Another fantastic day of cricket at the Gillette Cup results in Christchurch & Westlake Boys’ keeping their unbeaten records intact, while Palmerston North pick up their second tournament win.
Read all about it below!
ROUND THREE:
Christchurch Boys’ HS 152/2 (S McCulloch 75*, C Ellison 3-26) beat St Peter’s Cambridge 148/10 (X Bell 55, M Mitchell 1-31), Bert Sutcliffe Oval
Christchurch Boys’ showed their class on the Bert Sutcliffe Oval today, improving their record to three-from-three in the 2023 Gillette Cup.
Bowling first, CBHS were able to make inroads through in-form seamer, Nick Smith (2-17), who bowled a fantastic spell at the top for his team. Xavier Bell (55) showed his class for St Peter’s – acting as the backbone of the innings and tallying his second half-century of the tournament. Unfortunately for SPC, wickets fell consistently at the other end. James Thomas showed some fight, uniting with Bell for a 58-run partnership. CBHS spinners Chris Ellison (3-26) and Jack Lough (2-16) then ran through the SPC tail – taking four of the last five SPC wickets to see them bowled out for 148 runs.
Yesterday’s wicket-taker – Max Mitchell (1-31) – gave SPC a glimmer of hope, taking a wicket in the fourth over of the match. Shamus McCulloch had different ideas, though, showing his timing and a cool temperament en route to a match winning 75* runs. He was well supported by CBHS skipper Toby Robinson (22) and Callum Samson (36*), helping their side to a comfortable win in just the 24th over.
Palmerston North Boys HS 246/10 (V Prenter 52, A Pringle 4-52) Otago Boys’ HS / (L Garden 53, A Hansen 5-38), Lincoln No.3
Solid contributions at the top of the Palmerston North Boys’ batting order helped them to their highest team score at Gillette Cup thus far.
Openers Van Prenter (52) and Keiran Gill (25) got the PNBHS innings off to a great start, totaling 77 runs before the loss of a wicket. PBHS’s number three bat, Jerome Robinson (44), then came out swinging – scoring 44 runs with a strike rate over 100. Captain Ethan Campbell (27) and Max Culleton (32) added important contributions, boosting their sides total to a handy 246/10. Seam bowler, Ashton Hansen, was the best of the OBHS bowlers, breaking the Prenter-Gill partnership, and taking four of the last five wickets to secure himself a 5-wicket bag. Off-spinner Hamish Wilson was also able to bag two valuable wickets.
In response, OBHS got off to a tidy start thanks to opener Lewis Garden (53) who was able to record his first tournament half-century. He was joined by OBHS skipper Zac Cumming (25), who looked in good touch before being removed by opposing captain Ethan Campbell (1-28). Spin-bowler Alex Pringle (4-52) opened the PNBHS account, taking the first two wickets of the innings and eventually claiming the big wicket of Garden. OBHS’s top run-scorer from yesterday, Daniel Lawrence (52), again gave his team a fighting chance – taking the game deep and batting with composure to see his side to a position where they could win the match. Unfortunately for OBHS, it was to be a day for the NPBHS spinners, as Oliver Murray (3-34) claimed three big scalps, including the prized wicket of Lawrence. NPBHS winning in the 45th over by 39 runs.
Westlake Boys HS 264/10 (C Brighouse 47, T Douglas 3-49) beat Wellington College 246/10 (A Bonar 73 & 2-36), Lincoln Green
It was another team effort for Westlake Boys’ HS that saw them pick up their third victory the 2023 Gillette Cup.
Batting first, WBHS found themselves in a fantastic position thanks to openers Ryan Coetzee (28) and Ethan Holman (41). The two put on an impressive 72-run partnership before the loss of Coetzee. Captain Cambell Brighouse (47*) picked up where Coetzee left off – slapping five boundaries and pairing with the destructive Jordan Van Zyl (37) for a 64-run partnership. Ari Bonnar (2-36) was able to swing the tide with a sharp caught-and-bowled, while Ryan Tsourgas (2-52) got rid of the dangerous Van Zyl. The WBHS tail wagged through Nishil Patel (23) and Connor MacCarthy-Morrogh (21), who helped push the total to a strong 264/10.
Wellington College came out all guns blazing through openers Ari Bonnar (71) and Will Julian (50). The two put on an impressive 120-runs for the first wicket, with Bonnar dispatching 12 boundaries, and Julian playing a measured knock at the other end. Enter leg-spinner Vikram Varadarajan (2-29), who picked up both set batsman in what was a crucial spell for the Aucklanders. Left-arm orthodox bowler, Toby Douglas (3-49) also bowled a decisive spell – taking the big wickets of WC captain Dylan McArdle and the in-form Jack Pettit. Archie Sims (21) and Ryan Tsourgas (26) kept Wellington’s hopes alive – playing positively and putting away boundaries at the right time. WBHS stayed in the battle, eventually picking up a late run-out to secure an 18-run victory and keep their unbeaten record alive.
