Cricket: Schoolboy humbles Bay

It was a giant leap back of a cricketing kind for the Hawke's Bay senior men's representative team after a schoolboy, not long out of his moon boots, humiliated them in Gisborne.

The red-faced Bay players had a rude awakening after Jak Rowe spearheaded Poverty Bay to a seven-wicket flogging of the Kirk Cup holders on Sunday.

The 17-year-old, who fractured his ankle on September 8 while playing touch at his school but got out of the moon boot three weeks ago, helped skittle the Pay Excellence-sponsored Bay team at Harry Barker Reserve for a paltry 57 runs in the 50-over match. He claimed seven scalps for a miserly 14 runs from seven overs.

The Liam Rukuwai-captained Bay lost the toss on what the Gisborne media described as "the greenest wicket at the reserve for some time".

"Purely on the part of our performance it was embarrassing," Bay coach Mathew Sinclair lamented yesterday, although he hadn't travelled as a coach or to play in the match.

Former Bay coach Dale Smidt was at the helm as coach. His son and captain, Stevie Smidt, had also withdrawn from the trip to rest a shoulder injury in a side that included three debutants - Ben Fair, of Bayleys Havelock North CC, Casey Rangi, of The Station Napier Old Boys' Marist, and Blair Tickner, of Ruahine Motors Central Hawke's Bay.

Smidt had batted for his Complete Flooring Napier Technical Old Boys' (NTOB) side who ironically won the Property Brokers-sponsored English-style, prem club 55-over title in a similar fashion at a sticky Forest Gate Domain wicket against CHB on Saturday.

"I felt very sorry for the newbies who were there," said Sinclair who is coach in his maiden season but also the mainstay of Bay's batting.

The other players were Luke Kenworthy, who made an unbeaten maiden prem club century for his Sharpies Driving Range Taradale CC on Saturday, CHB brothers Scott and Angus Schaw, Jayden Lennox (NTOB), Charlie Robson (CHB), Ben Stoyanoff (Taradale), Graeme Tryon (Havelock North) and veteran batsman James Mackie (CHB).

It will be a psychological test for the Bay who will host Wanganui at Nelson Park, Napier, this weekend in the opening round of the Hawke Cup campaign, the symbol of minor association supremacy which lives in the trophy cabinet of the Manawatu Cricket Association.

The Bay Hawk Cup team will be announced tonight after a training session at Nelson Park following a soul-searching exercise.

"To be defeated like that is quite disappointing," former Black Cap Sinclair said, mindful the loss had left a blemish on the proud history of Bay teams "who have had the wood on Poverty Bay".

"I'm told some very harsh words were spoken to the boys after the game from Dale."

Stand-in coach Smidt couldn't be reached for comment yesterday and no scoreboard could be found on the CricHQ website. The hosts emailed it to HB Today last night.

Poverty Bay captain Josh Bates was unbeaten on 19, for the loss of six wickets, in helping eclipse the visitors' target.

Bates told the Gisborne Herald "never in a million years" they would have fancied bowling out the favourites so cheaply.

"I've been on the end of a few hidings from Hawke's Bay so it's nice to get one at home and win the cup," he said.

Fair was the first victim for three. Kenworthy followed, feathering one to the wicketkeeper for four.

Tryon and Mackie departed without scoring. Angus Schaw left the crease a run later after Rowe unsettled his furniture.

Rowe trapped Lennox lbw to leave a stunned Bay at 6-18.

Scott Schaw and Casey Rangi shared a 35-run stand before the former became Rowe's sixth victim. Three runs later Rowe collected his seventh with Rangi's scalp before Poverty Bay wrapped up the tail.

"The bowler got a ride and there was nothing we could do," a player said last night, adding a dropped catch didn't help although they could have won if they had 20 more runs.

"It's not acceptable. We needed more application and we were slow learning," he said, relieved to have had the wake-up call before the Hawke Cup opener.

In the damage-control department, Rukuwai and Tickner sent back Jared McDonald, Danny Gibbs, Scott Tallott, brother Robbie Tallott and Ryan Smith to the pavilion with Poverty 25 runs in arrears.

Bates and Satnam Singh hung tough to see the victors home.

Said Sinclair: "What's done is done. I'm not one to look back. We need to look ahead so we'll just have to learn from our mistakes and rectify things because we can't play like that in the Hawke Cup."

Winning coach Dave McDonald said despite his troops' youthfulness - the captain is 27 while the rest are under 21, including six teenagers from 16 to 19 - the team had potential.

"In the defence of Hawke's Bay, Poverty Bay have knocked over Northland, Counties, Waikato Valley to date and taken Hamilton close so they are in good company.

"We have a strong young team who will be a force in the next five years so they [HB] should not feel disgraced," McDonald said.

Scoreboard

From the annual 50-over Kirk Cup match between Pioneer Seeds Poverty Bay and Pay Excellence Hawke's Bay senior men's representative team at Harry Barker Reserve, Gisborne, on Sunday:

Toss: Poverty Bay won, bowled.

Hawke's Bay

B Fair b J Rowe3L Kenworthy c J McDonald b D Thompson4J Lennox lbw Rowe5 G Tryon b Rowe0J Mackie c D Gibbs b Rowe0A Schaw b Rowe0S Schaw c McDonald b Rowe18C Rangi lbw Rowe15L Rukuwai not out1C Robson c McDonald b Turner1B Tickner b Turner0Extras (0b, 2LB, 8w, 0nb):10-Total (all out, 26.2 overs):57-Fall: 1-2 (Fair), 2-11 (Kenworthy), 3-11 (Tryon), 4-11 (Mackie), 5-12 (A Schaw), 6-18 (Lennox), 7-55 (S Schaw), 8-56 (Rangi), 9-57 (Robson).

Bowling: Dane Thompson 4-1-7-1 , Jak Rowe 7-2-14-7 (2w), Mitchell Turner 9.2-2-19-2 (1w), Jarrod Davenport 6-2-15-0 (1w).

Poverty Bay

D Gibbs c B Tickner c b L Rukuwai9J McDonald lbw Tickner4S Tallot run out3R Tallot c L Kenworthy b Rukuwai6R Smith c Kenworthy b Tickner8J Bates not out19D Thompson st Kenworthy b Rukuwai2S Singh not out4Extras (0b, 2Lb, 1w, 0nb):3-Total (6 wkts, 17.4 overs):58-Fall: 1-7 (McDonald), 20-18 (Gibbs), 3-22 (S Tallot), 4-27 (R Tallot), 5-33 (Smith), 6-48 (Thompson).

Bowling: Blair Tickner 8-1-31-2, Liam Rukuwai 8-2-19-3 (1w), Ben Stoyanoff 1-0-1-0, Charlie Robson 0.4-0-5-0.

Result: Poverty Bay win Kirk Cup by 4 wkts.