CRICKET
Mike Gibson’s Ngatapa were cool, calm and calculating on Saturday.
The two-time Hope Cup champions of Senior B club cricket — having won the toss in their game against Campion College — then defended their total of 206-9 in 30 completed overs to claim victory by 97 runs.
Although Campion were dismissed for 109 in 26.3 overs, Campion’s Mark Naden and Civil Project Solutions Ngatapa Green Caps skipper Gibson both acknowledged the high-quality pitch and outfield of Harry Barker Reserve No.3 as a factor in the match.
Naden said the wicket had something for both bowler and batsman. Gibson said that every member of his team was able to get in on the action as a result of the quality of the wicket.
In their first season as Poverty Bay officials, Level 1 umpires Marty Bennett and James Raroa stood together in the Round 2 match.
Gibson won the toss and Ngatapa opening batsman Grant Walsh — 61 off 47 balls, with eight fours and a six — played the innings of the match. Walsh shared a partnership of 66 for the second wicket with Jeremy Castles (24). Veteran Stephen Hickey (35) and Ryan West (21) also made contributions at seven and six respectively.
Ngatapa are a mature team of good solid heads who bat deep and respond well to pressure.
Campion’s attack was led by Blake Marshall (2-33 off five overs), with dutiful Cameron Rowell (2-39 off six) and Year 9 student Rhys Grogan (1-35 off six) being the other successful seam bowlers.
All-rounder Marshall, who made an excellent 43 against Horouta in the season opener at Nelson Park, this week fell to paceman Ryan West (1-8 off four) from the first ball of the run-chase.
Green Caps off-spinners Walsh (2-21 off five) and Jeremy Castles (3-15 off three) bowled with guile, while debutant Harry White (2-19 off three) and Heath Hawea (one for one in three balls) proved their wicket-taking potential. White overcame his early nerves and Ngatapa club sporting stalwart Hawea took his first Senior B wicket.
Campion captain Liam Spring showed grit after losing his opening partner with 28 runs off 45 balls, falling to the last ball before drinks. He and first-drop Rowell (20) had, to that point, seen Campion through to 58-2.
The next highest score was Darryl Dunn’s 17 off 11 balls at No.4.
The Gisborne Boys’ High School second 11 needs to score more than 126 runs and concede fewer than 54 extras — including 38 wides and 12 no-balls — to be competitive.
Siteworx Horouta won the contest on No.4 by 60 runs.
The Heyan Ranasinghe-led Horouta chose to bat and made 186-8. The 105-run stand by opener Kavinda Yasith (48) and first-drop Mel Knight (32) 105-run stand was the game’s highest partnership, Knight in particular putting pressure on the Boys’ High field.
Mercurial gloveman Jack Whitehead-McKay held two catches and completed three run-outs. He is a natural keeper with the sometime advantage of height.
Youngster John Broad gave Whitehead-McKay an excellent return over the stumps to find BJ Seymour short of his ground on a quick single, two balls into the 23rd over.
Seymour got a “black duck” (out not having faced a ball) on debut.
Opening bowler Daniel Watts took 3-24 off six overs. He swung the ball into the right-handers, kept a good line and length and will this week have a well-deserved opportunity to play for the school’s first 11 in their Doleman Cup clash with Old Boys Rugby.
Gisborne Boys’ High were bowled out for 126 in 28.3 overs, despite the middle order showing pluck. Alex Shanks, with a bustling 23 off 29 balls from seven and vice-captain Dylan Foster, 22 off 41 at No.5, topped the scoring list for the students.
Foster and Shanks put on 30 — the highest Boys’ High partnership — for the fifth wicket, and DJ Penfold’s hard-hit, run-a-ball cameo of 16 suggests he may be a batsman of promise.
Horouta have in their line-up a fascinating clutch of seam bowlers. The release point was difficult for the batsmen to pick up with Piumal Madasanka (2-14 off 4.3 overs) and Hasantha Vethanage (2-26 off six), who moved the ball a little both ways. Left-arm orthodox spinner Clarence Campbell took 2-22 off five for The Waka, generally bowling a good line around middle and off stump.
Boys’ High captain Noah Torrance-Cribb said: “I thought the boys did well with the ball overall, although there were a few rough overs and short balls that we didn’t need. On the plus side, we batted into the 29th over.”
Craig Christophers’ crew beat HSOB by 27 runs in these traditional rivals’ first meeting this season.
Rawhiti Legal OBR won the toss and batted but were, on the Reserve practice wicket — most unusually — bowled out for 165 in 25.4 overs. First-drop Andrew Bristow (55) and Christophers (52) from No.1 were the leading run-scorers in what was a decent total.
Nicholas Armour (5-39 off six) was Bollywood High School Old Boys Presidents’ hero in the first innings, with left-arm orthodox spinner Ryan Majstrovic (3-23 off six) outfoxing Bristow, and later Amit Vyas and Lloyd van Zyl, those batsmen not troubling the scorers.
It was “game on” at that stage.
HSOB, however, were then bowled out for 138 in 28.2 overs. Left-arm seamer George Reynolds (3-25 off six) joined forces with Matt Henwood (2-5 off one) and Jannie Jacobs (2-20 off 4.2) for OBR.
Top scorers for HSOB were No.4 Israel Turner (27), first-drop Baljeet Sandhu (25) and Glen Udall — No.2 and the prize wicket in the innings — out for 24.