Shirley Boys' High School Cricket

19/03/2026

18/03/2026

20/20 MATCH REPORT: SBHS 2nds v STAC 2nds

The lads rocked up to Burwood 1, many for the first time on the premier pitch. We lost the toss and were asked to bowl.

What ensued was power hitting at its finest. No slogging, just well timed cricket shots. Their opener, on the back of a century off 51 balls last week, cleared the Burwood Pavillion not once, but twice. He cleared the longest straight boundary with ease as well. We did, however, have our chances to nab him early, dropping him 3 times before he hit double figures. Their coach looked at me and said, "you'll regret that". 126 off 55 balls with 18 boundaries and 4 maximums showed he was not wrong. Bryden Pearce was the pick of the bowlers with 2 for 31, showing poise in the middle of the carnage. Rylan O'Donovan also picked up 2. A target of 263 was in front of us.

Our batting started well with Bryden again to the fore. Looking elegant and forceful at the same time before he was undone by an off spinner. He made 17 from 10 with 3 superb boundaries. Benji Cotes-James pulled out a reverse sweep for 4 on his way to 22, but the wall to wall spin attack on a turning wicket bogged us down in the second 10 overs.

Whilst we fell to a heavy defeat, the intent of playing in this grade was to expose ourselves to the level of cricket we aspire to play. We had our moments in all 3 games against teams in a grade above us, which was pleasing.

Powerade Play of the Day was Brydens superb lofted drive for four.

Subway Parklands Player of the Day was also Bryden. Looking positive with the bat and showing he is a true spin option for the longer formats. Well done Bryden!

17/03/2026

17/03/2026

NOTE: Next week Saturday 28th March is the last game for Term 1

14/03/2026

MATCH REPORT | Day 2 | SBHS 1st XI vs Christ's College 2nd XI

A dominant display across both days saw the Shirley Boys 1st XI claim an outright victory over Christ's College 2nd XI, winning both first innings and the match outright. A fantastic result and a complete team performance.

Day 2 Recap
Resuming with Douglas Bongartz and Liam Stocker both not out from day one, the pair came out and continued in fine fashion to push the SBHS 1st innings total to an imposing 222/7 declared. Douglas brought up a magnificent 66 off 63 balls, and Liam fell for a well-made 58 off 75. A powerful, match-defining partnership that set the tone for the day. Noah Townrow, Mikael Hansrod, and Quade Hamilton all chipped in down the order before the declaration was called.

With Christ's College needing to bat out the day, it was Ankit Kafle who stole the show in emphatic fashion. Bowling with exceptional control and variety, Ankit ripped through the Christ's College 2nd innings with a stunning 6 wickets for just 26 runs from 11.3 overs — a spell that will be long remembered. Douglas Bongartz (1/8 from 6) and Cooper Hemingway (1/14 from 3) provided excellent support, while Ashok Tiwari chipped in with 1/12 from 7 tidy overs. Christ's were bowled out for 82 in 35.3 overs, leaving SBHS needing just 7 to win.

The boys knocked off the target in 3.5 overs to seal a comprehensive outright victory — a hugely satisfying end to a two-day contest the team controlled from start to finish.

A massive congratulations to Mikael Hansrod, Quade Hamilton, and Noah Townrow, who all earned their capping milestone in this match — a well-deserved achievement for three players who have contributed strongly all season.
The Subway Man of the Match award goes to Ankit Kafle — thoroughly deserved after a match-winning spell that showcased exactly what he is capable of. Well done Ankit.

Up the Shirley Boys!

14/03/2026

MATCH REPORT: SBHS 2nds v Ashburton ColLege 1sts

Back to Clare Park today for the team, and losing the toss and being asked to bat on its tricky wicket.

The innings didn't start well, falling to 2/2 with the ball jagging around. Enter Flynn Bennett who looked at ease at one end enabling makeshift opener Ollie Ellis to show everyone how to bat on this surface. An accomplished 29 (34) with 5 classy boundaries. Jordan Nunnink had a day out crushing 5 of his own 4s on his way to 24 (22). Debutant Rylan O'Donovan and Jayden Tatterson added what would prove to be an immensely important 18 runs for the last wicket as we made 115. Game on.

Ryan Morgan and Harry Woodhouse took the new ball again, and what unfolded was sensational opening bowling. Before you knew it Ashburton slumped to 14/6. Ryan had 2 and Harry had 4 which included an epic hat-trick! To their credit Ashburton knuckled down and showed some grit, until Flynn Bennett took 2 timely wickets. They again started to get uncomfortably close to our score so Ryan and Harry were brought back into the attack. Ryan struck immediately with his bowling partner Harry taking a superb boundary catch, and then Harry himself finishing them off with his 5th wicket. We had our win, and a deserved one at that.

Powerade Play of the Day went to Harry for that epic hat-trick and subsequent team celebration.

Subway Parklands Players of the Day went again to our opening attack. These two bowl superbly together. Ryan's 7 overs, 5 maidens 3 for 8 and Harry's 8 overs, 1 maiden 5 for 25 was just a clinic.

13/03/2026

MATCH REPORT: T20 vs. Christchurch Boys High 2nd XI

The boys headed to CBHS, coming up just short in a tough contest, losing by 31 runs.

SBHS won the toss and elected to bowl first on what proved to be a difficult pitch, and the attack gave a real account of themselves. Cooper Hemingway was the pick of the bowlers with an excellent 3/14 from 4 overs, while Douglas Bongartz was solid with 2/18 from 4. It's worth noting that the bowling figures for Lucas McLeod and Liam Stocker were mixed up by the scorer on the day — Liam's true figures were 2/20 and Lucas bowled 1 over for 9 runs, taking 1 wicket. Liam Stocker supported well with 2/20 (with his 2 wickets coming off his last 2 balls, like at Kings) and Josh McIlrath opening the bowling with 1/19.

Despite CBHS posting 103/10 from their 20 overs, the bowling unit can hold their heads high.

Chasing 104 to win on a tough surface, the batting lineup found it hard going. Douglas Bongartz provided the brightest moment with an impressive 36 off 26 balls, giving the chase real hope at stages — given he opened, and after 5 overs, was 7 off 7 balls, when the score was 15/5. Noah Townrow showed great character coming in late to finish unbeaten on 17 from 19 balls, but wickets falling at regular intervals proved costly. The side were bowled out for 72 in the 18th over, falling 31 runs short.

A special mention goes to Luka Richards, who made his 1st XI debut — congratulations Luka.

A tough result on a difficult day, but Cooper and Douglas all gave the opposition plenty to think about. Up the Shirley Boys!

12/03/2026

MATCH REPORT: SBHS 1st XI vs King's High School

What a tough one to swallow. The cricket gods were simply not on our side this week as we fell to King's High School in a hard-fought two-day encounter on a sticky pitch.
Shirley Boys won the toss and elected to bowl on a rain-affected first day — and the boys made the most of it, with Douglas Bongartz taking (4/32) to help dismiss King's for 152.

We responded with 85, Douglas top scoring with 27.

King's pushed to 188 in their second innings, but our Man of the Match Liam Stocker was solid — 2 slip catches, 3 wickets in each innings, a gritty 32 with the bat, and to top it all off, his final two balls of the match were bowled out in consecutive deliveries.
With 256 to win, the boys dug deep in the second innings. Jamie Newitt-Isaks (23) and Jake Wilson (25) provided a fighting platform, with Liam Stocker's 32 the innings' backbone — but we were ultimately bowled out for 122, falling just short of what would have been a good victory.
A special mention — today marked Sam Singh's 50th cap — a massive milestone for a great servant of this side.
And what a screamer from Jamie Newitt-Isaks — a catch that had the sideline on their feet, running just about to the boundary from his wicketkeeping position.
Off the field, it's always special heading south — and around this time last year the boys made the most of the journey, enjoying a fantastic feed at the legendary Riverstone Kitchen and taking in the sights of the castle. This year we popped in again.
Onwards and upwards.

11/03/2026

20/20 Match Report: SBHS 2nds v Burnside High 1sts

Heading to our second 20/20 today short on weekend regulars, so we were able to give four lads from the 3rds a step up.

We bowled first with Ryan Morgan and leggy Ashok Tiwari taking the new ball. Ryan cleaned up their opener in the first over and Ashok was clever with his flight. Unfortunately, the next pair burst through our change bowling attack, making the most of a short side boundary. 151 runs until our second wicket and the score was getting away on us, you just can't miss your length in 20/20. Rylan O'Donovan on debut was superb, taking 1/38, including cleaning someone up on a free hit and executing a direct hit runout. Ryan Morgan finished with a miserly 1/22, which was the standout figures in a high scoring 211. Under immense pressure Reuben Derham took the captaincy for the first time and led the young team incredibly well.

A big task ahead, and Ethan Stewart gave it a good crack. His breakout innings of the year, plundering 54 from 40 balls, including 3 towering 6s that threatened their school buildings! Benji James, Ashok and Ollie Ellis got starts and looked good, but ultimately the score was too much. We batted out our overs and got 117/7.

Powerade Play of the Day is shared between Ethan and Benjis massive 6s.

Subway Parklands Player of the Day went to Rylan O'Donovan for his outstanding bowling performance under immense pressure and direct hit run out, and Ethan Stewart's blistering 50.

10/03/2026

MATCH REPORT: SBHS played CBHS Blue at CBHS 5 - 7/3/26

Shirley won the toss and batted first on another low and slow pitch at CBHS. If anything, this pitch was lower and slower than the one we played on two weeks ago, though the rain during the week wouldn't have helped. After the loss of early wickets, opener Ray McLaughlan and Evan Burns held the innings together until Ray was run out the ball before the drinks break for a gritty 17. TJ Cowden was the next highest scorer with a comparatively composed 14 before he was undone by one of the numerous deliveries that didn't bounce. Overall the team found runs hard to come by and struggled through to 76 all out.

In the field, Shirley made CBHS work hard for their runs, bowling and fielding superbly. TJ backed up his batting effort with 2-5, while Jayden Kay (1-3), Hunter Stokes (1-9) and Evan Burns (1-1) also picked up wickets. Shirley missed a couple of half chances that could have put more pressure on the CBHS batters but, ultimately, Shirley didn't have enough runs on the board and CBHS won by 5 wickets.

Player of the day was Ray McLaughlan for his gritty and determined batting effort on a day that belonged to the bowlers