CHB also added the scalp of Bayleys Real Estate Havelock North, by five wickets, after South African import GC Pretorius (3-8) and Charlie Robson (2-1) ripped the heart of of the villagers before eclipsing the total with a sedate knock.
Drepaul said his players hadn't panicked at any stage.
"We've got ourselves into some sticky situations but then they've got themselves out of it so we've played really well, actually."
Havelock North's goose was cooked when they tied with Ballance Agri-Nutrients New Plymouth Old Boys in round two in the morning at Nelson Park.
Horowhenua-Kapiti (0.584 net run rate), who had lost to NTOB by seven wickets in the morning in a pool-crossover match and then succumbed by eight wickets to Grafton in the afternoon, made the cut on what tourney organiser and HBCA chief executive Craig Findlay described tonight as superior run rates.
Grafton didn't lose any games but their win margins were narrower compared with NTOB (+2.497) against the same oppositions.
Pools C and D, Findlay emphasised, had only three teams each compared with pools A and B which had four.
"All the teams knew before they started the tournament that net run rates were going to decide who would make the playoffs.
"It must be very hard for Grafton who won all their games but it hasn't been easy to come up with a format that makes it fair for all 14 teams," he said.
Hawke's Bay Academy XI (+0.019) won two games after losing to Horowhenua-Kapiti yesterday but, to drive his point, Findlay said defending champions Hutt District (-1.774) lost all three games in this tourney.
NTOB beat Hutt District by 44 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis Method after sporadic rain halted play more in Napier than at Cornwall Park, Hastings.
The Station Napier Old Boys' Marist (NOBM) lost all their games but Cornwall won two games after losing their opener.
Onslow added You Travel Taradale (four-wicket victory) and North Shore CC (by 5 wkts) to their Heretaunga Building Society Cornwall on day one.
Taradale lost by 14 runs to Cornwall where Jayden Wiggins who scored 75 runs off 57 balls, including seven boundaries and four sixes.
North Shore joined the club of no wins with fellow Aucklanders East Coast Bays and New Plymouth OB.
NTOB coach Smidt said Onslow had four quality players of Wellington Firebirds or on the periphery of domestic cricket selection so he expected their match to be a humdinger.
"We'll have to play well to beat them but we're trucking along quite nicely at the moment," he said of his former T20 champions.
Smidt said the tourney was extremely lucky with the weather so far.
"I think we should get through the semis okay tomorrow morning but after that the forecast isn't great."
With more intermittent rain likely after midday today a minimum of five overs will have to be played to constitute a match although there were no suggestions of employing an artificial wicket at other parks if the grass ones are at risk of damage with the Central Districts' one-day Chapple Cup inter-district competition looming.
"It'll be a lottery, obviously, but if it comes to that then it'll come to that," Smidt said although he said NTOB had the personnel to do the job.
Smidt said his players had been training indoor for a month so they were simply excited to run outdoors to play some cricket on grass.
