Park ground survives damage to host semi

The Park Sportsground in Masterton is likely to remain the venue of the Wairarapa Cricket Association's More FM Cup Twenty20 semifinal match tomorrow despite vandals damaging the ground surface.

WCA executive officer Chris Cogdale expressed his displeasure at what he labelled a "reckless act" but was confident the game between Red Star and Flight Centre Lansdowne would be able to go ahead as planned.

"Parts of the ground are certainly not a good look but, right now, we don't see any need to transfer the game from there," Cogdale said yesterday.

Whoever wins tomorrow's game will go on to meet Turkey Red Greytown in the grand final to be played at the Queen Elizabeth Park oval on Sunday in a match which will bring the 2011-12 club season to a close.

If, however, rain means tomorrow's encounter is either washed out or doesn't allow for at least a 10-over match to be played - five for each team - it will be Red Star who advances to the decider and, if the latter has to be abandoned, then the two finalists will be declared joint winners.

The very nature of the Twenty20 game means winners are always difficult to predict as it only takes one or two brilliant individual efforts to dictate the result.

Red Stars have three gun all-rounders in Greg Todd, Nicolai Karaitiana and Jared Watt, who all have the skills to star with bat and ball, while Lansdowne could call on a number of players with similar capabilities, including Matt Stringfellow, Jamie Holmes, Daniel Ingham, Sam Curtis and Robin James.

Greytown confirmed their place in Sunday's grand final by beating Wairarapa College and Lansdowne during their old timer day festivities last weekend. They, too, boast several players who don't mind the "smack and whack" version of cricket ... think Tim Lucas, Paul Lyttle, Mark Childs, Seth Rance and Blake Lyford.

Sunday's big match will get under way at 3.30pm and it will be preceded at 1pm by the open grade Twenty20 final between Trevs Sports Lansdowne and Kuranui College.

The Charman's Cup open grade limited-overs final between Marist Old Boys and Greytown 2 will be played at the park oval tomorrow from 1pm.