Poverty Bay juniors showing grit

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

They are digging deep.

The Poverty Bay team at the Northern Districts boys senior secondary schools' cricket tournament showed grit on Day 2 in Rotorua, finishing eighth in the T20 section of play.

They lost to Northland by eight wickets to complete the Pool 2 round-robin and went down to the ND Invitation team in the cross-over final.

In Game 3 v Northland, Poverty Bay captain Nathan Trowell won the toss at Ray Boord Park and chose to bat, his side reaching 87-8. Keeper-batsman Liam Spring, in at No.2, made their highest individual score - 25 from 33 with three boundaries. The next best effort, 13, came from first-drop Cohen Loffler as the far North's off-spinner, Lucas James, gave a great exhibition to take 4-6 in four overs: including two maiden overs.

Second-drop Baxter Skudder (37 not-out from 26 with two 6s, three other boundaries) and No.1 Nathan Condon (an unbeaten 26 from 21, one 6, three 4s) then saw the Taniwha home in 10.5 overs. Max Briant, at 6'6” an even more imposing proposition than former Northland spearhead Max Trimble, bowled well for Poverty Bay to capture 2-13 in four: Briant had both Condon's fellow opener Brandon Peck and No.3 Kian Bird out caught for 9.

Yesterday afternoon against the Invitation team, Trowell again won the toss and opted to batted on the same Boord Park track - number two - on which the Bay had played the Northerners.

Both Trowell (30 off 28, three 4s), batting at No.4, and Briant (23 in 26), from No.5, hit three boundaries apiece but five of their teammates made three runs or less. Seamer Depp Bolingford took 3-9 for the Invitation team, Riley McCullum (son of former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum) grabbed 2-14 and Joe Smythe 2-20. All three bowled their full complement of four overs as the Bay put 109-8 on the table.

The Invitation crew went on to achieve victory in 15.4 overs, being three wickets down for 110 at the end. Left-arm quickies Brock Cameron (1-18-3) and Travis O'Rourke (1-15-2) were the Poverty Bay bowlers to take a wicket. Bowler Loffler ran NDI keeper No.3 Joe Seabrook (26) out with the scores tied at 109 one ball before No.4 Edward James (46 not-out) took the match-winning single from the fourth ball he bowled for the win.

Today dawns a new enterprise for Poverty Bay with the first of their 50-over matches, against last year's beaten finalists Bay of Plenty Coastlands on Boord Park 2.