Cricket: Geyser on target for repeat

Two Rotorua clubs, Eastern Pirates and Geyser, are through to the semifinals tomorrow. Pictured is Eastern Pirates player Angelo Pereira, centre. Photo / Stephen Parker

The semifinalists have been found in the Rotorua/Taupo reserve grade - with defending champions Geyser City Cricket Club among the favourites.

The pre-Christmas 40-over competition is the first piece of silverware up for grabs in the 2014/2015 reserve grade season.

Both semifinal matches in the pre-Christmas competition will be played at Owen Delany Park in Taupo tomorrow.

Defending champions Geyser will go up against Taupo Wanderers in the first semifinal while Eastern Pirates will play Taupo Colleges in the other encounter.

Wanderers and Pirates finished top of their pools after the round-robin matches.

There was some speculation during the week about who would make up the other two spots, but Geyser and Taupo Colleges each made the cut.

Geyser captain Matt Collier said it had been a frustrating season with matches being rained out, but his team had posted some good results in recent weeks.

"It has been a bit of a rain-interrupted season for us ... the boys have been anxious to get out there, Collier said.

"But in the last few weeks the boys have put together a couple of consistent performances, which is really pleasing."

Among those performances was a big win over Taupo Wanderers, the same side they play in Taupo tomorrow. But Collier said they could not rely on that result.

"All the boys know we can't read too much into that. Taupo in Taupo are a very hard team to beat," he said. "We have drawn a really tough match but the boys know what they have to do and we will give them a really good run."

Unfortunately, he said they would be missing three players who all batted inside the top five on the order. But it was a chance for other players to step up and they would still be taking a good side to Taupo.

Eastern Pirates can earn a place in the grand final next weekend when they play Taupo Colleges, a combined team from Taupo-nui-a-Tia College and Tauhara College.

The two teams played last week with Pirates winning easily. The teams to miss out on the semifinals this year included Central, Rotorua Indians, Taupo Old Boys, Geyser Development and John Paul College.

Greerton after 1st Cup title
Greerton seek to become the third Bay of Plenty club to have their name engraved on the Baywide Cup since its inception eight seasons ago.

Greerton will meet defending champions Mount Maunganui in the Baywide Cup grand final at Blake Park tomorrow.

The two sides met last weekend in a match which produced a drawn result.

The decider also has the Bay of Plenty Northern Districts Club Champs berth on the line.

The third-place playoff will be between Otumoetai Cadets and Te Puke at the Tauranga Domain.

Semifinals (1pm tomorrow):
Taupo Wanderers v Geyser 1, Owen Delany Park; Eastern Pirates v Taupo Colleges, Owen Delany Park.