OBR clinch top spot

MIDDLE OF THE BAT: OBR batsman Craig Christophers middles the ball during his innings of 61 against Horouta in Doleman Cup 40-over cricket at Harry Barker Reserve on Saturday. Picture by Liam Clayton

JONATHAN Purcell took a hat-trick in five overs of spin mastery that yielded seven wickets for 14 runs in Doleman Cup cricket on Saturday.

Purcell’s heroics helped OBR maintain their unbeaten run in all competitions this season.

The Bain Construction OBR skipper and leg-spinner was unplayable at times in his team’s 147-run win against Coastal Ultrasound Horouta in a 40-over game at Harry Barker Reserve.

The result secures the defending champions top spot in the top-four 1 v 4 and 2 v 3 playoffs, with one round-robin game remaining.

OBR have a four-point lead over Kevin Hollis Glass Pirates and Bollywood Stars High School Old Boys.

Chasing the OBR total of 244-4, Horouta were in the game at 87-1 after 15 overs. The in-form David Situ and Tushar Balat led the charge.

Then Purcell struck, trapping Balat leg before wicket for 25.

Horouta captain Blake Taylor went without scoring and Purcell completed his hat-trick when he had Amit Vyas lbw.

From 87-1, Horouta collapsed to be all out for 97.

“I don’t know if these are my career-best figures for OBR but they’re certainly my best club figures for a long time,” said Purcell, who two weeks ago took 6-38 off 6.4 overs for Poverty Bay against Waikato Valley in a Fergus Hickey two-day game in Gisborne.

“It’s always nice to take wickets but even better when it helps the team win.

“Our top order set the platform.

“Craig Christophers and KV (Kieran Venema) gave us a superb start with an opening partnership of 91. When KV was out (for 38 off 50 balls), Craig and Ian (Loffler) kept the run-rate ticking over.”

Christophers and Loffler took the score to 117 before Christophers was caught by Situ off the bowling of Billy Morse. In a superb innings of 61 off 66 balls, Christophers hit seven fours.

Loffler was then joined by Josh Adams, and they added 42 runs before Adams was caught by Blake Taylor off the bowling of his sister Phoebe for 19. Arun Kurup followed shortly after, caught by Clarence Campbell off Phoebe Taylor’s bowling.

Loffler, who finished unbeaten on 61 from 64 deliveries, and Timoti Weir (36 not out) then took the score to 244, setting Horouta a target of just over six runs an over to win.

They made a bad start when opener Vaughan Thompson was bowled by Jimmy Holden for two, with seven runs on the board. Situ and Balat rebuilt the innings with some big hitting before Purcell took centre stage.

“JP (Purcell) is one of the nicest guys in local cricket but he is really hard to play when he’s in that type of form,” Horouta club captain Greg Taylor said.

“We didn’t help ourselves — with four dropped catches and a botched run out.”

¦ Pirates and High School Old Boys are on track for a place in the semifinals after wins at the weekend.

Pirates captain Brad Reynolds won the toss and sent Boys’ High in to bat. It proved a good decision as the school side were dismissed for 116.

Richie Needham knocked the top off the order, leaving Luke Hayes and Dane Thompson, in his first game since coming home from university, to remove the remaining batsmen.

“It was a good team effort,” said Pirates’ most experienced player, medium-pace bowler Aku Smith.

“Our bowlers set up the win, then the batsmen finished it off.”

Openers Pete Stewart and Reynolds put on 51 runs before Reynolds was out for 27. When Stewart was out for 32, Pirates were on 75.

Hayden Fenn followed seven runs later but James Torrie, also making his first appearance this season, and Thompson steered the ship home.

¦ HSOB cruised to an eight-wicket win against Campion College, who were all out for 97. Jagroop Singh was the chief destroyer, taking 4-11.

Despite losing opener Carl Shaw with the score at five, HSOB got home with an unbeaten 50 from 47 balls from Jarrod Renouf, who hit eight fours.

Pirates should seal a playoff place when they take on Campion on Saturday. HSOB will also earn a spot if they beat Horouta.

That would leave Horouta and Boys’ High to sweat on the outcome of a calculation of runs scored divided by wickets taken over the round-robin games to determine who gets fourth place.

¦ Gisborne women’s player-coach Mel Knight smashed an unbeaten 128 in her side’s win against Palmerston North in a Super City 40-over game in Hastings yesterday.

Knight and her 14-year-old daughter Kayley (36) shared a 90-run second-wicket partnership as Gisborne posted 245-9, then dismissed Palmerston for 128. Match report in tomorrow’s Gisborne Herald.

OBR 244-4 (I Loffler 61no, C Christophers 61, T Weir 36no, K Venema 31; P Taylor 2-39) def Horouta 97 (D Situ 42, T Balat 25; J Purcell 7-14) by 147 runs.

Pirates 124-3 (P Stewart 32, B Reynolds 27, J Torrie 24no, D Thompson 20no; Z Page 2-44) def GBHS 118 (D Thompson 3-7, L Hayes 3-37, R Needham 3-43) by seven wickets.

HSOB 98-2 (J Renouf 50no) def Campion College 97 (J Singh 4-11, M Norris 2-17, C Shaw 2-19 ) by eight wickets.