could come in handy.