A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
The Gisborne Boys’ High School bowling attack is a good one.
Nathaniel Fearnley and company proved that with a superb showing in Game 1 at the Super 8 cricket tournament at Palmerston North on Monday.
Against Palmerston North Boys’ High, Fearnley took 4-17 from six overs, two of them maidens, while left-arm orthodox spinner Riker Rolls was near his best with 5-23 from 5.1 overs and captain Bekko Page grabbed 2-39 from nine overs, one a maiden.
Rolls bowled Palmerston North No.11 Charlie Ferguson (16) with the first ball of his sixth over as the hosts were all out for 170 at Ongley Park.
PNBHS responded with extremely tight bowling and fielding. Gisborne Boys’ High were all out for 49 in 32.4 overs,
For a GBHS team with real potential, 171 was a gettable score.
Gisborne last tasted Super 8 victory on March 23 last year, against Rotorua, by 70 runs.
Against Palmerston North on Monday, Gisborne's batsmen were wheel-clamped. At the top of the order, Fearnley faced 17 balls for one run, his opening partner Malsha Mahabalage 15 balls for nought, and first-drop Alex Shanks 29 balls for five. No.4 Jarrod Ormiston made a 22-ball duck and fellow left-hander Markus Gray, a nine-ball duck before No.6 batsman and vice-captain David Gray showed resolve. He made 19 not out off 49 balls.
Page, at No.7, took a single off the first ball he received from Brodie Bennett (2-15 from five overs) but Bennett bowled him two balls later. Five GBHS batsmen got nought; three, one run; the top order, six in total.
Only David Gray reached double-figures. He hit the only four, off Bennett, three balls into the 18th over, and shared in stands of 11 with both fellow vice-captain Ormiston and No.9 Akira Makiri (1).
Bennett was well supported by fellow medium-pacers Alex Pringle (3-4, seven overs, four maidens) and Matt Campbell (2-10, 4.4 overs).
Fearnley was the bowler of the day. Boys’ High have a competitive bowling and fielding unit. Against Palmerston North, they found that the best can dig in when they have to.
For PNBHS it was opener Kieran Gill, with a painstaking 47 off 82 balls, and No.9 Fraser James, with 21 not out from 51 balls, who did that. Six members of the home team’s line-up made single figures.
PALMERSTON NORTH BOYS’ HIGH SCHOOL 170 in 48.1 overs (Kieran Gill 47, Fraser James 21 not out; Nathaniel Fearnley 4-17, Riker Rolls 2-23, Bekko Page 2-39) beat GISBORNE BOYS’ HIGH SCHOOL 49 in 32.4 overs (David Gray 19no; Alex Pringle 3-4, Matthew Campbell 2-10, Brodie Bennett 2-15) by 121 runs.
David Gray and Bekko Page are starting to set things right.
Second-drop Gray made 56 and No.7 Page, 48 not out in a strong showing for Gisborne Boys’ High School on Day 2 of the Super 8 cricket tournament.
The David McDonald-coached Boys’ High crew batted first on Tuesday and posted 163-7 at Ongley Park.
Opening bowler Sam Rutter took 3-14 from 10 overs with four maidens. Jonah Funnell at second change took 2-40 from 10 with two maidens.
In Hamilton’s innings, No.3 Tom Martin made 62 off 76 balls, and No.5 Ishi Singh made 36 not out in a total of 168-6.
Left-arm seamer Johnathan Gray took 2-42 from eight overs. Medium-pacers David Gray, Akira Makiri and left-arm orthodox spinner Riker Rolls took one wicket each.
HAMILTON BHS 168-6 in 31 overs (Tom Martin 62, Ishi Singh 36no; David Gray 2-42) beat GISBORNE BHS 163-7 (David Gray 43, Bekko Page 42no) by four wickets.
Gisborne Boys’ High lost to Hastings Boys’ High in a twenty20 game at Ongley Park yesterday.
GBHS won the toss, elected to bat and were dismissed for 54 in the 17th over. Opener Malsha Mahabalage top-scored with 14 off 25 balls while Kavidu Thejan was six not out.
Hastings reached the required runs in 11 overs for the loss of three wickets.
Johnathan Gray (1-3 off 3 overs), Bekko Page (1-15 off 3) and Nathaniel Fearnley (1-9 off 2) were the wicket-takers.
It was not the biggest loss of the round. Rotorua Boys’ High made just 20 in 16.3 overs against Napier — with extras (7) the highest scorer. Napier needed just four overs to complete a 10-wicket win.
GBHS face Rotorua today in a playoff for seventh and eighth.