OBR into cup final

THREE-STEP BOWLER: HSOB's Jak Rowe claimed 4-19 from six overs against Horouta on the weekend. HSOB's won the match by three wickets. Picture by Paul Rickard

Henry IV never mused with the captain of a cricket team.

But Shakespeare's Henry might well have struck a resonant chord in such company with “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown”.

This season, Coastal Concrete Old Boys Rugby skipper Nick Greeks has known what it is to run a premier-grade side and while he's played some excellent cricket in the past 16 years, even the best men need a pick-me-up occasionally.

And after OBR's strong showing in a six-wicket win against Horouta Te Waka at the weekend, the big man was moved to say: “I'm looking forward to this weekend.”

That sentiment is owed at least in part to the return to action of Dane Thompson and his return to form with the bat with an innings of 53 off 54 balls in the Doleman Cup semifinal.

Dashing all-rounder Thompson hit nine boundaries, opener Paul Stewart (22 not out) carried his bat and OBR won comfortably enough, but it hadn't all been plain sailing.

Horouta captain David Situ had opted to bat first on Harry Barker Reserve No.1. The green-and-golds then made a low total, 104 all out in 32.4 overs.

They held Stewart wicketless from four overs that cost 16 runs but fell in a heap to his younger brother, off-spinner Daniel, who took four wickets for six runs from four overs.

OBR spearhead Jimmy Holden nabbed 2-14 from four overs and veteran Matt Cook took 2-27 from eight, bowling second change.

Aekamjot Singh (29), in at No.4, and first drop Ben Brick (21) were the only runscorers to pass 20 for Te Waka.

Offie Stewart bowled two batsmen, had another caught by Richie Needham in close on the leg side and trapped his last victim leg before wicket.

Quick, sure feet would have come in handy for Te Waka in the contest against an accurate old-time bowler such as Stewart, to whom his fortunate skipper can trust an end.

Thompson, like Paul Stewart, was held at bay by Horouta's batsmen but their 86-run stand sealed the deal for OBR after the weekend's Poverty Bay debutant Shubham Ralhan (2-12 from five overs) and his new-ball partner Ethan Ngarangione-Pearson (1-16 from four) had OBR in trouble early on at 12-3.

Opener Sean Henry and his fellow left-hander Josh Adams at No.3 both fell without scoring and right-hander Ben McCann (3), second drop, was bowled around his legs by Ngarangione-Pearson, a left-armer capable of making the ball talk.

The Horouta firebrand's aggression, as a bowler who asks the question of umpires, matches his competitiveness as a natural ball-games player.

Horouta captain David Situ, whose team put up three half-centuries in the 93-run victory over OBR on the representative wicket and lost the Round 6 rematch on No.4 two weeks ago, said: “We struggled with the bat. If we'd scored more runs, we could've made a game of it.

“OBR bowled and fielded very well. We started well with the ball, but Dane and Paul took the game away from us.”

IT's changed at the top.

Bollywood High School Old Boys Presidents' three-wicket win against Horouta Te Waka in Round 7 meant Presidents displaced the Civil Project Solutions Ngatapa Green Caps at the top of the six-team Senior B table.

HSOB premier and Poverty Bay representative left-arm opening bowler Jak Rowe came in off three steps but still produced enough quality to take 4-19 from six overs.

Tall off-spinner Simon Blaker took 2-17 from four overs.

Te Waka, who had won the toss on Harry Barker Reserve No.1 and chosen to bat, were all out for 113 in 29.4 overs.

Horouta captain and first drop Mel Knight led their effort with the willow, making a characteristically workmanlike 33. Opener Stanley Blake made 20, their next-best score.

Then the boat rocked — gently, at first.

Horouta spearhead Grace Levy (2-16 from four overs) dismissed HSOB opener Matt Jefferd with the second ball of the chase. Gloveman Glen Udall (52) and Jefferd's opening partner John Phelps (23) then put on 81 for the second wicket. For a long time it had seemed that victory to HSOB by nine wickets might be on the cards.

Now the boat rocked a little more.

Etienne Botes (1-13 from three overs), the fifth green-and-gold pace bowler used, had Udall caught behind by Riley Horsfield. Then Phelps was out, hit wicket, with HSOB needing only 17 runs for the win.

Enter Stanley Blake, the ninth bowler used by Horouta.

The tall off-spinner shook the game up violently by taking four wickets for five runs in 2.4 overs.

Just as fellow offie Daniel Stewart of OBR did with 4-6 against the Horouta premiers, Blake simply bowled a good line and length with some curve away, got a little turn and stayed patient.

It was almost enough to swing the 30-over game towards Te Waka, but Paul Jefferson (12no from No.4), back in cricket after eight years, nudged the winning single off Blake and HSOB had a three-wicket win in 26.4 overs.

Sometime-offie Ollie Needham, who shares wicketkeeping duties with Udall, was with Jefferson at the end on one not out from No.9.

Needham had earlier yorked Horouta opening bat Greg Taylor (7) and taken 1-13 from three overs.

Needham said: “That was an enjoyable contest. Eight bowlers rolled their arms over, leg-spinner Nathan Quimpo (1-8 from 1.4 overs) took the last wicket — that of No.11 George Judd, lbw for two — as Horouta battled against some skilful bowling. In our innings, veterans John (Phelps) and Glen (Udall) shared a great partnership, but the mini-collapse we had — four wickets for 15 runs — kept things interesting.”

The Gisborne Boys' High School second 11 bowl well and field well but need to make more runs to be truly competitive.

Against then-competition leaders Ngatapa a fortnight ago, they made 121-6 and later had the Green Caps 44-7 in 12.1 overs, but on Saturday they were all out for 62 with 11 balls owing to them against Rawhiti Legal Old Boys Rugby.

Galaxy World GBHS first 11 wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Shanks made 13 opening for the second 11 after OBR captain Craig Christophers had won the toss and chosen to bowl on HBR 4.

First-change paceman David Gray took 3-11, and younger brother and left-arm opening bowler Johnathon Gray took 2-11. Both produced two maiden overs.

Wily Amit Vyas took 2-9 from two overs.

Jonah Reynolds, who batted well for the Poverty Bay under-16 team at Whangarei two weeks ago, once again gave a glimpse of his all-round ability by taking 1-4 from 2.1 overs and ending the innings with the wicket of GBHS No.11 Brandon Fearnley (1).

The right-hand, left-hand OBR opening pair of Sarabjit Singh (37 from 44 balls) and Te-Reimana Gray (16 at a run a ball) then carried their bats in the vastly more experienced side's 10-wicket win.

Campion College made a fighting fist of their four-wicket loss to Ngatapa on HBR 2.

Campion captain Hamish Swann won the toss, and chose to bat. His side reached 102-6.

No.5 Taye McGuinness made his highest second-grade score of the season, 21no, an effort that impressed Ngatapa co-captain Ryan West: “Taye batted really well to hang in there; everyone else batted around him.”

Campion's first and second drops, Rhys Grogan (17) and Connor Starck (14), both showed promise in the middle without going on.

Ben Holden took 2-11 with his left-arm slows for the Caps.

Ngatapa made short work of the run chase, opener Logan Orsler (36) and first-drop Mike Gibson (24), their biggest runscorers, were two of four batsmen who chose to retire.

The Green Caps reached 103-6 in 14.3 overs. Left-armer Joe Singh (2-16 from 1.3 overs) and first-change medium-pacer Hamish Swann (1-36 from five) were the bowlers to enjoy success for the college.