Force is strong in Horouta, OBR bowlers

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

Darth Vader might have had an opening similar to that of Round 3 of the DJ Barry Cup in mind when he said, “This will be a day long remembered”.

The cut and thrust of premier grade club cricket’s longest form was on show between Breakers Horouta Te Waka and Coastal Concrete Old Boys Rugby at Harry Barker Reserve on Saturday.

Shubham Ralhan, who has taken the reins of captaincy for The Waka from the long-serving David Situ, chose to take first knock and his side — bowled out for 111 — ended Day 1 with first-innings points and were 68-2 in their second turn at the crease.

That their sixth man in, Ralhan, made 50 off 71 balls before he fell to legspinner Mana Taumaunu (2-20 from 6.1 overs, three of them maidens) speaks to an aggressive inclination.

This from an outfit who had lost a wicket — that of Ben Brick, caught by OBR captain Matt Cook at cover off the bowling of Jimmy Holden — for a royal duck.

Brick’s opening partner, Gautam Sareen (26), fell five balls into the seventh over, caught by wicketkeeper Thom Berry off first-change bowler Te-Reimana Gray, and Himanshu Bhargav, seventh man in, made 22 from just 18 balls. He and Sareen (45 not out) opened the batting in The Waka’s second innings, and are the only batsmen in the match to have gone better than a run a ball past 20.

Holden, his new-ball partner, Karan Solanki, and Gray all took 1-10 from five overs. Solanki bowled two maidens, Holden and Gray, one apiece.

Holden bowled a great line and outswinger at the start of Day 1. OBR would have been happy to have Horouta all out in 39.1 overs before their first turn at bat. But then Te Waka’s change bowlers Harmanpreet Singh (4-23 from 10.2 overs, four maidens) and Gurishwar Singh (3-28, nine overs, one maiden) played a sensational hand.

They maintained the pressure applied by spearhead Ralhan (1-15, eight overs, one maiden) and Jagroop Singh (1-26, six overs, one maiden).

On a good deck, they attacked the stumps, and OBR were dismissed for 102 in 33.2 overs. After the early loss of openers Gray (13) and Berry (10), only first-drop Mana Taumaunu (33 from 84 balls) spent a fair length of time at the wicket, and no other batsmen passed double-figures.

First-innings points secured, Horouta lost Bhargav (3) and No.3 Harmanpreet Singh (19) before the close of play, and lead by 77 runs.

Holden (1-22, four overs) and offspinner Daniel Stewart (1-26, six overs) had both sent down a maiden before play ended and they will almost certainly be key figures on Day 2.

Their experience and accuracy, with that of in-form left-arm orthodox spinner Nick Greeks (he took 10 wickets against Gisborne Boys’ High School in Round 2), could be crucial for OBR.

Horouta need Sareen and Yaash Taak — who is on nought from 11 balls — to get in again and then kick on, so advancing the game.

The match situation for the OBR premiers now is similar to the one they faced the previous weekend, with a possibility of outright victory for both teams ahead of Day 2.

Good bowling, as much as batsmen not of a mind to grind, means the match is set up for more absorbing play and the prospect of an outright result.

Having answered the call for their premiers at the weekend (the prems were without key personnel such as Greeks, Richie Needham and gloveman Kieran Venema due to a fishing tournament), Taumaunu and his regular captain Berry may be able to rejoin Rawhiti Legal OBR in the Senior B Grade this Saturday.

Ralhan said: “I'm very happy with the team — they did exactly what I asked them to do. We posted a low total in the first innings, so we wanted our bowlers to dominate.

“Our approach was to be attacking and there you go: we took first-innings points.”

Cook was philosophical: "A couple of our guys gave their wickets away at crucial times, which was frustrating, as we were looking on target to get points, but I was happy with our bowling and fielding in the first innings.

“That said, so far in the second innings our bowling’s been a bit loose.”

Which way will Dave Castle and Co take this game?

Jak Rowe and Carl Shaw led Bollywood High School Old Boys as co-captains on Day 1 of the Round 3 match against Gisborne Boys’ High School. Now regular skipper Castle has decisions to make.

“We’ll look to knock off the 29 runs we need to take first innings points, then be positive and seek a lead to get ahead in the game . . . push on for a chance at outright victory,” Castle said.

“We've no number in mind — there’s a lot of cricket still to be played — but any lead will allow us to attack Boys’ High with the ball.”

Jarrod Ormiston, one of three vice-captains for Boys’ High, won the toss on Harry Barker Reserve No.1 and chose to bat.

HSOB new-ball pairing of left-armers Jak Rowe (1-31 from 12 overs, four of them maidens) and Keegan Jooste (4-31 from 11 overs, two maidens) kept things tight and Nick Armour (3-25 from 8.4 overs, one maiden) at first change winkled out the tail, left-hander Johnathan Gray (eighth man in, 40 off 83 balls) caught by gloveman Glen Udall standing up off the first ball of the 50th over.

No.11 Akira Makiri was stumped second ball for nought and Boys’ High were all out for 164 in 51.4 overs.

On Day 1, Boys’ High gave players opportunities with an eye to skill development. David Gray — one Gisborne Boys’ High’s vice captains — who took 3-45 and 2-10 bowling pace in the Round 2 clash with OBR, kept wicket.

The Mahabalage brothers Malsha, 16, and Gayesha, 14, went in at one and four.

Left-hander Ormiston, who made his first 11 career-best 79 at No.5 in the team’s second innings against OBR, batted at six and made seven. Alex Shanks, who made 52 at first drop in the first dig against OBR, reached 13 coming in at seven.

David Gray made 29 from No.5; Nathaniel Fearnley, a tall technician who has found form of late opening in T15 cricket, was 38 not out on Saturday.

Ahead of the traditional interschool fixture with Napier Boys’ High School in Gisborne next week, left-armer Johnathan Gray — who played Premier Grade cricket for OBR last season and took 3-16 against them last Saturday — came on in the 19th over with the score at 75-3.

Boys’ High vice-captain Bekko Page nabbed 3-26 from eight overs, one of them a maiden.

The GBHS pace bowlers generally hit two different lengths but left-arm orthodox spinner Riker Rolls was tidy in his four overs for nine runs.

Keanu Makiri, who has made the tough transition from swing merchant to legspinner, will — given time — gain the confidence and experience required to ply his new trade skilfully.

HSOB had big leftie Carl Shaw (37 at No.4) and Glen Udall (31 at No.5) in at the close of play. The Blues were 135-3 from 35 overs of a possible 60.

From a Boys’ High perspective, to keep things tight is the aim. Loose bowling will allow the Shaw-Udall partnership to get away on them.

High School Old Boys’ look-see will, as their skipper said, be as brief as they can make it. Scott Tallott hit a six and four fours in his 28-ball knock of 31 from No.3.

In form, he is devastating. Rolls caught him off the bowling of Page and Boys’ High can make good runs in good time.

Their approach to batting on Day 2 may be every bit as important as their batting order.