A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
The ethos of Junior Colts cricket is to celebrate playing the game, rather than win at all costs.
And in keeping with Spirit of Cricket values, the Bollywood Stars beat David File Decorators OBR Sharks in the 1 v 2 Twenty20 final on Saturday.
Poverty Bay Cricket made two inspired, responsive moves in the Junior Colts arena this season.
In Week 2, team numbers were changed from nine to seven. And the switch to the grass wickets of the Harry Barker Reserve from the artificial pitches of Nelson Park for the positional finals was a master stroke.
Stars captain Brandon Fearnley won the toss and chose to bowl on HBR 3.
The Sharks batting line-up made 167-6, their No.1 Jonah Reynolds (31) and sixth man in Joel Kirkpatrick (30) both retiring, while Reynolds’ opening partner Izayah Morrison (29) was also in great touch.
Left-arm speedster Johnathan Gray took 2-9 in four overs for the Stars, and backed that up with 44 retired at first drop to be the Stars’ MVP (most valuable player) and overall match MVP in a successful run chase.
No.5 Robbie Newlands (33) and second drop Arlo Willis (20) also retired, while opener Josh Levy (32) set the tone for positive batsmanship in pursuit of a good total.
Kirkpatrick, left-armer Jack Holden and leg-spinner Charlie Castles took a wicket each for the Sharks, the Stars taking a win by two wickets.
These days, junior cricketers have no problem telling the oldies whether something works.
In that sense, promising Bollywood High School Young Boys all-rounder Caleb Taewa summed up how the participants in each of the three finals felt about the competition — and their reasons for being involved in it.
“All of us had fun but we also wanted to be the best on the day,” Taewa said.
“It was just good to be outside with friends, especially at the Harry Barker, and to have that experience.”
Bollywood HSOB Pups beat HSYB by 14 runs in the 3 v 4 game on the practice wicket, but not before Taewa had made 46 retired — out of 142-8 — in pursuit of 156.
HSOB mixed up their two teams for the clash — Taewa leading one, Marcus Gray the other. The Pups were put in to bat and were bowled out in 18.1 overs.
Talented left-hander Marcus Gray, who came in an No.7, hit nine fours in his 26-ball knock of 45.
Luke Weston-Arnold, sixth man in, made 22. Curtis Wylie, Ollie Sinclair-Wikstrom and Aiden Norris each took two wickets for HSYB.
The team captains were their teams’ MVPs, with Gray, who took an outstanding 6-5 with the ball, getting the nod as MVP of the match.
Leo Starck won’t be left behind.
Elder brother Connor may already share the new ball with Rhys Grogan — the supreme MVP of Senior B Grade club cricket — but the younger Starck is a very good player in his own right.
He made 44 retired as opening bat in Ngatapa Knights’ three-wicket victory over Horouta Dragons.
Dragons captain Keanu Makiri won the toss and elected to bat first on HBR 1.
Horouta were all out for 116 in 15.3 overs. Keanu and twin brother Akira opened the batting and made 19 and 28 respectively against an excellent seam attack, whose best in Round 5 were Cam Walters (3-7), Theo Dymock (3-8) and William Edgington (2-29).
The Knights reached 118 in 18 overs, Liam Spence the best of the Dragons’ bowlers with 3-30.
Dymock was Ngatapa’s MVP and the match MVP, with Spence the Dragons’ MVP.
Dragons’ Jett Whitaker, who — like the Makiri twins — is in Year 9 at Gisborne Boys’ High School, said: “Many of the players in the Junior Colts aren’t far away from the next level — the Challenge Cup. I’ve really enjoyed seeing their skills and look forward to seeing them play at a higher level in years to come.”
Junior Colts, Twenty20 finals, Harry Barker Reserve —
1 v 2: Bollywood Stars 170-5 (Johnathan Gray 44 retired, Robbie Newlands 33 not out, Josh Levy 32, Arlo Willis 20ret; Charlie Castles 1-18) beat David File Decorators OBR Sharks 167-6 (Jonah Reynolds 31ret, Joel Kirkpatrick 30ret, Izayah Morrison 20; Johnathan Gray 2-9).
3 v 4: Bollywood Stars HSOB Pups 156-9 (Marcus Gray 45, Luke Weston-Arnold 22; Curtis Wylie 2-17, Ollie Sinclair-Wikstrom 2-19, Aiden Norris 2-35) beat Bollywood Stars High School Young Boys 142-8 (Caleb Taewa 46ret; Marcus Gray 6-5).
5 v 6: Ngatapa Knights 118-6 (Leo Starck 44ret, Theo Dymock 17ret; Liam Spence 3-30) beat Horouta Dragons 116 (Akira Makiri 28, Keanu Makiri 19; Cam Walters 3-7, Theo Dymock 3-8, William Edgington 2-29).