A Tense Finish and the Shield Stays Home
By Gwyn Pratley | Posted: Thursday February 26, 2026
The 1st and 2nd XI cricket teams travelled to Christchurch on Sunday, 22 February 2026, to play against St Thomas of Canterbury College in a two-day interschool match.
This marked another Heathcote Williams Shield defence for the 1st XI after previously defeating Timaru Boys’ High School to retain the shield two weeks earlier.
The 2nd XI started well in their match, claiming a wicket off the very first ball of the day after electing to bowl, thanks to some sublime fielding from Reicher Barnes. With another early wicket to Fred Dowling and two to Kade Lawrie, the Otago Boys' 2nd XI had the upper hand during the first session, with St Thomas' 2nd XI reeling at 28–4.
However, on Field #1 it was quite the opposite story, with the Otago Boys' 1st XI losing the toss and not getting away to a great start — bowled out in the first session for 61. With the Heathcote Williams Shield (the Ranfurly Shield of secondary school cricket) on the line, there was a lot of work to be done over the next five sessions if it was to be retained.
The OBHS 2nd XI eventually bowled St Thomas’ out in their first innings for 168, with Sam Hobbs picking up a four-wicket haul.
Back on Field #1, OBHS 1st XI were fighting hard, restricting the flow of runs and forcing a late declaration in the day, with St Thomas' 142–7. It was a shared effort in the bowling attack, with Sam Drake and Harry Bond both picking up two wickets, while Zak Rizwan, Caleb Ede, and Fawwaz Farooqi took one apiece. St Thomas led by 81 runs after the first innings. At stumps, Otago Boys' 1st XI were 30–1, 51 runs behind going into Day 2. In the 2nd XI match at stumps, Otago Boys’ also trailed by 42 runs, with captain Elijah Hutton-Neill making 50 (65).
Day 2 required the 1st XI to bat for as much time as possible, as only an outright win for St Thomas’ would lift the Heathcote Williams Shield — and bat time they did. Eventually, the 1st XI were all out for 201. The boys showed real resilience at the crease, with Fletcher Hawken (who retired hurt but returned to bat later in the day) scoring 48 (161), Toby McClean 43 (59), Caleb Ede 33 (79), and Fawwaz Farooqi 30 (113).
This meant St Thomas’ needed to chase down 121 in 21 overs in the final session to win.
Back on Field #2, the Otago Boys’ 2nd XI were set 250 to chase in 50 overs, which was always going to be a tough task. However, Otis Murray 29 (45) and Oliver Devereux set out to do just that, scoring 60 in the first 10 overs. Oliver Devereux continued at a run-a-ball pace; however, he eventually fell for a well-compiled 80 (80), including 10 fours and 2 sixes. After his departure, wickets continued to fall regularly during the afternoon, with the Otago Boys' 2nd XI dismissed for 184, resulting in an outright win in the 2nd XI match for the St Thomas' 2nd XI by 65 runs.
It was a dramatic final 90 minutes in the 1st XI clash, where OBHS 1st XI were faced with the huge challenge of defending just 121 in 21 overs. However, the seam attack of Sam Drake, Zak Rizwan, Fawwaz Farooqi, and Harry Bond went to work and took the game deep. Eventually, 11 runs were required off the final over of the match by St Thomas’ to lift the shield. Fawwaz Farooqi was handed the ball for the final over by Otago Boys' captain Finlay Williamson, and he was up to the challenge. Farooqi bowled superbly at the death — taking wickets and restricting the batsmen’s scoring options — and ultimately St Thomas of Canterbury College came up seven runs short. The Heathcote Williams Shield was retained by Otago Boys’ High School with the match drawn.
The next Heathcote Williams Shield defence is against Christ’s College away.
Image Gallery
