Junior cricket has received a significant boost with news the second half of the secondary schools’ Challenge Cup season will run as 30 rather than 20 overs a side and move from the artificial concrete decks at Nelson Park to the grass wickets of Harry Barker Reserve.
The advantages to young players of playing on good turf are many, but having batsmen play the ball late and straight to counter natural variation in movement and bounce is a crucial factor in their development.
Equally, bowlers unaware of the need to pitch the ball up on tracks on which the ball bounces less, will appreciate the merits of bowling full on grass.
Their chances of beating the bat and taking wickets are greater on quality grass pitches.
T20 games had crossed over into the playing time of mercantile cricketers. That will occur less often with a 3.30pm start (coin tosses to be done at Monday training), hourly over-rate of 15 and the move to a one innings a week format, starting Wednesday.
The Challenge Cup draws from Gisborne Boys' High School, Lytton, Sonrise, Gisborne Intermediate and Ilminster, with experienced players to lead the transition out of hardball cricket and towards Senior B Hope Cup 30-over Saturday matches.
In Wednesday’s games, the Blues & Royals will bat first against the King’s Own on the representative wicket and the Life Guards will bat first against the Admiralty on ground 3.
The Blues & Royals: Caleb Taewa (co-captain), Patrick McInnes (co-captain), Aiden Armstrong (wicketkeeper), Kobe Donnelly, Micah Langford, Callum McInnes, Pranash Senthooran, Reuben Walsh, Jack Williams.
The Admiralty: Jack Holden (capt), Tristan Flamwell (vice-capt), Raffaele Colucci, Rylan Crosby-Wright, Tharuka Fernando, Archie Gillies, Matt Langford, Cody McMurray, Conrad Parkes, Hugo Phillips.
The Life Guards: Robbie Newlands (c), Gayesha Mahabalage (vc), Tarn Boyle, Brandon Fearnley, Joel Kirkpatrick, Daniel Newlands, Niall Schutte, Kegan Van Zyl, Mitchell Van Zyl.
The King’s Own: Jonah Reynolds (c), Charlie Whitfield (c), Ged Cook, Max Egan, Jordyn Haley, Jake Kirkpatrick, Harvey Reynolds, Jed Reynolds, Finnbar Whitfield.
POVERTY BAY SENIOR CLUB CRICKET SCOREBOARD
Premier Grade, DJ Barry Cup championship, round 2
Moshim’s Spice Horouta Te Waka 116-5 in 18.2 overs (Gautam Sareen 48, James Birrell 20 not out; David Gray 2-15 off 3 overs) def Gisborne Boys' High School First XI 115 all out in 34.4 overs (Zyden Worsnop 52, Keanu Makiri 18; Harmanpreet Singh Gill 4-15 off 6.4) on first innings.
Coastal Concrete Old Boys' Rugby 131 all out in 35.2 overs (Jarrod Ormiston 34, Yogi Purohit 25; Alex Shanks 2 wickets in 2 balls, Connor Starck 2-13 off 6 overs, Anthony Boyder 2-21 off 6) def Bollywood High School Old Boys 113 all out in 23 overs (Taye McGuinness 22, Steve Lamb 22; Bekko Page 5-68 off 11 overs, Karan Solanki 4-23 off 6 overs) on first innings.
Senior B, Hope Cup 30-over championship, round 2
Horouta Te Waka 114-6 in 25 overs (Ethan Ngarangione-Pearson 55 retired, Tama Tuwairua 29) def Gisborne Boys' High School Second XI 113 all out in 34.4 overs (Joel Kirkpatrick 36, Patrick McInnes 18; Billy Morse 2-15 off 4overs, George Judd 2-21 off 6) by four wickets.
Chicking High School Old Boys' Presidents 82-2 in 16.2 overs (Glen Udall 30, Steve Whitaker 23no; Matt Cooper 1-14 off 3) def Civil Project Solutions Ngatapa Green Caps 78 all out in 22.5 overs (Brent Gallagher 29; Nathan Quimpo 4-0 off 1.5, Matthew Jefferd 2-7 off 5-2, Mike Francis 2-17 off 6) by eight wickets.
