THAT’S MY BOY: Umpire Don Cook gets a close up view of his son, Matt Cook during Saturday’s OBR-Pirates game. Cook helped OBR to a six-wicket win. Picture by Liam Clayton
JAMES Torrie and Patrick Mathers were the stars of a Campion College side who caused the first upset of the Doleman Cup cricket competition when they beat Tamarind High School Old Boys in Round 1 at Harry Barker Reserve on Saturday.
Co-captain Torrie scored 98 not out as Campion posted 197-6, while Mathers ripped through the top order, taking five wickets for 45 runs off seven overs as HSOB were dismissed for 185.
Pirates began the defence of the trophy with a six-wicket loss to OBR, while Horouta opened their campaign with a nine-wicket hammering of Gisborne Boys’ High School (1).
Torrie cracked seven fours as he raced towards the first century of the new season and while disappointed not to reach the ton, said, “We’ll take the win”.
HSOB skipper Ajay Kumar led the charge with 68 runs as HSOB went from 29-5 to 95-6, with Kyle Jean Louis holding up the other end.
Kumar also shared in an eighth-wicket partnership of 29 with newcomer Rubi Singh, who scored 28 and looked a quality player.
Sam Patterson claimed the big wicket of Kumar with a beautiful delivery. Singh and Mike Francis continued the revival until Torrie and co-captain Caleb Greaves combined to dismiss the dangerous Singh.
Greaves, who scored a valuable 29, then wrapped up the innings to finish with 3-36 off six overs.
Coach Mark Naden was happy to watch from outside the boundary.
Kumar said he was happy with the fightback and the batting, but not the bowling or fielding.
“Those two areas let us down today and we need to improve on them before we play OBR on Saturday,” he said.
“But I was pleased with the team spirit and with a bit of luck we could have sneaked home.”
Landmark Homes Bain Construction OBR skipper Jonathan Purcell was full of praise for his bowlers as they restricted Kevin Hollis Glass Pirates to 99 from their 35 overs.
“Big Bird (Timoti Weir) gave us a great start with two wickets in his first two overs and that set us up, then all the bowlers chipped in,” Purcell said.
“We were confident of getting the 100 to win but you still need to put in the work.”
OBR lost openers Craig Christophers and Weir with 30 runs on the board but Ian Loffler, as he has done so often for OBR, steadied the ship with 39 runs as OBR reached their target with six wickets in hand.
Holden hits winning singleLoffler and Purcell were at the crease when the scores were tied but Loffler holed out, leaving the incoming Jimmy Holden to hit the winning single with a late cut.
“We haven’t started the past few seasons well so it was good to get a first-up win,” Purcell said.
“The thing that really impressed me was our enthusiasm and the fact that we are training twice a week, which hasn’t happened for a while. All the boys are keen to get to net practice and it showed out there today with our fielding and everything we did.”
Highlights of the game were two magnificent slip catches, one from Christophers to dismiss Pirates captain Mitchell Turner and the other from Pirates’ Brad Reynolds, whose one-handed take sent Evan Mooney back to the pavilion.
Horouta captain Bryan Forde won the toss and his decision to put Gisborne Boys’ High School in to bat paid off as the school side were all out for 77.
Wickets fell at regular intervals, the result of accurate bowling led by Clarence Campbell (3-7 off six overs) and sharp fielding.
Keegan Martin set the trend when he snapped up a smart catch in the slips off the bowling of Sukhi Karpania.
Blake Taylor, back from Otago University, followed suit. He took brilliant catches to dismiss dangermen Robbie Tallot and Jarrod Davenport.
“Our new players settled in well, with our old hands,” Horouta club captain Greg Taylor said.
Dogar Puria was another who took a superb catch, while Martin, Karpania, Marty Brandso and Kieran Blair all enjoying useful spells of bowling.
Forde and Francis Gray put on 50 runs for the first wicket. Forde was out for 11 before Gray and Brandso shared an unbroken 30-run partnership, with Brandso wasting no time in racing to 27 not out, to give Horouta victory.
“We have a club hangi at Marty’s place tonight to raise funds for the team, so he wanted to get home early to get things prepared,” Greg Taylor said.
OBR 100-4 (Ian Loffler 39; Aku Smith 2-25) def Pirates 99 (Olly Tilley 39; Jonathan Purcell 2-6, Evan Mooney 2-8, Zane Boyle 2-16, Timoti Weir 2-22).
Campion College 197 (James Torrie 98 not out; Caleb Greaves 29; Aman Kamboj 2-32) def HSOB 185 (Ajay Kumar 68, Rubi Singh 28; Patrick Mathers 5-45, Caleb Greaves 3-39, Sam Patterson 2-36).
Horouta 80-1 (Marty Brandso 27no) def GBHS (1) 77 (Clarence Campbell 3-7, Marty Brandso 2-6, Sukhi Karpania 2-15, Kieran Blair 2-20).