Renegades' Roger Moore and Jack Donaldson were their team's best batsman and bowler respectively in the Champion of Champions tournament, but it wasn't enough to prevent losses to Levin and Freyberg.
Renegades' Roger Moore and Jack Donaldson were their team's best batsman and bowler respectively in the Champion of Champions tournament, but it wasn't enough to prevent losses to Levin and Freyberg.
Manawatu's Freyberg CC proved to be the Champion of Champions when it comes to Premier 2 cricket after back-to-back victories at Victoria Park over Labour Weekend.
The originally planned 40-over tournament between four of the Central Districts champion P2 clubs from last summer was rejigged as a round robin Twenty20 tournament after the withdrawal of Red Star from Wairarapa.
Wanganui Renegades had home field advantage but were beaten by Horowhenua-Kapiti's Levin Old Boys by five wickets in the opening match on Sunday morning.
Renegades got runs at the top of the order from Roger Moore (31) and Jack Burgess (18), with Moore hitting six boundaries, until he was caught off the bowling of Levin skipper Brent Tucker (2-14).
Captain Ben Heap having to retire hurt did not help Renegades chances, while their middle order in Matt Deighton (12), Ryan Balsley (10) and Woody Martin (17 not out) managed to pull them through to 104-5, which was under par after the good start.
In the field, Renegades made a fight of it, with spinner Jack Donaldson (2-22) the pick of the bowlers while medium pacer Deighton (1-10) was very conservative off his four overs.
However, Levin knocked off the target midway through the 19th over, with Nick O'Brien (37) setting the tone on top while No 3 batsman Nathan Chaney (37 not out) carried on after O'Brien's dismissal.
Levin therefore took confidence into their Sunday afternoon match with Freyberg, but it all went wrong in a disastrous final over as they lost four wickets and finished one run short in a real thriller.
Freyberg raised 108-7 but would have liked more after Harry Wenham (21) did well at opener, backed by Jeremy Morris (13), before Ben Mitchell (21) laid some groundwork and Dave Fulton (28) was set for the last over.
However, Fulton was run out and then the tailenders could only scramble four more runs at the end of the innings.
Levin started well with O'Brien (15), D Trask (10) and Stacey Kerehoma (14) ticking off the runs in a fair order, until Freyberg spinners Shaun Vickery (3-19) and Wenham (2-18) got amongst them to have Levin struggling at 52-5 in the 13th over.
Alex O'Malley (33) led the recovery with three boundaries, supported by C Kennett (16) and at 106-6 entering the last over, Levin were all but home and hosed.
Yet the pressure got to them as Kennett was run out off the opening ball, then Freyberg bowler Ben Mitchell had the next man caught out immediately.
Sean Finlayson came in and survived to get a single for O'Malley to be on strike with two balls remaining, but then both of them would be run out at the bowlers end, going for the run to tie the match, to set off crazy scenes for the Freyberg players.
Allrounder Ryan Balsley during his unbeaten innings against Freyberg on Labour Day Monday.
It must have taken a while for the adrenaline to wear off, but Freyberg headed home then returned Monday morning and wrapped up the tournament with an ultimately comfortable eight wicket win over the Renegades.
The home side batted better than the day before as Moore (20) again started well, with Sreejith Sreekumar (23) carrying on and although Wenham (2-21) shattered the stumps twice to have Renegades teetering at 63-4, Woody Martin (24 not out) and Balsley (23 not out) put on an unbroken 51-run partnership over the last ten overs for a seemingly defendable 114-4.
But Freyberg made no struggle of it because while Balsley got Morris caught behind early and then Donaldson picked up Wenham off a stumping, No 3 batsman Caleb Hansen went ballistic, smashing 87 not out off just 43 balls.
On a No 1 pitch flattening out after three days of cricket, Hansen, who had a golden duck on Sunday, hammered 14 boundaries and a six.
Batting partner Mitchell (10 not out) was just happy to keep rotating him the strike for Freyberg to have wrapped up the match and title in just 13 overs.
Scoreboard
Wanganui Renegades 104-5 (R Moore 31, J Burgess 18, W Martin 17no; B Tucker 2-14) lost to Levin Old Boys 105-5 (N Chaney 37no, N O'Brien 37; J Donaldson 2-22) by five wickets.
Freyberg 108-7 (J Fulton 28, H Wenham 21, B Mitchell 21; S Kerehoma 2-13, C Kennett 2-25) bt Levin Old Boys 107 (A O'Malley 33, C Kennett 16; S Vickery 3-19, H Wenham 2-18) by one run.
Wanganui Renegades 114-4 (W Martin 24no, R Balsley 23no, S Sreekumar 23, R Moore 20; H Wenham 2-21) lost to Freyberg 118-2 (C Hansen 87no) by eight wickets.
In the Bullocks Coastal Challenge Cup match result not known by press time at the weekend, Levin Old Boys held off home team United CC by 29 runs in a match where 715 runs were scored in Masterton.
Levin hammered their way to 372-6 in 50 overs at Queen Elizabeth Park, led by 111 from opener Dion Sanson, while Jamie Pinfold scored 61 and three other batsmen reached their 40's.
In reply, United finally closed out a gallant chase at 343 all out in the 48th over.
Opener Mark Childs smacked an extraordinary 146 from 87 balls, while five other batsmen reached their 20-30's.
Scoreboard
Levin Old Boys 372-6 (D Sanson 11, J Pinfold 61, C Law 48no, B Tomo 47, K MacLachlan 44; S Patel 4-47, R Spears 2-50) bt United CC 343 (M Childs 146, Jaco Vorster 34, R Wilson 33no, J Forrester 33; A O'Malley 3-61, J O'Brien 3-64) by 29 runs.
