Bay of Plenty Indians player Shukhi Singh in action during the Rotorua/Taupo senior reserve grade semifinals. Photo / Ben Fraser
Bay of Plenty Indians player Shukhi Singh in action during the Rotorua/Taupo senior reserve grade semifinals. Photo / Ben Fraser
The mission for Geyser City Western Heights High School Old Boys this weekend is to find a way to beat a Bay of Plenty Indians team yet to taste defeat in the post-Christmas competition.
The two sides will battle it out in the Rotorua/Taupo senior reserve grade final at SmallbonePark today.After being knocked out of the pre-Christmas competition in the semifinals, Bay of Plenty Indians have approached 2018 with renewed vigour and swept aside all in their path.
Last week in their semifinal, Bay of Plenty Indians batted first against Taupo Old Boys 1 and scored 191 runs, before bowling out their opposition for 108. Sunhil Chahal was dominant with ball in hand, taking six wickets for 30 runs and Umesh Moraji top-scored with 51 runs.
Indians captain Shonit Chandra said his players were ready for the final.
"The boys are so excited, they're always ready," Chandra said.
"Umesh is such a good player, he has a good understanding of cricket and plays for the situation. We lost four early wickets and from there they had a good partnership, he got 50 and it was amazing.
"Geyser have a very good team as well, they're in a final so they have to be a good team. We'll be expecting a challenge, so we have to accept that challenge. It's the last day of cricket for the season, it's do or die," he said.
Bay of Plenty Indians player Shukhi Singh in action during the Rotorua/Taupo senior reserve grade semifinals. Photo / Ben Fraser
Meanwhile, Geyser WHHS booked their spot in the final with a comprehensive five-wicket win over Lake Taupo in the semifinal.
It has been a breakout season for Geyser City, after joining forces with John Paul College and Western Heights High School to create two new "old boys" teams, in an effort to create better pathways for young cricketers.
Geyser JPC made the pre-Christmas final, in which they went down to Central, and a Geyser City combined XI also made the McNaughton Trophy final, in which they lost to Mount Maunganui.
Team member and club treasurer Karl McKnight said he hoped it would be "third time lucky" this weekend.
"We're very excited, it just reinforces what the club has been trying to do all year. The identity that we've got, it's just showing that we're going down the right path in terms of how we're playing, not just with the pathway we're providing," McKnight said.
He said the team produced an improved fielding effort in their semifinal.
"We had a little training session the week leading into the semi and we just took it straight on to the field and took some really great catches. You could just feel it, we were charging in and putting heat on the batsmen.
"Everyone seems to have a story this season about when they had the Indians on the back foot, yet they just keep going at their game plan, which is pretty aggressive batting, and they seem to always bat right through. You can't afford to drop catches, they're a dangerous team and they always have been."
