Robbie Tallott to the rescue

Cricket PB v Waikato Valley - Sam Tallott at the crease.

GISBORNE Boys’ High School captain Robbie Tallott came of age as a representative batsman yesterday.

He saved Poverty Bay from an outright loss to Waikato Valley in a Fergus Hickey Rosebowl two-day cricket game, which finished in a draw at Harry Barker Reserve yesterday.

Tallott, 18, and the youngest of three Tallott brothers in the Bay side, did not score a ton or even a half-century but he was unbeaten on 28 after batting for 160 minutes and facing 115 balls.

Needing to score 177 to make the visitors bat again, Tallott anchored the Bay’s second innings and defied a strong bowling attack to guide the Bay to 167-6, when play finished.

“Robbie saved the day . . . that was a great knock in the context of the game,” Bay skipper Mitchell Turner said.

“We bumped him up the order after the first innings and he justified that decision. He showed a lot of maturity.”

The bay batted first and were all out for 152, with Sam Tallott the top scorer on 68. But the Bay had only themselves to blame for not posting a bigger total.

Thorn Parkes was dismissed without scoring and with the score at 6. Matt Whitley followed soon after for the addition of five runs. But from there the Bay reached 119 with Sam Tallott and Sean Dykes at the crease.

Dykes scored 37 before he was bowled by Zac Gibson, who finished with four wickets for 26 runs off 12 overs. And from 119-2, the Bay collapsed to be all out for 152.

“That was disappointing,” Turner said. “Valley had a good bowling attack but we should have done better, especially after being 119-2. It was a combination of good bowling and poor shot selection.”

Valley’s batting was led by a magnificent 111 from first drop Anish Desai, with support from Josh Lenssen. They put on 79 runs for the second wicket before Lennsen (56) was caught by Scott Tallott off the bowling of Jonathan Purcell, making his Bay debut after a late call-up.

At stumps on Saturday the visitors were 169-2 and when they resumed yesterday morning Desai and Keith Vincent plundered the Bay attack. They shared a 113-run stand for the third wicket before Desai was out, caught and bowled by Purcell.

Vincent went on to make an unbeaten 66, Sam Cooper hit 69 not out and the Valley declared at 328-3 at lunch.

Parkes and Dykes gave the Bay a good start with an opening stand of 49 before Parkes was bowled by Vincent.

Dykes followed 20 runs later and then the Bay lost Matt Whitley and Sam Tallott with the score at 97.

Thomas Hayes and Robbie Tallott revived the innings with a partnership of 37 before Hayes was out. Robbie and Scott Tallott took the score to 151 before Scott Tallott was dismissed, caught Malpas, bowled Desai.

Waikato Valley, sensing an outright, piled the pressure on Robbie Tallott and Josh Bates but, despite living dangerously at times, they ensured the Bay avoided an outright loss.