Poverty Bay secondary girls win both games

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

CRICKET

The future looks bright for women’s cricket in Gisborne after the Poverty Bay Secondary Girls’ team completed a 2-0 sweep of the Hawke’s Bay women’s development side on Sunday.

Poverty Bay took control of both Twenty20 games early and won the first game by six wickets and the second by eight.

Accurate bowling from both ends ensured a consistent stream of wickets.

Hawke’s Bay scored 107 runs in the first game but couldn’t restrict the strong batting from Poverty Bay. Bad balls were hit to the boundary and dangerous deliveries were blocked with good defence.

Recently announced New Zealand under-19 player and Poverty Bay captain Kayley Knight spearheaded the batting attack in the first match, opening and scoring 31 runs.

She and Tayla Hollis (24 not out) combined for a partnership of 37, and Poverty Bay cruised home in the 16th over.

Rain delayed play for an hour, and the second game was shortened to 15 overs a side.

It didn’t take long for Poverty Bay to strike as they worked their way through the Hawke’s Bay side.

In a stunning over, Emma Hayes took three wickets in four balls to leave Hawke’s Bay 38-7, but Aimee Kay (14 not out) and Pippa Campbell (20no) steadied the ship.

These two, batting at No.8 and No.9, combined for a 39-run partnership that enabled their team to post a respectable score of 80-8.

Poverty Bay flipped their order and gave the girls who hadn’t batted in the first innings the opportunity to score runs. It showcased the side’s depth as they breezed past the Hawke’s Bay total without using their danger players Hollis and Knight in the chase.

After losing Amy Thomas at the end of the first over and Emma Hayes at the end of the second, Poverty Bay stabilised through Grace Levy (28no) and Grace Kuil (35no).

Kuil and Levy both opened up with the bat and punished any poor deliveries.

They both hit the ball to all areas of the park with strong, confident shots over fielders’ heads and into space. They had a 63-run partnership and cruised home in the 10th over, with a net rate of 9.05.

The wins will give the young Poverty Bay side confidence, but the games also provided a look at what can be worked on to further improve the team.

Both teams allowed runs that could have been stopped, and coaches could see how their players reacted outside the nets.

Poverty Bay secondary girls coach Mel Knight said the skill difference between the teams was noticeable, but it was an excellent opportunity to get out on the field.

“It’s a good chance to see where we stack up against girls from different parts of the country.”

Knight said she was proud of her team’s performance. They had got together only at the last minute, and she had to call in “retired” players Hollis and Hayes.