Maungakaramea had to chalk up their four-wicket loss in the final of the Northern Districts club championship to Greerton as a learning experience.
An obviously disappointed captain Neal Parlane said they learned a thing or two from the experience.
"We know what level we need to be at if wewant to go back and beat them next year, so now we've got to go on and win the one-day competition here and then we'll be back in with a better chance next year," he said.
Maungakaramea batted first but were dismissed 40 or 50 runs short of a decent total - for 172. Nick Stobart top-scored with 44 with Parlane the next best, scoring 41, before he was dismissed by Greerton pace bowler Daniel Spencer, who finished with an impressive five-wicket haul.
Maungakaramea's Cody Andrews gave his side a chance of victory with a hostile spell of opening bowling and Greerton were 20/3 until Greeton's current Northern Districts representative Brett Hampton dug them out of the hole.
Fresh off a century last week for ND A against Zimbabwe in Gisborne, Hampton combined with Cam Neal to take Greerton to 150/3 before Neal was dismissed for 51.
Greerton gave Maungakaramea a brief surge of hope by losing three quick wickets but they couldn't get Hampton and he saw them home with with 71 not out.
"We were a chance in the end but we didn't score enough runs to really threaten them," Parlane said.
"They were better than us on the day but I wouldn't say they were a great side, in the end we were three players short of full strength of our top team and that wasn't good enough.
Maungakaramea were missing one of their form players of the season, Josh Lee, as well as Kurt (Curly) Watson and former Northland captain John Child.
-Maungakaramea 175 (N Stobart 44, N Parlane 41, D Spencer 5-45, C Neal 2-24, S Wineti 2-28) lost to Greerton 177/6 (B Hampton 71 not out, C.Neal 51, C Andrews 4-35, N Stobart 2-43) by four wickets.
