Joel Clark scored a fine 113 for Whanganui Marist against Paraparaumu in the Coastal Cup match at Victoria Park.
Joel Clark scored a fine 113 for Whanganui Marist against Paraparaumu in the Coastal Cup match at Victoria Park.
Whanganui teams are now certain to fill two of the four semifinals berths in Coastal Cup club cricket competition whereas a host of Horowhenua-Kāpiti teams are now goneburger.
The Coastal Cup is a one-day club competition involving teams from Whanganui, Wairarapa and Horowhenua-Kāpiti. Just two seasons ago all four Horowhenua-Kāpiti teams made the play-offs.
With just one round of games remaining before the play-offs Whanganui Vet Services Marist and Property Brokers Whanganui United, along with Wairarapa’s Burger King Red Star, have done enough to qualify.
The only question now remaining is which of these teams will get a home semifinal.
Kāpiti Old Boys are the only Horowhenua-Kāpiti team to remain in contention with the reign of Levin Old Boys - winners of the last two Coastal Cup finals - all but over.
The United versus Kāpiti Old Boys match at Paraparaumu Domain at the weekend ran into the worst of the rain, finishing with a no-result tie, but two competition points to each side meant the rest of the Horowhenua-Kāpiti teams are now shut out of the semifinal spots.
At the beginning of the competition it would have seemed inconceivable that two-time defending champions Levin Old Boys would miss out on a chance for a first-ever title three-peat, but they along with fellow three-time overall champions Paraparaumu and last year’s semifinalists Weraroa CC are stuck on the outside looking in ahead of the final round-robin games on Saturday.
Further north there was a result as Marist stood firm to end Roofbox Paraparaumu’s playoff hopes with a four wicket win at Tasman Tanning (Victoria) Park on Saturday.
Marist were unable to field their strongest lineup for the previous two matches and the return of key players was a major boost. Despite the rain threatening constantly at Victoria Park, the home side bowled their opposition out for 196 in the 45th over and were steady in their chase.
Playing for their season, multiple Paraparaumu batsmen got starts as Hayden Mourits (25), Jacob Ross (20), and Byron Gill (30) looked like they might set for the anchor innings.
However, Marist’s returning pace bowler Connor O’Leary (4-32) and his spinner sibling Hadleigh O’Leary (4-33) broke partnerships regularly before any batsman could establish themselves.
James Birrell (40 not out from 35 balls) tried to wag the Paraparaumu tail, but he ran out of support as Connor O’Leary and returning opening bowler Angus Dinwiddie (2-44) finished them off.
Still, with extras along with runs taken from bowling that was at times loose Marist felt like they may had gifted Paraparaumu an extra 30-40 runs and in overcast conditions with the odd shower hovering they still had to get the runs.
Sir Garfield Sobers (left) was there to meet a schoolboy Joel Clark in 2018.
It would need someone to anchor the innings and cue Marist opener Joel Clark, whose 113 not out from 110 balls was a match-winner and one of the most well-weighted innings of their entire Coastal campaign.
The youngster, who also plays for the Whanganui representative side, carried the day with the ball conceding just 27 runs from 10 overs of spin.
Paraparaumu’s veteran bowlers Sean Windle (2-38) and skipper Dale McNamara were firing the ball in, but Clark stoutly defended by blocking out dangerous deliveries and punishing the bad balls – finishing with 19 boundaries and a six.
Only 31 runs from Clark’s innings were from in-field runs, as he reached the boundary rope from all around the pitch, at home with straight drives, pull shots, and flicks off his pads.
There was a bizarre run out during the game. Veteran Mark Fraser (19 from 26) blocked a delivery from McNamara, who showed good nous to pick up the ball and throw the stumps down, catching Fraser short.
Hadleigh O’Leary (38 from 57) joined Clark and hit a boundary off his first delivery before settling into the support role - the pair putting on the decisive 89-run partnership in quick time.
When O’Leary was then stumped from the bowling of off spinner Jayden Keats, it was Craig Thorpe that kept the score ticking with a couple of boundaries before being run out.
Clark signed off on his season-defining innings with a six to give Marist the victory with a crucial bonus point for winning before the 40th over.
The rain at Paraparaumu Domain gave two competition points each to Whanganui United and Kāpiti to guarantee their semifinal spots and end the hopes of a Levin Old Boys three-peat.
Batting first, United had to come off in the 12th over when they were 42-3, losing 16 overs of play before they resumed with the understanding it would be a 34-over match.
United had reached 183-9 at that point, on a pitch that was green and had movement, but Kāpiti would never get the chance to chase the total as wet weather set in to bring an end to play.
United opener Zeb Small (35) was the standout in the top order, while for the second weekend in a row, Max Carroll (56 from 57) delivered in the middle order.
Allrounder Brendon Walker (29 from 27) got going in the lower order, while veterans Simon Badger and the returning Tom Lance were at the crease when play ended.
Kāpiti bowlers Martin Harrison (3-35), Zack Benton (3-39) and Michael Newell (2-35) worked hard for their team.
Red Star ended Weraroa’s playoff hopes with a 41-run win at Queen Elizabeth Park, helped in no small part by former Whanganui player Trey Bidois scoring a match-winning 102 from 117 balls.
Red Star batted first and were all out for 200 in the 48th - veteran bowler Huka Kahu finishing with figures of 5-33 and speedster Jaedyn Dawson claiming 2-48 in his return from injury.
Weraroa were all out for 159 in the 35th over, their best effort coming from Prabodha Arthavidu Ellawala Liyanage with an innings of 59.
Roofbox Paraparaumu 196 (P Birrell 40no, B Gill 30, H Mourtis 25, J Ross 20; C O’Leary 4-32, H O’Leary 4-33, A Dinwiddie 2-44) lost to Wanganui Vet Services Marist 197-6 (J Clark 113no, H O’Leary 38; S Windle 2-38 by four wickets.
Property Brokers United 183-9 (M Carroll 56, Z Small 35, B Walker 29; M Harrison 3-35, Z Benton 3-39, M Newell 2-35) vs Kāpiti Old Boys was rained out.
Burger King Red Star 200 (T Bidois 102, J Wakeling 20; H Kahu 5-33, J Dawon 2-48) bt Weraroa CC 159 (P Liyanage 59, J Marshall 28; Q Childs 2-19, E Childs 2-27, P Sigvertsen 2-40) by 41 runs.
