Cricket: HBHS Colts XI reap pathway rewards

BOTTOM-LESS CUP: The Hastings Boys' High School Colts XI after etching their name on the annual Invitational Challenge Trophy for the fifth year in a row. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

THE value of schools' input in sport must never be underestimated, especially if they establish a clear pathway to progress for talented pupils.

Hastings Boys' High School is reaping the rewards of a cricket coaching structure that isn't only yielding results but ensuring the latent energy from any success is progressively filtering through to the first and second XI teams.

The HBHS Colts XI cricketers won the annual Invitational Challenge Trophy for the fifth consecutive year when the Napier Boys' High School-hosted tournament ended after four days on Thursday.

"They [Colts] have added value because our first XI team have been the Hawke's Bay qualifiers of the Gillette Cup two years in a row," says HBHS teacher in charge of cricket Trent Miller considering NBHS and Lindisfarne College have traditionally dominated the premier schoolboys' competition.

What makes the Colts' achievements even more remarkable is that the juniors have a 50 per cent turnover in their fold because they inevitably graduate to the senior level.

It helps that there's a modicum of grounding in primary and intermediate schools but Miller says several youngsters have an age-group representative template that puts them in the "talented" category.

"We have some good coaching, too," he says, acknowledging the contribution of former teacher Dan Harper, who has moved to Thailand, and former New Zealand international Derek Stirling, who help set up a five-year programme when his son was attending HBHS.

"Derek's intermediate kids were also solid age-group reps," he says of Stirling, who is the chairman of HB Cricket Association and coach of Bayleys Real Estate Havelock North CC premier men's team.

Having competed in a tourney for the past 18 years in the mould of rugby's Ranfurly Shield, HBHS Colts have now registered 20 victories on the trot in that five-year tenure of the junior tourney involving year 9 and 10 pupils.

Other Hawke's Bay schools in the mix are Lindisfarne, St John's College and Havelock North High School who play against colts sides from Palmerston North Boys' High School (PNBHS), New Plymouth High School (NPHS), Francis Douglas Memorial College (New Plymouth), St Pat's Silverstream (Wellington), Tauranga Boys' High School, Wanganui Collegiate and newcomers Wanganui High School.

NBHS teacher Simon West does the draws, which changes every year so not every team plays each other in a year.

This week, the Joey Field-captained HBHS beat New Plymouth High by 30 runs on Monday, St Pat's Silverstream by four wickets on Tuesday, Wanganui Collegiate by three wickets on Wednesday and Palmerston North BHS by five wickets on Thursday.

Field, in his second year at the helm, scored the most runs (101 off 34 balls), with Sachin Dadrah (92/23) and Aidan Robson (68/17).

Field featured again as HBHS' highest wicket taker (8 at 9.8 runs an over) with Sam Martin (7/9.6) and Avjind Hayer (6 /13.8) backing up superbly.

Miller says Field, Dadrah (allrounder), Aidan Robson (top-order batsman) and Jack Parker (wicketkeeper/batsman) stood up when the pressure mounted.