Tauranga Boys College win ND First XI Cup

Posted: Monday, 3 April 2017

Tauranga Boys College win ND First XI Cup

The Tauranga Boys College First XI, have regained the mantle of the best ND Secondary School Cricket team, after taking out the ND First XI Cup title last week (27/31 March 2017).

Tauranga Boys College Coach Charles Williams said “Our school first eleven headed for the ND First XI Cup with the aim of winning the tournament and reaching the NZ Cricket National Finals in term four. While we had a tough Williams Cup campaign, it definitely toughened the boys up for schools cricket”.

First up, the Western Bay of Plenty team squared off with Whangarei BHS, which turned out to be a short and sharp encounter. Rhys Mischewski was the star of the show, taking a wicket with the first ball of the tournament, as he ripped out six opposition batsmen for just 12 runs. Ben Pomare took was dynamic in the field taking four catches, as the team from the far north were rolled for 47.

In reply, Tauranga Boys cruised to victory at 48/1 in just eleven overs, after a rapid-fire 40 run partnership between Marcel Collett and Dominic Crombie. The game finished very early against the school that had won the ND Tournament in 2013.

On Day two, Hillcrest High School put Tauranga Boys into bat, with the Western Bay School reaching 232/6 in a match reduced to 45 overs. Marcel Collett held his sides innings together with a patient 62, with top order batsmen Mikaere Leef adding a solid 49 runs. Dominic Crombie (36) and Iman Singh (23) accelerated the total, batting down the order.

The Waikato region side were bowled out cheaply for just 76, with Rhys Mischewski again starring with the ball. Mischewski grabbed three wickets for just 5 runs, with Finn Sears removing their danger man. Mikaere Leef finished off the opposition batting attack with three wickets in one over.

Tauranga Boys skipper Miakaere Leef finally won a toss on day three and elected to bat against St Pauls Collegiate, on their home ground. TBC were finally removed for 217, with Marcel Collett again top scoring with a gritty 63 runs. Dominic Crombie was also in good touch with a handy 46.

St Pauls were bowled out for 161, to give Tauranga Boys College a berth in the title decider on day four. Tasman Carsons took three wickets at a cost of 29 runs with Iman Singh returning 2/21.

Day four dawned on a typical foggy Waikato day, leaving a heavy dew at Jansen Park. The Tauranga Boys representatives faced a big challenge against archrivals Hamilton Boys High School.

The Waikato City team won the toss and invited Tauranga Boys to bat first. Finn Sears scored a hard hit 51 and posted a 72 run opening stand, with Marcel Collett. Dominic Crombie backed up the opening partnership with 47 runs and featured in a fifth wicket stand of 58 with Iman Singh (25). Tauranga Boys College set their opponents a solid target after being removed for 189, at the end of the regulation fifty overs.

Rhys Mischewski and Finn Sears opened their sides bowling attack and bowled well to have Hamilton Boys under early pressure. A direct hit at the stumps from Marcel Collett, turned the momentum in the game, triggering a opposition collapse which saw Hamilton Boys six down with just 68 runs on the board. The Bay of Plenty side then went on to take out the ND First XI Cup title, with Iman Singh and Brad Howard finishing off the Hamilton Boys turn at bat.

The Tauranga Boys Coach reserved plenty of praise for skipper Mikaere Leef who led his side superbly through the four days of competition and keeper Ben Pomare who made an outstanding contribution with the gloves. The team mentor made particular mention of the contribution of team sponsor Cooney Lees Morgan, which enabled the Tauranga Boys first eleven to train indoors during last winter.

The 2017 Tauranga Boys College First XI will now set out to emulate their 2005 counterparts who shared the NZ Cricket Secondary School title with Christchurch Boys High School.

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