Campion taste victory in third round

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

Hamish Swann was a happy captain last Saturday.

His Campion College team have now tasted victory three rounds into the 30-over Hope Cup championship of Senior B club cricket. In beating Horouta by 39 runs, the school team won the Naden-Taylor Trophy, contested in honour of former Horouta cricketer Vaughan Thompson.

Swann won the toss on Nelson Park No.3 and chose to bat. The College made 135 in 29.5 overs, although they got off to the worst possible start. Swann was bowled by Horouta spearhead Stanley Blake (1-11 from four overs) with the first ball of the game — a royal duck.

Swann’s opening partner, Taye McGuinness, continued his good form of the first two weeks (32 versus HSOB, 43 v Ngatapa) with 42 on Saturday. Connor Starck, at No.3, made 23 and Rhys Grogan, at No.4, 31.

These three capable young players now need to kick on from 20.

Left-arm orthodox spinner Clarence Campbell, fifth bowler used by Te Waka, took 4-26 from six overs. Deceptive seam bowler Aman Kamboj took 2-1 from 1.5 overs and cleaned up the tail.

In defence of 135, opening bowlers Grogan (1-31) and Starck (3-11) both got through a full complement of six overs and Swann — on at second change — picked up 2-31 from five. Campion bowled out Te Waka for 96 in 29.5 overs.

Kamboj, at first drop, made an unbeaten 27, fifth-man-in Blake (17) — a huge wicket in the context of the match — was out caught off the slow medium pace of old boy Luke Hurlstone (1-22 from six overs). Vishal Singh, at No.2, was Horouta’s third-highest scorer with 15.

Campion coach Mark Naden, a servant of the game, said: “Vaughan Thompson would have had a big smile on his face on Saturday. Billy Morse, Greg Taylor, Clarrie Campbell, Stan Blake and the Horouta cricket family all contributed to a great game. We were really proud of the fight our boys put up and we’re humbled to have the trophy back.

“It’s fitting that Luke Hurlstone and guest adult player and parent David Milne also contributed. Hamish Swann, Rhys Grogan, Taye McGuinness and Connor Starck performed well with the support of the team.”

Gisborne Boys’ High School (2) were in the hunt against Rawhiti Legal Old Boys Rugby.

The Thom Berry-led OBR won the clash on NP1 by 29 runs — the younger team's batting remains their Achilles heel but their improvement is noteworthy.

Berry won the toss, opted to bat and led the way at the top of the order with 37 as OBR posted 153-7. He and Harry White (22) put on 41 for the fourth wicket until Malsha Mahabalage held a good catch at mid-on to dismiss the hard-hitting Berry.

Left-hander Tama Wirepa (35 not out from No.7) and Vipul Meta (14 from No.9) shared an eighth-wicket stand of 54.

Wirepa — having been hit in the lower abdomen by pace bowler Tarn Boyle (0-10 from two covers) with his score on five — gritted his teeth and put on another 30.

GBHS vice-captain Caleb Taewa spearheaded the attack and took 3-16 from six overs before another left-armer of promise, Jack Holden, came on at first change. Although he couldn't remove his brother, Tama Wirepa, Holden was good value in taking 2-26 from five overs.

Alex Langford held two fine catches — one at Cow Corner to dismiss a powerful batsman in Franco Ludwig (6 from No.3) and one sliding to his right at square leg off the bowling of skipper Jett Whitaker (1-6 from two overs) to dismiss Amit Vyas (7 from No.6).

Brandon Fearnley, who shared the new ball with Taewa, took 1-22 and bowled outside off-stump, up to the bat, for five overs.

OBR are a different side without stalwarts Ian Loffler and Craig Christophers, now retired.

Also absent on Saturday were father-and-son, left-arm/right-arm bowling pair George and Jonah Reynolds. Exactly one year ago they annihilated GBHS (2) between them. Reynolds Snr took 6-5 from four overs and Jonah, 4-6 from 4.1 overs in a 201-run victory to OBR as Boys’ High were all out for 11 in 8.1 overs.

But on Saturday GBHS (2) reached 124 in 28.5 overs. Adult player Steve Whitaker again led their run-scoring efforts, with 33 at first drop. Gayesha Mahabalage, with 15, got a start at No.5 but to be competitive, his side will need larger stands than 32 and 24 for the fourth and fifth wickets. Amit Vyas took 4-16 from six overs, left-armer Wirepa 2-15 from four, Rongomai Smith 2-19 from five and leg-spinner Mana Taumaunu 2-33 from six.

In Taumaunu, OBR have an aggressive spin bowler who gives them wicket-taking options. He opened with Vyas, which in itself made the cricket interesting to watch. Whitaker Snr was the only batsman to use his feet against Taumaunu and until he fell, at 103-7 in the 24th over, GBHS had an outside chance of victory.

Jett Whitaker said: “We’re starting to build partnerships and be able to bat for close to 30 overs. We bowled well. Caleb Taewa, Jack Holden and Brandon Fearnley had great economies in the first 10 overs. Malsha Mahabalage and Alex Langford attacked the bowling and held important catches. We’re improving.”

The defending champions just cracked the whip and then some.

Hope Cup holders Civil Project Solutions Ngatapa Green Caps beat a team of quality veterans — Chicking High School Old Boys Presidents — by 10 wickets at the weekend.

The Caps lost their Round 1 clash with OBR by six wickets but went into Saturday’s match on the back of a 42-run win against Campion College and at the heart of it was a magnificent all-round effort from Isaac Thomas.

Thomas, bowling medium-pace sixth change, took 2-22 from six overs, one of which was a maiden, and played a magic hand for 79no. He and his opening partner Simon Wilson (26no) carried their bats in a dominant performance.

Ngatapa skipper Mike Gibson and High School Old Boys’ Jeff Chambers — deputising for Ollie Needham — did without a toss. Both teams got what they wanted, HSOB taking first knock.

They were bowled out for 113 in 28.2 overs. Wicketkeeper Needham (22) and Chambers (21) at five and six respectively, were the only batsmen to pass 20. Opening batsmen Paul Jefferson (16) and Glen Udall (9) put on 33, Needham and Chambers put on 38 but they needed a total of at least 170 to 180 to put pressure on Ngatapa.

As it was, gloveman Wilson at No.1 and the in-form Thomas saw the Green Caps home in 11.1 overs.

Buddhika Kumarage (0-19 from three overs, one a maiden) was the best of the bowlers for HSOB Presidents.

HSOB captain Ollie Needham said: “Isaac Thomas hit seven sixes and seven fours — 70 of his 79 runs in boundaries — and gave us no chance to defend a total, 113, which was well below par.

“Earlier on, we’d struggled with the bat against a tidy bowling attack that found a niggly length — we spooned easy catches trying to clear the infield. Isaac bowled two classic yorkers that were too good for Jeff (Chambers) and me today.”