A professional performance with both bat and ball has helped a Governor General’s XI overcome the New Zealand Maori Schoolboys by 69 runs at Karori Park this afternoon.
Governor General’s XI 265/9 (Sam Morgan 65, Peter Bonar 56, Sam French 43, Payton Spencer 4-50) beat New Zealand Maori Schoolboys 196 (Nathan Robinson 56, Curtis Heaphy 53, Payton Spencer 43, Elliott Seddon 3-47) by 69 runs
After losing the toss and being put into bat first by Maori Schoolboys captain Curtis Heaphy the Governor
General XI reached an imposing 265 from their 50 overs - Sam Morgan (65) and Peter Bonar (56) the pick of the batsman.
The Governor General XI began their innings well despite the early setback of losing Caleb Montague for just nine in the third over.
Bonar built a careful innings, finding the boundary at regular intervals to bring up his fifty at a run-a-ball in the sixteenth over.
He had had good help from Sam French but when Bonar was run out for 56 and then French removed three overs later for 43 the Maori Schoolboys were in the game.
In came Sam Morgan who’s patient 65 from 80 deliveries took the game away from the Maori Schoolboys.
The Wellington batsman only found the boundary five times but his smart stroke-play and ability to rotate the strike frustrated the Maori Schoolboys bowlers.
Morgan found a good partner in Max Sargentina (40 from 55) and their partnership, eventually worth 83 runs brought the Governor General XI to near the 250 mark with over three overs remaining.
Payton Spencer finally got Sargentina and earned a hat-trick ball after removing Archie Chandler for a golden duck the very next ball, but his spell at the death didn’t halt the Governor General XI’s momentum as they reached 265 from their fifty overs.
In response, the Maori Schoolboys struggled for momentum despite a good showing from Nathan Robinson who raised the bat inside the opening twenty overs.
But when he fell for 56 and Kuwyn Price (6) and Jacob Gilbert (0) both fell shortly afterwards, the Maori Schoolboys wheels started to fall off.
Payton Spencer and Heaphy’s sixth wicket partnership of 62 kept the Maori Schoolboys hopes alive as they reached the 37th over with just over 100 runs required to win.
But an impressive spell from spinner Elliott Seddon, who finished with figures of 3-47 from eight overs, turned the game further in the Governor General XI’s favor as they bowled the Maori Schoolboys out to get home by 69 runs.
