Kaipara in final after 161-run City blitz

Kaipara Flats showed City no mercy as they earned their place in the Northern Region's Club Championship final with a 161-run victory in the 50-over match.
Despite having beaten Kaipara in a club match the weekend before City yesterday failed to take their chances early on and Kaipara proved their class.
The visitor's first-class batsmen, James Marshall and Brad Wilson, were the backbone of their first-innings total of 248. Both survived early chances to go on to score 70 and 42 respectively. The side was dismissed after skipper Jake Phillips was run out from the final ball of their 50th over.
A fierce opening spell by Mat Taylor claimed three early wickets. "That broke their back really and then Kyron Dill came on at the other end and he took four wickets and they weren't really in the game," Phillips said.
Without width on the artificial wicket at Kensington Park it was hard for City to get going and they finished up all out for just 87 runs.
City skipper Rory Darkins said his side got off to a poor start and never recovered. "The bowlers created opportunities for us but we kept dropping them. We couldn't hope to restrict them to a low score if we couldn't take our chances," he said. The team would have to focus on the rest of the season.
Meanwhile, rain disrupted the Premier Grade Two Day Cricket Championship in Whangarei again on Saturday, with all games washed out. The three rounds so far have each had one rain-affected day. The second day of round three, set for next Saturday, will now be a 55-over match.