The Jagroop Singh-led Waka have won 15 of 21 games across the three Premier competitions – the 40-over Doleman Cup, T15 Walker Shield and DJ Barry Cup – and beat a depleted HSOB by 99 runs two weeks ago.
Both sides line up in good form.
In last Saturday’s semifinals, Pushpinder Kumar (115) and Alex Shanks (48) laid the groundwork for a 213-run caning of Coastal Concrete Old Boys Rugby.
OBR’s Matt Cook won the toss, chose to field and they claimed the wickets of HSOB skipper Carl Shaw (4) and Taye McGuinness (0) to have them 2-17 after eight overs.
A match-winning stand of 129 between Kumar and Shanks followed.
Kumar’s sure and balanced footwork against off-spinner Stewart was for purists a highlight. Stewart took 1-54-8, but bowling equally well on another day might have had far greater success.
Kumar, who carried his bat for 103 in a five-wicket win over Te Waka in round 3, will be the king wicket in Saturday’s final.
Etienne Botes has been good value with the new ball for OBR and continued that with 3-34 off 10 overs. Karan Solanki grabbed a worthy 2-26 in five overs.
Shanks' 48 off 61 and Connor Starck’s 28 in 23 balls were key supporting knocks to Kumar in a mighty total of 262-9 off 48 overs.
OBR never got going in response. Left-hander Martin Worndl was out for 16, their top score. Opening partner Karan Solanki’s nine was their next best.
Shaw shared the new ball with spearhead Starck and was superb, taking 4-18 off 9 overs. He sent down four maidens, a rare feat in limited overs cricket.
Bowling first-change, Oscar McDonald produced three maidens in capturing 2-12 off 8 and Nick Armour, who began the rot by catching Worndl at short cover off the bowling of Starck (1-16 off 4), took 3-3 in 2.4 overs of probing medium-pace.
OBR were bowled out for 49 in 23.4 overs.
Horouta booked their place in the final, and with it the chance to complete a trophy clean sweep, with a 121-run victory over a Gisborne Boys' High First XI side who have struggled for runs all season.
Nathaniel Fearnley (2-40 off 8.2 overs) conceded only one run in the opening over but the second over from left-armer Johnathon Gray (2-29 off 10) produced two wickets and two runs.
Horouta found themselves 2-4 after two overs, Gray having gone through Harmanpreet Gill and trapped Jatinder Kumar leg before wicket.
Enter Gautam Sareen and James Birrell. Sareen with 38 and Birrell with 50 (off 51 balls) put on 94 runs for the fourth wicket before Caleb Taewa (2-19 off 6) and Jett Whitaker (2-27 off 5) brought the students back into the contest.
Left-armer Taewa, who deceived Sareen with a slow ball which he played on, and Whitaker, who bowled an attacking Birrell and had the highly capable Shubham Ralhan caught by David Gray to be on a hat-trick in the 21st over, were effective and dug deep.
Horouta went from 97-2 to 100-4, but if ever they paused to take stock, it wasn’t for long. The eighth man in, Baljeet Sandhu, stroked 42 from 40 balls before his team were dismissed for 189 in 42.2 overs.
Boys' High’s batting woes continued. Only opener Zyden Worsnop (16 from 18) and fifth man in David Gray (33, including three sixes and three fours off 11 balls) made double figures.
They were dismissed for 68 in 16.5 overs, nippy seamers Singh (5-35 off 6) and Ralhan (4-28-8 including 3 maidens) proving penetrative and economical.
