Colts captain Nathan Trowell, a survivor of last year’s nine-wicket drubbing at Tauranga Boys’ College, won the toss and elected to bat.
The Boys’ High total of 123 in 39.4 overs featured a 58-run opening stand between classy left-hander Te-Reimana Gray (26) and Ben Phelps, whose 35 from No.2 was the highest individual score of the match.
Gray was bowled by Darcy Collett (1-18 off six overs) off the last ball of the 16th over.
Boys’ High then lost two wickets at the same score on three occasions — 82, 88 and 98.
Collett’s fellow leg-spinner Kayl Davis (3-19 off six) and captain and off-spinner Harsh Patel (2-6 off six) all asked hard questions of the Boys’ High batsmen’s footwork.
Tauranga won the game with a boundary six — initially given as four runs — over long-on by promising all-rounder Riley Brady. They finished at 127-7 in 34.3 overs.
Patel made Tauranga’s highest individual score of 19 before being stumped by Jack Whitehead-McKay off the bowling of leggie Dylan Foster (1-24 off four). Although Boys’ High bowled 21 wides, their wicketkeeper conceded only one bye and did a solid job.
Seamer Sebastian Wilson, bowling first change, took 2-13 off eight overs with Trowell (2-20 off six), Gray (1-24 off 7.3) and Noah Torrance-Cribb (1-15 off two) being the other wicket-takers.
Trowell praised the batting of Gray and Phelps, and the bowling of Wilson.
Trowell and his senior players led by example.
The Gisborne Boys’ High School Colts and first 11 will play Napier Boys’ High teams in Napier on March 4 and 5 and host Hastings Boys’ High at Harry Barker Reserve, dates to be confirmed, in traditional interschool fixtures.
