OBR, HSOB, Horouta claim wins

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

Tim Jefferd and Hiren Bhatti proved the value of teamwork on Saturday.

Jefferd’s anticipation at mid-wicket and Hiren Bhatti’s nerve at the bowler’s end ensured a one-run win for Chicking High School Old Boys Presidents against defending Senior B Grade champions Civil Project Solutions Ngatapa Green Caps.

With the Caps needing one run to tie the Round 8 cricket match on Harry Barker Reserve No.4, fielder and bowler combined to run out striker EJ Nepe for five off the last ball of the match.

Nepe, batting at No.6, has been excellent value since coming back to cricket last year. He led Ngatapa’s run-scorers the previous weekend with 31 not out in a two-wicket loss to Campion College, and on Saturday again had the task of trying to get the Charles Morrison-led Ngatapa side home against a Presidents outfit keen to do better than they had in the teams’ first clash this season on November 11.

Then, HSOB had posted 113 in 28.2 overs at Nelson Park, and Ngatapa had trounced them by 10 wickets in 11.1 overs.

On Saturday, Ngatapa’s Morrison — although the Caps lost — had reason to be pleased with two up-and-comers back in town for the holidays: fellow opening batsman, Charlie Castles of Napier Boys’ High School, and promising fast bowler Archer Allen of Christ’s College, both 14.

HSOB game-day captain Sean Moran won the toss and chose to bat. Presidents made 180-8 from 30 overs, with Jefferd brothers Matt (45 retired) and Tim (35), at Nos 3 and 4 respectively, at the heart of their gritty middle-order effort.

Morrison (2-17 from five overs) brought himself on at sixth change and the seventh bowler used was another clever off-spinner, the wily Jeremy Castles (father of Charlie), who took 1-11 from three overs. Theirs were the best figures for Ngatapa.

Castles Snr then saw wicketkeeper-batsman Castles Jnr make his first B Grade half-century – 67 from No.2 – and share in a second-wicket stand of 89 with Ollie Jonasen (37).

Charlie Castles was the fifth to fall, caught by Baljeet Sandhu at long-on in the 29th over, bowled by HSOB spearhead Yegan Lanka (2-20 from six overs). Castles Jnr had shown fine batsmanship and all but carried his bat to get the Green Caps home.

Hiren Bhatti, who shared the new ball with Lanka, took 1-44 from six overs: the wicket being that of hard-hitting Hoffman Haasbroek (37), who belted three sixes and four

fours before he was dismissed, leg before wicket.

Matt Jefferd (HSOB Presidents) and Charlie Castles (Ngatapa) won their teams’ MVP (most valuable player) awards.

Morrison praised Castles’ technique and temperament, while Presidents skipper Moran said: “The Jefferd brothers’ performance with the bat was key for us, and we had a good flurry at the end of the innings to lift us to 180 — a competitive score.

“Ngatapa’s response was to come out with all guns blazing, but great bowling, and composure from our fielders in the last five overs got us home.

“It was a great game played in the best spirit.”

Thom Berry is the best sort of Hope Cup captain.

The Rawhiti Legal Old Boys Rugby skipper, one of the best batsmen in local club cricket, shares opportunities around as Craig Christophers and Ian Loffler did before him.

All three have made bucketloads of runs in 30- and 40-over cricket over the past decade, but Berry proved again on Saturday that when needs must, he can still get his side home.

He made an unbeaten 44 from No.8 and shared an 87-run stand with Joe Reynolds (20no), for victory by three wickets against a developing Gisborne Boys’ High School (2) team.

Boys’ High captain Jett Whitaker won the toss and put his team in to bat. They lost first drop Seb Wilson and adult player and No.4 Steve Whitaker, both for one, but the youngsters rallied.

Opener Robbie Newlands made 19 and Gayesha Mahabalage – in at nine – drummed up 46no off 58 balls, the highest score made by a Boys’ High junior in the grade since Kavudu Withanage’s 45no in a 40-run win against Campion College last year.

The last fifty scored by a GBHS junior was 54 by Withanage in a 10-run win against HSOB Presidents two years ago.

Mahabalage and his elder brother Malsha, who faced the first ball of the match, are talented batsmen, natural timers and stroke-makers.

GBHS recovered from 47-6 to be 122-7 after 30 overs. Gloveman Charlie Whitfield — batting at No.7 — made 14no off 36 balls in support of Gayesha Mahabalage.

Left-armer George Reynolds took 2-4 from three overs, his fellow medium-pacer Tom Garrett 2-13 from two and leg-spinner Mana Taumaunu 2-15 from five.

Reynolds and Taumaunu shared the new ball; Garrett was the sixth bowler used.

Boys’ High had OBR 36-7 four balls into the 11th over. The GBHS new-ball pairing of left-armer Caleb Taewa (2-33 from six overs) and Brandon Fearnley (2-11 from four), and Newlands (2-9 from two) at second change, were penetrative and — in their first spells — economical.

Berry hit a six and three fours in his 33-ball stay at the crease, while Boys’ High dropped five catches.

“We stuck in there with the bat after losing Seb and Dad — it was good to see that from players as young as Gayesha,” Jett Whitaker said.

“We’re learning to build an innings. Our change bowlers need to be more consistent and our fielders have to hold their catches.”

Horouta were clinical at the weekend.

Breakers Horouta Te Waka beat Campion College by six wickets at Harry Barker Reserve.

Horouta’s Riley Horsfield won the toss and chose to bowl first.

Medium-pacer Harmanpreet Singh, the fifth member of the attack, responded superbly. He took 3-7 from three overs as Campion were dismissed for 76 in 26.2 overs.

All-rounder Rhys Grogan, batting at No.2, and first drop Connor Starck both made 12.

Horouta approached the chase positively. Billy Morse (34), batting at No.4, hit three sixes and three fours and Ethan Ngarangione-Pearson (15) at first drop led the charge.

Grogan, who shared the new ball with Campion spearhead Starck, took 3-19 from six overs. From his earliest days as a first-11 cricketer, Grogan has been an accurate bowler with the ability to generate swing. He has added pace and bounce to his armoury.

Starck is an excellent line bowler who can move the ball either way in the air and off the wicket, but his chief attributes are the straightness of his line, and his ability to make batsmen play. Starck delivers the ball from as close to the stumps as any bowler in senior local cricket.

Leg-spinner Anikate Bhandral bowled one over for 21 runs and left-armer Joe Singh went for 26 runs in two overs. Both fell victim to Morse’s attack. Morse hit Singh for six to bring up Horouta’s fourth win of the season.

RAWHITI LEGAL OBR 123-7 (Thom Berry 44no, Joe Reynolds 20no; Robbie Newlands 2-9, Brandon Fearnley 2-11, Caleb Taewa 2-33) beat GISBORNE BOYS’ HIGH SCHOOL (2) 122-7 (Gayesha Mahabalage 46no, Robbie Newlands 19; George Reynolds 2-4, Tom Garrett 2-13, Mana Taumaunu 2-15) by three wickets.

BREAKERS HOROUTA TE WAKA 77-4 (Billy Morse 34no, Ethan Ngarangione-Pearson 15; Rhys Grogan 3-19) beat CAMPION COLLEGE 76 (Rhys Grogan 12, Connor Starck 12; Harmanpreet Singh 3-7) by six wickets.

CHICKING HSOB PRESIDENTS 180-8 (Matt Jefferd 45, Tim Jefferd 35, Hiren Bhatti 19no; Charles Morrison 2-17) beat CIVIL PROJECT SOLUTIONS NGATAPA GREEN CAPS 179-6 (Charlie Castles 67, Ollie Jonasen 37, Hoffman Haasbroek 37; Yegan Lanka 2-20) by one run.