Walker Shield the immediate focus for teams

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

Crash, bash, smash — that's what's on the menu at the Harry Barker Reserve from 1pm tomorrow.

Walker Shield T20 premier-grade action will be the order of the day for a fortnight as Senior B cricket takes a two-week break.

Round 1 of the Walker Shield features Doleman Cup holders Bollywood High School Old Boys against Old Boys Rugby on ground 2 and the Galaxy World Gisborne Boys' High School first 11 against Horouta Te Waka on HBR 1.

A powerful HSOB crew under mighty left-hander Carl Shaw will be hard to beat. They have a batting line-up boasting openers of genuine quality in Baxter Mackay and David Salmon, a man who can read and roll with the punches in Dave Castle, a match-winner in Scott Tallott, and a busy batsman in Ajay Kumar.

Among the bowlers, they have medium-pacers of all-round ability: Steve Lamb, Nick Armour, Keegan Jooste and Taye McGuinness.

Lamb has the ability to move the ball around, Armour can induce hard hands among even experienced batsmen, left-armer Jooste hits the bat hard and Campion College Year 11 student McGuinness, on debut for the Blue and Whites, swings the ball both ways.

OBR captain Nick Greeks is giving up the Bay Bonanza to lead an outfit made stronger by the inclusion of Poverty Bay senior all-rounder Cohen Loffler, leftie Josh Adams, veteran seamer Matthew Cook and the dynamic Gray brothers Te-Reimana and David.

Greeks's biggest problem will be who to leave out of a team who will nevertheless miss their cleanest hitter in Dane Thompson.

Boys' High and Horouta should produce fireworks.

Alex Shanks's GBHS crew will field one Year 13 student in leg-spinner Dylan Foster but also promising Y12 students starting to realise their potential in Shanks, George Gillies, Dylan Torrie, Bekko Page, Jarrod Ormiston and Kelan Bryant.

Bryant is a superb striker of the ball when in form.

Gillies and Torrie are spin-bowling all-rounders who can play shots but have yet to put their hands up with a score of consequence. Both field well. In a young side with a new captain, they will now need to wear many hats as senior players.

Shanks is clear on his priorities and expectations: “I want our boys to think hard, be positive and not be afraid to get out, but also not throw their wicket away.

“We'll all need to work hard in the field, keep the chat up, hold our catches and get some momentum for the next game and the week at the Super 8 tournament in Palmerston North.”

Gisborne Boys' High might have unearthed a gem of a batsman in Malsha Mahabalage (who got better in the middle as time went on in the school team's second innings of their opening DJ Barry Cup game against OBR last Saturday).

The pair who will share wicketkeeping duties for The Waka — skipper David Situ and vice-captain Ben Brick — may be on duty against the new ball as well.

Situ has simple goals for the Green and Gold: scoring runs and taking wickets.

Bruno Judd proved, in his 23 from 58 balls last Saturday, that he could fight; last season, he showed he could score runs. Judd and the likes of Vishal Singh and Billy Morse should look at this as a game in which — if they can bat good time productively — partnerships and confidence can result.

Te Waka have the ability to put runs on the board. Gisborne Boys' High School's energy and work on their fielding will shortly be seen.