A century apiece for all-rounders

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

Nothing elevates the level of excitement in a cricket match quite like a duel between all-rounders.

Ethan Ngarangione-Pearson’s unbeaten 110 for Breakers Horouta Te Waka and Seb Wilson’s 101 for Gisborne Boys’ High School (2) marked their teams’ Senior B clash as a classic.

It took first drop Ngarangione-Pearson only 72 minutes to compile his innings, which included 12 sixes and six fours.

It was his fifth century and was key to a 31-run win to The Waka on Nelson Park No.4.

Wilson’s maiden ton included six sixes and 10 fours in 92 minutes. It was the perfect boost for the youngest team in either the Senior B or Premier Grade competition.

Stanley Blake won the toss for Horouta and chose to bat first. Te Waka reached 219-6 in 30 overs in the Round 6 clash.

With four runs on the board, James Craig (1) was bowled by a cracking in-swinger from left-arm spearhead Caleb Taewa (1-20), who was the best bowler for Boys’ High. Brandon Fearnley (1-40) then had Craig’s fellow opener, Vishal Singh (9), caught by gloveman Charlie Whitfield, and Horouta were 18-2.

Then came the game’s biggest stand — a dizzying 151 for the third wicket in 114 minutes — between the unorthodox Blake (56) and the clean-hitting Ngarangione-Pearson, before the latter’s retirement.

Left-armer Jack Holden (1-44 from five overs) bowled Blake around his legs after that and Harpreet Singh (9) batting at No.6 was Wilson’s first victim, caught by wicketkeeper Charlie Whitfield.

Wilson (3-26) — on at second-change — like Taewa and Fearnley, bowled out. Boys’ High captain Jett Whitaker wisely did not expose his younger bowlers when Horouta were in their element, but the skipper’s faith in his front-line bowlers was rewarded. In their second turn at the bowling crease, they were much fuller of length, and outside off-stump.

Three overs in the middle of the innings went for 20, 23 and 26. For GBHS to be chasing 219 after that was a reflection of their stickability. The target score could have been far higher had heads dropped in the field. On an artificial pitch with boundaries of medium size, young bowlers cannot drop short; Ngarangione-Pearson pounded much of the short stuff over midwicket for six.

In response, Jett Whittaker and his father Steve opened the innings. Boys’ High were 22-2 when Jett was caught trying to clear Chris Collier at mid-on and Whitfield (2), at second drop, then put on 57 with Wilson. The fifth-wicket partnership between Wilson and Taewa produced 79 runs.

Leg-spinner Vinay Patel’s figures of 0-32 from two overs showed that bowlers had a small margin for error on the concrete.

Wilson hammered short stuff and full-tosses alike, as Ngarangione-Pearson had in the first innings, but also hit two sixes on either side of a straight hit. Taewa, with deft touch and placement, made 15 at No.6 during 38 productive minutes in the run-chase; he and Wilson were the only Boys’ High batsmen to reach double-figures.

Medium-pacers Harpreet Singh (2-21) and Sarath Prakash (1-33) both bowled out, Prakash taking the king wicket of Wilson, caught at mid-on by Clarence Campbell.

Boys’ High were 188-8 at the end of the match. Respectable returns were the reward of both teams’ bowlers who pitched up; the others did it tough.

Horouta game-day captain Stanley Blake hit a six himself and marvelled at the 18 sixes hit by Ngarangione-Pearson and Wilson, who were named as their teams’ MVPs (most valuable players). Blake felt that his team learned a valuable lesson: don't take the opposition lightly.

“We played well — although we have a lot to work on — but I see a lot of talent in that Boys’ High team, too,” he said.

“There was a good atmosphere and chat in the field with them. Caleb (Taewa), Jack (Holden) and Gayesha (Mahabalage) all swung the ball.

“Some of their batting technique was awesome.”

Jett Whitaker said: “There was a great standard of cricket from both teams. We dug in, in the field and with the ball, against Stanley (Blake) and Ethan (Ngarangione-Pearson). Our opening bowlers Caleb and Brandon (Fearnley) made a fiery start. And then in our run chase, Seb (Wilson) and Caleb performed exceptionally with a great partnership.

“I was very pleased with our boys” determination — they love the game.”

Marshall Norris’s outfit made it three wins for the Gisborne High School Old Boys club on Saturday.

In the absence of regular skipper Ollie Needham, Norris joined Patrick McInnes of the HSOB Pups and David Castle of Bollywood HSOB as a victorious captain of the blue-and-whites at the weekend.

Norris led the Chicking HSOB Presidents to a five-wicket win against Campion College and, with the Horouta premiers defaulting to Old Boys Rugby on Saturday, the Presidents-Campion clash that was to be held at Nelson Park moved to Harry Barker Reserve and became the first B Grade game to be played on grass this season.

Both sides were pleased to be able to play on a quality pitch — the HBR No.1 wicket.

Having been put in to bat, Campion vice-captain Rhys Grogan (45) and skipper Taye McGuinness (25) put together the biggest partnership of the game, 61.

Campion were bowled out for 115 in 28.1 overs. Gagandeep Singh made eight runs from No.5, but no other batsman made more than four, and six of them were bowled.

Hiren Bhatti, bowling medium pace at first change, took 3-13 from 5.1 overs. He went through McGuinness to claim the first scalp for HSOB and wrapped up the first innings by going through No.9 Cornelius Du Preez for a duck.

Off-spinner Matt Jefferd and left-arm orthodox spinner Sean Moran (one maiden) both had figures of 3-23 and bowled out.

Campion spearhead Grogan breathed fire in defence of 115, taking 2-17 from four overs. Presidents were 9-2 when he had opener Jefferd caught by wicketkeeper McGuinness 2.3 overs in.

It was then that first drop Sandeep Patel played a crucial hand for 35 not out.

Norris, at No.4, applied himself in a knock of 21. He and Patel put on 55 for the third wicket, and Yegan Lanka scored 15 batting at No.5. These were the gritty contributions that made a hard-earned victory look like simple business.

It was left to No.8 Davin Govender to tuck the first ball he faced — a yorker from Starck — down to fine leg and take the winning run off the first ball of the 21st over.

McGuinness was pleased that his unit fought hard and showed some high-level fielding.

Long-serving Campion coach Mark Naden said: “Led by Taye (McGuinness) and Rhys (Grogan), we made 115 and had HSOB five wickets down by the end of the game. It was great to have Joe Singh and Luke Hurlstone back and also to have three Starcks play for us — Connor, his younger brother Leo, and Aidan, their dad.”