Rough return home for Boys’ High

The Palmerston North Boys’ High School first XI were given a rough welcome home from their tour of South Africa.

Boys’ High played their first game of the club season and were beaten by 85 runs by Marist at Ongley Park on Sunday.

Saturday’s round of games was rained off but Boys’ High and Marist played a catchup game on Sunday to make up for games the schoolboys missed while away.

Sunday’s game was reduced to 25 overs a side due to overnight rain and shifted to an artificial pitch. Marist batted first and scored 177-6.

Boys’ High opening bowler Thomas Kirk got them off to a great start, with two early wickets, and a runout by Mitch Leach had Marist in a tough spot. Three men were back in the pavilion with just six runs on the board.

The Marist middle order showed some steel as Dave Meiring and Dylan Gaskin added 87 runs for the fourth wicket.

Gaskin was out for 40 and Meiring was out in the next over for 46. Connor Morriss and Hugh Symes continued their work adding 83 when Kirk dismissed Symes on the final ball of the innings for 35.

Morriss found the gaps and he finished unbeaten on 43 from 22 balls.

Kirk was the best of the schoolboy bowlers, with 3-27 from five overs.

Boys’ High’s batting slumped in their chase and they were reduced to 19-5 in the ninth over, with Morriss snaring two wickets. Only opener Jack Wenham resisted with 13.

Luckily, player-coach Scott Davidson played a steady hand with an unbeaten 45 from 52 balls at No 5, but no-one hung around and no other batsman reached double figures.

The schoolboys could only muster 92-8 in their 25 overs.

Morriss took 2-4 from five overs, but it was Marist’s spinners who put the pressure on, as Nic Carter, Arana Noemabarnett and Connor Bliss bowled a lot of dot balls.

Marist 177-6 (Dave Meiring 46, Connor Morriss 43*, Dylan Gaskin 40, Hugh Symes 35; Thomas Kirk 3-27) beat Boys’ High 92-8 (Scott Davidson 45*, Morriss 2-4) by 85 runs. Next week: Saturday: Boys’ High v United, Old Boys v Freyberg, Marist v Palmerston. Sunday: Boys’ High v Palmerston.