Tapper in charge as King’s completes the double against AGS

King’s – 169/9 in 46 overs

AGS – 96/5 in 26 overs

On a day when rain was to be the star performer, skipper Nick Tapper conjured up some magic, after losing a crucial toss, to lead his team to victory, in his final outing for the King’s College 1^st XI. In his 36^th appearance, spanning three seasons -12 as captain - Tapper finished off in grand style, courtesy of a fighting half-century and tight bowling to ensure that his team had their noses in front of the DLS target when the rain intervened in the late afternoon.

The hosts claimed the initial momentum by winning the toss and opting to bowl – a predictable decision, given the weather.  The AGS pace attack used the conditions superbly and kept the run rate in check as King’s struggled to score freely. Wides were gifted but wickets were always falling or likely to fall as King’s lurched to 32/2 in the 10^th over, helped by almost 50% wides at that point. The AGS speedster, Jack Wright was difficult to handle and was well supported by the rest of the pace attack as both James Nelson and Morgan Tapper were sent packing. The skipper joined Karl Wallace and began to rebuild. Wallace compiled a promising 17 runs (46 balls) before he was beaten but Nick Tapper was batting with purpose, guile, determination and brilliance as he stitched up partnerships with James Wilson and Josh Olliver. The only blemish in Tapper’s innings was the way he threw his wicket away trying to manufacture runs.

In hindsight, good and sensible batting would have led to a better team total. The normally destructive Josh Olliver found it tough going and put together a 33- run partnership with Liam Denny but both were dismissed in the final over with the hosts winning this mini-battle.

In pursuit of 170 in an unlikely 46 overs due to the threatening weather, AGS were generally behind the RRR as per DLS but were spurred by the magnitude of the match (bragging rights and final match for their distinguished coach, Ian Trott) to capitalise on any bowling indiscretions and cause a fair bit of concern in the King’s camp. Scott Illerbrun, on debut, found keeping at this level, a massive step-up, especially to the spin bowlers, as some chances went astray. Samar Singh made a major breakthrough to remove the opposition top scorer as King’s got on top in the 24th over, well ahead on DLS at this juncture. The 6^th wicket pair began the rebuild and started to cause concern when rain had the final say and the match ended with King’s 6 runs ahead of the DLS target, bringing a joyful conclusion to a disappointing season in which a Gillette Cup opportunity proved elusive. Nevertheless, for the Year 13 players, a win in their final outing against arch-rivals Auckland Grammar will always be cherished.

Baggies were awarded to Jonty Willis, James Wilson, Morgan Tapper and Justin Nori for registering 12 appearances.

Personally, on behalf of Dipak Patel, Craig Birkbeck, the parents and grounds staff I would like to sincerely thank our leavers – Nick Tapper (36 caps), Karl Wallace (23 caps), Josh Olliver (21 caps), Jack Priddy (13), James Wilson (12) and Jonty Willis (12) for ensuring a top-three finish for the 1^st XI this year.

Baggy: Jonty Willis, James Wilson, Justin Nori, Morgan Tapper 

Karl Wallace, another long-serving member of the 1st XI walks out to open the batting with James Nelson