King's Play Host to Auckland Grammar School

• King’s College 163/9 (50 overs)
• Auckland Grammar School 142 all out (47.5 overs)

The hosts were keen to maintain their recent dominance against their traditional rivals in this format and chose to bat on winning the toss. Auckland Grammar School's (AGS) spin-heavy attack kept the King's batsmen in check with regular wickets and brilliantly tight bowling. King’s played out a mammoth 201 dot balls (67%). A sound 80-run partnership between in-form Callum Douglas and Sam Wilson laid the platform for King's to reach a reasonable score.

When William St John lost his wicket in the 43rdover, Hayden Dickson joined Tyler Jerram out in the front line a lot earlier than they usually appear. Whilst the latter knuckled down to build on a total which was still looking inadequate, the former wasted another opportunity to showcase his batting talent as he was dismissed without scoring. Another mature innings from the resilient George Cory-Wright, who clearly saw the need to bat out till the end, aided by Jerram and the lively tail, helped King’s reach 163 for 9 in 50 overs, which they would have deemed defendable after last week's agonisingly close loss to championship-bound Saint Kentigern College.

In chasing a low score, the watchful AGS batting unit was always in the hunt, but after the loss of their in-form skipper Flynn McGregor-Sumpter and Anirud Das via the guile of spinner Campbell Mabin who picked up 3 top-order wickets, AGS was in a spot of bother at 60-4 in the 23rd over with the red hot William Boyden yet to join the attack. The keeper and part-time leg-spinner Thorn Parkes handed over the gloves to Sam Wilson and joined the bowling attack in the 27th over, whilst Boyden had still not got the nod from the skipper. The fledgling 'Parkes-experiment' worked as he bowled 8 overs on the trot for his 2 wickets whilst conceding 22 runs – providing the team with another spinning option for the championship matches coming up. Boyden was given the ball with AGS on 83 for 5 after 33 overs. Three wickets fell in consecutive overs to have the visitors free-falling at 94 for 8 after the 36th over.

With AGS facing abject defeat at 100 for 9 in the 39th over the home team attack lapsed into mediocrity, allowing the visitors to entertain paper-thin hopes of a win with a last wicket flourish between Leggat and Kidd who took them to within 22 runs of victory before the athleticism of William St John ended the late fight-back. This recent inability to finish off opposition is a growing concern and something that the leadership will have to seriously plan for in must-win games around the corner.