Richards does the damage for Old Boys
Old Boys medium pacer Tim Richards made the most of bowler-friendly conditions against Palmerston North Boys’ High School, taking five wickets in an even match at Manawaroa Park.
Rain on Saturday meant play was delayed until 3pm so the pitches could dry out and even then the outfields were a bit spongy, but the conditions gave some assistance to the bowlers.
Richards grabbed 5-19 from 8.2 overs, getting some swing and bowling tight lines as Old Boys bowled out the schoolboys for 110 in 39.2 overs.
The wet conditions may have helped Richards and the bowlers, but some of the Boys’ High batsmen didn’t play great shots.
Caleb Hansen played a lone hand at No 3, scoring 53 from 121 balls, but none of his team-mates stayed in long enough to help, especially with Richards in form.
Nick Blundell did a good job opening the bowling and took 3-20 from nine overs.
The partnership between Hansen and Ruben Love was the best of the innings, adding 50 for the fifth wicket before Love was out for 15.
Boys’ High bowlers then put the pressure back on Old Boys, taking three wickets before the close of play.
Import Paul Summerskill, playing his last game before he returns to England, was out for just 1 opening the batting and Old Boys faced 11 overs to be 11-3 at stumps. Old Boys used a nightwatchman, so still have a bit of batting to come.
Both Brynn Cleaver and Henry Collier were not out on 1.
Boys’ High seamer Jack Harris had taken 2-1 from six overs.
have some work to do after the first day of their match against who already look like they have secured a spot in the final.
Marist were again bolstered by New Zealand bowler Adam Milne and Central Districts seamer Navin Patel.
But they weren’t required at the start of the game as Palmerston won the toss and put Marist into bat at Fitzherbert Park.
Marist made hay while they were out in the middle though,
Palmerston Marist,
through Arana Noema-barnett and Dave Meiring, who both survived being dropped to put on an opening stand of 105.
Noema-barnett was dismissed for 50, and Meiring went on to 88, as Palmerston kept taking wickets, particularly paceman Benn Dixon with 4-40, to stop Marist getting away on them.
Marist reached 218-7 in 40 overs before declaring.
They went off briefly for rain again, but came back out and Palmerston negotiated 15 overs to be 15-3 at stumps.
With Milne and Patel steaming in at full pace in the gloom, Palmerston captain Rob Sheary protested that it was too dark to face the pace bowlers, so Marist bowled spin for five more overs before stumps.
Milne picked up two wickets and Sheary was unbeaten on 2 at the end of the day and his partner Carlos Jensen was on 0 not out.
will be out for an outright win over to secure their place in the final
Their match at Fitzherbert Park was another game for the bowlers and is well advanced after the first day.
United Freyberg
Batting first, Freyberg scored 172-9 declared in 51.4 overs, then United were 37-3 at the close of play.
There were a few starts in Freyberg’s batting card, but not many of them went on to bigger scores. The best of the lot was Harry Wenham, who scored 49 at No 7 and opener Cam Mcnaught made 36.
Veteran seamer Cam Harris snared two wickets opening the bowling, then Matt Ball ripped out the middle order by taking 4-48 from 13 overs, before Jackson Gattsche finished things off by taking 3-25 from 5.4 overs.
Freyberg seamer Caleb Gaylard looks back to his best now he’s back from injury and he took 2-10 from five overs to reduce United to 37-3 in 11 overs before stumps.
Opener Mason Hughes scored 16 and then the not out batsmen were Robbie James (3) and Hayden Hill (7).