7 December, 2024

High-flying Westlake Boys cricketers aim to better last year’s second at Gillette Cup

Got him!… Westlake players celebrating a wicket

Westlake Boys High School’s first XI cricket team’s big hitters are aiming to continue their form at the national schools tournament, for which the side recently qualified for the second year running.
Westlake beat Auckland Grammar by 58 runs in the final of the premier district limited overs competition, on 23 November, to become the Auckland representative for the Gillette Cup, the national secondary schools one-day competition.
Coach Paul Strang said it started as a tight game but Westlake were able to keep the pressure on. Once the match broke open, they were able to win more comfortably than the scoreline suggested.
Their second title in as many years comes after a season in which some impressive individual performances helped Westlake win 11 games and lose just two.
Batters Brandon Matzopoulos and Ethan Holman terrorised Takapuna Grammar School, scoring 115 and 151 respectively against the local rival in February and then scoring 117 and 116 against them in October, becoming the first two Westlake players to achieve hundreds both home and away against the same school in a single season.
New Zealand young cricketer of the year Jordan van Zyl has impressed throughout the season, while off spinner Luke Harrision has been an unsung hero for the side, said Strang, a former Zimbabwean international who played 24 test matches and 95 one-day internationals.
All-rounder Nishil Patel, who opens the bowling and is a middle-order batsman, has also been a constant contributor, he said.

Top talent… Batter Brandon Matzopoulos and bowler Nishil Patel in action

The entire squad has contributed to the side’s success, said Strang, sticking to team values and having “put the hours in” to become better cricketers, including during off-season fitness training which helped them become fitter, faster and stronger, he said.
That had helped the team play a “high tempo” brand of cricket this season, aiming to constantly apply pressure to the opposition.
They will look to go one better than last year’s second-place finish at the Gillette Cup when they compete in Canterbury from 11-16 December.
Strang said last year’s silver medal has been hanging above his desk all year, giving him more motivation for a different outcome this time around.
He said preparation for nationals was different to that required for the Auckland season, as the team will play five games in six days, requiring the mental strength to cope with the schedule and mounting pressure as the tournament progresses.
The team will also have to play on different pitches than they’re used to and in variable Canterbury conditions, so it will have to be adaptable to succeed, he said.

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