The chase is over – rain ends Napier hopes of schools cricket title

The Napier Boys’ High School First XI at the national secondary schools cricket tournament in Christchurch, where a countback loss in the final match, against 12-times winners Christchurch Boys’ High School, ended Napier's hopes of winning the title for a first time.

The national secondary schools First XI cricket final proved to be one chase too many for Napier Boys’ High School in their bid to win the title for the first time, in a decider against defending champion and 12-times winning school and home-side Christchurch Boys’ High School.

The Napier Boys' High School First XI at the national secondary schools cricket tournament in Christchurch. Photo / Supplied.

Unbeaten in five consecutive chases in the competition since a 10-wicket win batting first against New Plymouth Boys’ High School in a Central Districts playoff last March, Napier went into Monday’s last match in a week-long tournament at Lincoln University with some confidence, with captain Jacob Cotter winning the toss and sending Christchurch in to bat, but were beaten on a Duckworth Lewis Stern (DLS) system countback.

They had Christchurch on the ropes at 23-4, but a 103-run fifth wicket stand put Canterbury back into the running with a competitive all-out for 181 in 46.1 overs, with Saul Barker taking 3-25 from the bowling crease.

Napier lost wickets steadily to reach 122-6 one ball into the 39th over when rain stopped play, Christchurch being declared winners by 15 runs when the DLS was invoked, enabling them to retain the title.

Opener Zach Forster scored 42, to end a good personal tournament in which he scored the second-highest aggregate, while Ollie Beale, batting at No 4, scored 35, and Monty Field, at No 7, was 25 when the covers were hauled out.

The playoffs, in a tournament formerly known as the Gillette Cup and dating back to when Napier was a foundation finalist in 1990 and never won by a Hawke’s Bay team, were played as a round-robin among six teams representing the major associations in New Zealand cricket.

Napier’s sequence of run chases started with a win by seven wickets over Palmerston North Boys’ High School in securing the Central Districts position in March.

They opened tournament week last Wednesday with a win by three wickets with two balls to spare against Hutt International Boys’ School, scoring 248-7 in reply to the Wellington representatives 245-6 in their 50 overs, and followed with an eight-wicket win over Otago Boys’ High School, scoring 169-2 in 21.1 overs after dismissing the Dunedin for 165.

In the third match, Napier beat St Paul’s Collegiate, of Hamilton, by nine wickets, dismissing the Northern Districts representatives for 161 and replying with 164-1 in 36.2 overs, setting the scene for a dramatic fourth-round match that ended in a tie.

Auckland side Westlake Boys High School were all out for 161, with Napier bowler Monty Field taking 5-32, the equal second-best individual match figures of the tournament.

Napier Boys’ High School were crumbling at 75-5, then relying on tail-enders Joshua Young, who scored 32, and Geange, who was run out for 23, off the last ball going for what would have been the winning run as his side was also dismissed for 161.

Napier opening bat Forster, also a halfback in this year’s NBHS First XV at rugby, scored 217 runs in the tournament, from 33 against Hutt International, 66 against Otago Boys’ High School, 74, including 10 fours and two sixes against St Paul’s, two against Westlake and the 42 against Christchurch.

Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke’s Bay Today, and has 51 years of journalism experience, 41 of them in Hawke’s Bay, in news gathering, including breaking news, sports, local events, issues, and personalities.