Quality Napier side outgun Gisborne

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

They have always had good first 11 sides.

And Napier Boys' High's 2020 edition continued to live up that tradition with in their innings-and-86-run win over Gisborne Boys' High School this week.

The home side, put into bat in the first innings, were dismissed for 88 in 42.5 overs on the rep wicket at Harry Barker Reserve.

Year 10 student Sebastian Wilson was their leading run-scorer with 26 off 50 balls at No.5. First-drop Nathan Trowell (13) was the only other batsman to reach double figures.

For Napier, leg-spinner Hamish James took 4-33 in 14 quality overs, Toby Findlay 2-0 in 2.5 overs and fellow medium-pacer Seth Taylor 2-10 in six overs.

Findlay backed up with 121 off 80 balls. He and Reece Henderson (45) shared a 147-run stand for the first wicket.

Gisborne fought back to take the next seven wickets for 97 runs on the back of seamer Wilson (2-10 off 4) and left-arm foil Keegan Jooste, who took 3-31 in nine overs first-up and 4-41 for the innings.

Opening bowlers Trowell, Daniel Watts and captain/off-spinner Daniel Stewart took one wicket apiece as Napier declared at 272-9 in 47 overs.

Leg-spinner and opening batsman Liam Barbier was joined in the second innings by Y9 student Kelan Bryant.

Gisborne are a young team. Two of their three Y12 players batted at seven and eight to shore up the order while their third senior student was unavailable.

Napier dismissed Gisborne for 98 in 42.3 overs in their second innings.

Wilson, promoted to No.3, made 32 off 71 balls.

Taylor took 4-21 and Napier captain Sam Pawson 3-23.