St Paul’s Collegiate cricket players are in good spirits for the new season after enjoying rich success last summer.
It was their first appearance in the competition, and the colts team, year 9 and 10 students Reuben Andrews, Aubrey Fish, Scott Spence, Bede Higgens, Simon Morbey, Chris Swanson, Alastair Blackett, Simranjit Singh, Reed Fisher, Tom Yarrall, Dillon Kelliher and Chris Higgens, came third at the New Zealand Junior Boys’ National Finals in Palmerston North.
The St Paul’s team beat the previous winners, Christchurch Boys’ High, for the bronze, while Otago Boy’s High won the tournament, despite St Paul’s beating them in pool play. Top player Chris Swanson said that elusive top spot shouldn’t be elusive for too long.
“It’s given everyone the belief that we can compete against those top teams.”
He said their toughest game was their first one, against Hamilton Boys’ High, which the St Paul’s team knocked out, along with St John’s College, to be Waikato’s representative team.
Subsequent wins over Counties Manukau winners Pukekohe High School and Northland champs Whangarei Boys’ High paved the way for St Paul’s to be the Northern Districts’ representatives against seven other teams from around the country.
Chris was the top scorer of the four-day tournament with a highest score of 97-not out and had the highest overall aggregate, 223 runs, making him the overall best batsman for the tournament. Chris said he figured he’d won one or both of the titles because no-one had scored that high and not got out.
“I was just really happy,” he said of the confirmation of his personal wins.
The batsman and medium-fast bowler also scored the most runs with the 1st XI team last season – 551 runs – an achievement the 15-year-old was coy about.
“It feels like all the training has paid off,” he said.
Cricket runs in the family, with Chris’ dad and grandad both having played.
Chris said he has been playing “since I could walk”.
Next up for Chris and his team-mates is an age-group representative tournament between Northern Districts’ teams.
The St Paul’s 1st XI is also travelling to Wellington, Wairarapa and Whanganui to take on 1st XI schools in that area.
