“It was a fantastic effort and the boys were ecstatic,” Hofman said.
“We did everything well today. David Gray (3-22 off six overs) was our MVP (most valuable player).
“He put the ball in the right areas, especially bowling leg-spin . . . with a wet ball.”
OBR first-drop Phil Viljoen senior made a valuable run-a-ball 29, with support from No.4 Hofman (18) and wicketkeeper Malcolm Trowell (17) at No.7.
Leg-spinner Liam Barbier (3-26 off six overs) and first-change medium-pacer Sam Briant (3-27 off six) were Campion’s most successful bowlers.
Big left-hander Darryl Dunn (52 from 48 balls at No.3) played the innings of the match, and shared Campion’s MVP award with Barbier, but OBR won the key moments.
Hofman (2-21 off six) had Dunn leg before wicket, and seamer Matt Foster (2-26 off five) bowled openers Max Briant and Blake Marshall. Foster’s new-ball partner Nathan Trowell (1-23 off six), leg-spinner Dylan Foster (1-13 off three) and pace bowler Daniel Watts (1-17 off three) were all superb, and gloveman Malcolm Trowell showed he still has the goods with two sharp stumpings.
“Saturday’s game wasn’t our best, but well done to OBR,” Campion captain and ’keeper Cameron Rowell said.
“That was a timely lesson for us, with the semifinals coming up.”
Some say the game’s a great leveller. Others say it’s downright spiteful.
Only a week ago, High School Old Boys Presidents beat OBR (2) by 25 runs for their second win of the season, yet on Saturday the Stirling Logging Ngatapa Green Caps bowled the Presidents out for 35 in 22 overs and beat them by seven wickets in 10.4 overs.
“It was a tough game for us, with our first team needing players,” Presidents captain Isaac Hughes said.
Nonetheless, he pointed to positives, such as the MVP award to Presidents’ Tim Kirkpatrick, who held two excellent catches.
Hughes won the toss and elected to bat, Kirkpatrick top-scoring with 15 from No.6.
Ngatapa seamer Jock Spence took 5-6 off three overs, Tim Gardner 2-7 off five, big left-arm opening bowler Will Faulks 2-8 off four and Green Caps MVP Steve Hickey 1-7 off six.
Ngatapa opening batsmen Murray Cook (11) and Jack Jefferd (9) led the Green Caps’ run-scorers. Second-drop Tim Gardner was on six not out and No.5 Joe Loffler, three not out at the end of the game.
Presidents veteran seamer Mike Francis bowled with spirit and accuracy to take 2-10 off five overs.
Ngatapa captain Matt Raleigh said “everyone got a good go” on Saturday.
“Pete Livingston held his first catch and had an opportunity to bowl two overs as well, which was something to see,” Raleigh said.
Ngatapa and Coastal Ultrasound Horouta have both won six of 10 games for 21 competition points. Ngatapa are in first position by virtue of a fractionally higher net run-rate. Campion are in third spot with a five-from-11 playing record (17pts), while OBR (2) have won two from 10 and High School Old Boys Presidents two from 11, both for seven points.
