Three cricket teams have points to prove

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

High School Old Boys, Campion College and Gisborne Boys' High School all have a point to prove tomorrow.

Bollywood Stars HSOB Presidents, the 2020-21 Hope Cup holders, will be out to bounce back from their nine-run loss to Campion.

The Mark Naden-coached Campion are out to prove that their triumph over the blue-and-whites was no fluke.

And GBHS (2) want it on record that they can bat for 30 overs, post 100-plus and back up a committed effort in the field, loss by four wickets to Rawhiti Legal Old Boys Rugby or not.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Ollie Needham, as skipper of HSOB, has his team's sights set on self-betterment.

“We need to improve in all facets: show application with the bat, find our bowling rhythm earlier and lift our intensity in the field,” he said.

“Horouta will be back to full strength. They're hard to beat, with a balanced and experienced bowling attack led by Mel Knight.”

Campion showed nerve and cricket sense to get home last weekend, being helped by HSOB conceding 54 extras, which included 44 wides. In that respect, Kyle Jean-Louis, who conceded two extras in three overs, was their most disciplined bowler.

There is little chance that capable operators Anil Kumar and Mahmood Khan will again let go seven wides, when Kumar's line wicket-to-wicket and Khan's curving out-swinger would be the envy of many bowlers.

Naden has moved his young unit's attention on from their first win of the season last week.

“We want to back that good performance up — each of our players is responsible for his own standards but also the whole team contrubution. Our aim is to keep learning and to get better with each game.”

The Hammer has returned.

Since the days of Johnny Nukunuku's lusty hitting for Horouta in 2003, no other batsman in Senior B Grade club cricket has consistently belted the ball as hard — except for one.

OBR's Thom Berry gives the ball a frightful thump and if (key word, if) he gets going against Campion on Harry Barker Reserve No.4 tomorrow, neither the Presidents nor The Waka on No.3 will want to turn their backs on him either.

Gisborne Boys' High School (2) and Ngatapa may count themselves as safe from being peppered by Berry: they are to play on the practice wicket.

The Civil Project Solutions Ngatapa Green Caps are still without regular captain Mike Gibson due to injury, but Ben Holden does a good job for the green-and-whites.

Central School deputy principal Cambell McNaught is down to keep wicket, ready to work hand in glove with savvy off-spinner Grant Walsh. Walsh took 4-12 from four overs last Saturday against The Waka.

Holden said: “We mixed things up in the Horouta game, which was good, but maybe we could be a wee bit sharper in the outfield this week.”

Bekko Page has led the GBHS seconds since named captain Lukas Fry injured his shoulder. There is leadership potential in both of those two and the big left-hander Jarrod Ormiston — and all three train hard.

The prerequisite to young cricketers in a squad of 12 to 13 keen to play is to train hard — and communicate.