JUNIOR NZCT TEAM v NEW PLYMOUTH BHS
MONDAY 12 MARCH 2018
The PNBHS Junior NZCT team travelled to New Plymouth to play their final elimination NZCT match on Monday 12 March. The winner would receive the opportunity to progress to the National Tournament, as the top team from the Central District region. What greeted the boys was a barren pitch which suggested runs would be hard to come by. PNBHS batted first and were soon in trouble losing wickets at regular intervals. The boys struggled to adapt to New Plymouth's four-pronged spin attack and some poor pieces of judgement between the wickets left them in a tough position. To their credit, they batted nearly 40 overs, to score what looked to be a below par 73, with the last three wickets adding a valuable 26 runs.
New Plymouth started their chase in positive fashion before a flurry of wickets gave PNBHS a hint of an opportunity. That proved enough as the boys bowled well and crucially backed their efforts with the ball up in the field, producing their best performance to date. Michael Watkins took two crucial wickets before Angus Lyver returned to pick up the last two to give him figures of 5-14. NPBHS were all out for 58 giving PNBHS a win by 15 runs and the opportunity to represent their school at the National Tournament.
