Cam O’Leary batted sensibly to take St Peter’s through to victory.Flynn Morey’s man of the match 5-52 backed up by Xavier Bell’s all-round effort with bat, ball and in the field saw St Peter’s School, Cambridge home against Hamilton Boys’ High School (HBHS) in the Northern Districts Gillette Cup qualifying final at Jansen Park in Hamilton last week.
It was a special victory for St Peter’s coach and former Black Cap Anton Devcich, an old boy of HBHS and is only the second time in the school’s history that it has qualified for the Gillette Cup, a six-school national tournament which will be held in Christchurch later this year.
HBHS won the toss and elected to bat which looked to be the wrong decision as they lost three wickets for 19 runs. A mini recovery occurred until Archie Louden took the crucial wicket of Lucky Reddy at 105.
HBHS scrambled through to 198/9 after their 50 overs with Morey’s hostile five wicket haul and a run out, a brilliant caught and bowled by Bell and solid fielding making the run chase an achievable one.
In reply, St Peter’s got off to a flyer losing Ryan Harvey after 50 runs and then accumulating another 107 runs before Bell, now joined by team captain Benji Bell (no relation), was out for 78 from 108 balls, which included two sixes and six fours.
Benji Bell was the next to go on 173 runs leaving only 17 for victory which Cam O’Leary and Morrey knocked off comfortably with 3.4 overs to go. O’Leary thumped two massive sixes in his 33 ball 35 not out innings to lead the team home.
The win over HBHS and earlier over the very strong Tauranga Boys High School was a special achievement, said manager Matthew Markham.
The total of 138 seemed achievable until St John’s imploded with an unprecedented four run outs – two by Archie Louden – falling 27 short of the target.
“When the final wicket fell, there was a real sense of relief from the St Peter’s crowd,” said Markham who described the performance as “scrappy”. It was the wake up players needed for the subsequent final win over HBHS.
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- Flynn Morey sends down another of his hostile deliveries on his way to 5-52 for St Peter’s in the final.
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- The team celebrates beating Hamilton Boys
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- Baxter Smith, Benji Bell and Xavier Ball hunt as a pack in the field vs Hamilton Boys
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- Cam O’Leary behind the stumps vs Hamilton Boys
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- The boys celebrate beating Tauranga Boys.
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- Winning St Peter’s team, back row, from left: Anton Devcich (coach), George Harris, Baxter Smith, Nick Greaney, Kees Butler, Flynn Morey, Will Jacobson, Matthew Markham (manager) Front row, from left: Xavier Bell, Cam O’Leary, Benji Bell, Ryan Harvey, Archie Louden, Max Mitchell.
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- Flynn Morey and Benji Bell assess the situation as they chase down the Tauranga total
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- Cam O’Leary and Benji Bell (facing the camera) celebrate beating Tauranga
