Gerard Hobbs bats during his crucial innings of 64 in United's win over Weraroa at Victoria Park on Saturday.
Property Brokers United and Tech Old Boys have secured the best spots possible to push for a home playoff position heading into the Whanganui and Wairarapa-only rounds of the Coastal Challenge Cup in January.
On Saturday, both United and Tech picked up competitive wins over Weraroa (27 runs) and Landsdowne CC (three wickets) respectively at Victoria Park and Queen Elizabeth Park, thereby occupying third and fourth spot on the points table after eight of the 11 rounds.
As the Horowhenua-Kapiti clubs have played two games more than the rest, undefeated leaders Levin Old Boys wanted to put further distance on the Whanganui clubs, and did so with a big 119 run win in their derby with second place Paraparaumu CC – which leaves Paraparaumu in danger of being overtaken in January.
The wheels have come flying off the title defence of Wanganui Vet Services Marist, who were smashed by nine wickets in a Victoria Park game with Kapiti Old Boys – being blitzed for 67 with Kapiti then chasing down the target in less than seven overs.
The comprehensive mauling was not a good warmup for Marist's scheduled National Club Championship match in New Plymouth today.
An out-of-school Whanganui Collegiate 1st XI continue to miss several key players, as an understrength and very young side lost by 133 runs at Masterton's Hadlow School grounds to the season's surprise package Red Star.
Previously a bottom table team, Red Star's three wins so far have moved them up to fifth place, giving the Wairarapa side a chance to also push for a semifinal spot, as they will play Tech and United in their next two games.
United had a rough start with Trey Bidois and Tom Lance back at the tent after the first two overs, with Greg Smith not far behind them at 28-3.
Matthew Simes (37 from 56 balls), again set down his anchor, sharing in partnerships with Chris Sharrock (20) and then Gerard Hobbs (64 from 108), who took over that role when Simes departed.
Brendon Walker (40) joined Hobbs and the two veterans put on a 104-run stand over the next 22 overs, before Walker lost his stumps to Locky Spring and Hobbs was finally caught behind off the returning Daniel Williams (3-32).
Robbie Power (11 not out) lost Ritesh Verma when Jaedyn Dawson (2-33) hit his stumps, but batted out with Ryan Slight to again get their side just up and over the 200 runs mark.
However, unlike Tech the weekend before, Weraroa did not have as strong a batting lineup, and while they played somewhat cautiously to try and protect wickets, they also took their time and ran out of overs, batting out to 180-9.
Blake de Burgh (35 from 78) and Adam Simonsen (31 from 81) had raised a 50-partnership by the 15th over, but Lance (3-24) then ran them out of patience as de Burgh and the incoming Tim Morgan departed in swift succession to outfield catches.
Facing the spin trio of Lance, Power (2-39) and Chris Sharrock (2-39), the runs just weren't coming quick enough as Weraroa's Josh Nicolls (17) and Williams (12) both got starts but then got out, which came after Simonsen finally fell in the 32nd over when Lance trapped him in front.
Dawson (23 from 21) tried to regain the initiative, hitting a four and a six, but he lost partners during that time and when Slight (2-28) had him caught behind in the 46th over, Weraroa were too far back at 146-8.
Cameron Prouting (16 not out from 19) had a swing, but Slight got Jayden Veerbeek in the 48th over, leaving 43 required off 13 balls with one wicket left.
The win sent the United team off on their Christmas trip in a good mood, as a party of 30 club members and their families are heading to Melbourne to watch the Boxing Day test.
United and Weraroa had Victoria Park to themselves for most of the late afternoon and early evening, with Marist having long packed up and left after their humiliation.
While missing a couple of veterans, Marist had seven current or former Wanganui representatives in their top order, yet they were laid waste at 21-5 by the eighth over as Kapiti's Carter Andrews (4-17) and David Schlup (3-23) just ran through them.
Chris Stewart, Connor O'Leary, Zak O'Keefe, Hamish Harding, Nick Harding, Angus Dinwiddie and Hadleigh O'Leary were all gone in single figures to a mixture of catches, nick behinds, a cleaned bowled and a run out.
Only Craig Thorpe (26 from 43) showed any defiance, while Andy Manoussos stayed with him for just over 10 overs.
But they both eventually fell, along with Sam O'Leary, as Andrews cleaned up the innings in the 26th over for an undefendable total.
Just how undefendable soon became clear, as other than Connor O'Leary (1-12, one maiden) doing his best with just under four overs, including having Sam Paterson caught out, Dinwiddie and Sam O'Leary had the long handle taken to them.
Dinwiddie managed five wides in his first over, and in his second over, Jayden Miles (53 not out off 14 balls) lined him up with consecutive sixes off the last two balls.
Dinwiddie was replaced by Sam O'Leary, who Miles smashed for a season-record 30 runs in six balls – hitting three boundaries and three sixes in alternating order – leaving Connor O'Leary just five runs to defend when he got the ball back for the seventh over.
After a single, Miles was back on strike to hit his fifth boundary to go with his five sixes and leaving both teams looking forward to the post-match beer, but for completely different reasons.
Like last weekend with United, Tech Old Boys flirted with disaster in chasing their gettable target with Landsdowne, before the lower order got them home.
Tech had a strong start to reduce the home side to 47-4 in the 11th over, as the last-over batting hero against United in Fraser Kinnerley (4-20) and Wanganui player-coach Vikum Sanjaya (3-36) got amongst the top order.
Only skipper Jack Forrester (22) managed a start, while Robbie Speers (16) was getting settled, yet both fell to Kinnerley and at 51-6, Landsdowne could have threatened Marist for lowest total of the round.
However, Choi Jackson (18) and Sanjay Patel (14) stuck around as support for the key man John Ryan (52 from 56), who would get his side up over 150 before being the last man to fall as Kinnerley, Sanjaya and Akash Gill (2-39) cleaned up the tail.
Although batting opener Sanjaya could not produce another attacking innings like against United, Tech maintained control as Kashish Nauhria (15) was joined by Bevan Hunter (40) to just keep the score ticking along with a 66-run partnership.
However, Speers (2-31) and Patel (2-29) then struck back to remove them and last week's half-century maker Sam Sherriff for a duck at 82-4, before Gill (37) and Dominic Lock (15) again settled Tech down to move their side into the 120's.
The pendulum swung again with Lock and Gill fell to Jaco Vorster and Jake Young respectively, and the other batting hero from last week in Siddh Lad was dismissed by Speers in his second-last over.
But from 142-7 in the 35th over, and with the most dangerous bowlers finished up, Ross Kinnerley (14 not out) and Hunter Morrison held their nerve to collect the last ten runs over the next three overs to seal the win and fourth place on the ladder.
Collegiate had to take a 10-man team down to the artificial wicket to play Red Star, who made them pay by raising 280-8 in 48 overs in a first innings which had a rain break.
Stefan Hook (84) was well supported through the middle order by Ethan Childs (21), Tim Burling (43), Nathan Elliott (41), and Cole Freeman (23).
Collegiate got a couple of late runouts, while Shaun O'Leary (2-76) and Adam Lennox (2-66) picked up wickets despite being expensive off their 10 overs each.
James Craig (1-31) was economical with his nine overs.
In reply, despite the daunting total and having only nine wickets, Collegiate made an encouraging start through their opening pair of Wanganui representative Joel Clark (70 from 74) and Lennox (24) in support.
Clark struck eight boundaries and two sixes, attacking lead bowler Peter Sigvertsen, but when Lennox fell at 71-1 in the 13th over, it triggered the downhill slide.
The Childs brothers in Quinn (5-31) and Ethan (3-31) just tore through the brittle lineup, with coach Warren Herbert again playing, but like six others was dismissed in single figures.
Oscar McVerry (16 from 59) tried to hold on after Clark and Herbert's dismissals, but after being in there for just over 12 overs, he succumbed in the 38th over, which Ethan Childs wrapping up the innings two balls later.
Coastal Challenge resumes for the Whanganui and Wairarapa clubs on January 11.
Scoreboard
United 207-8 (G Hobbs 64, B Walker 40, M Simes 37, C Sharrock 20; D Williams 3-32, J Dawson 2-33) bt Weraroa 180-9 (B de Burgh 35, A Simonsen 31, J Dawson 23; T Lance 3-24, R Slight 2-28, R Power 2-39, C Sharrock 2-39) by 27 runs.
Marist 67 (C Thorpe 26; C Andrews 4-17, D Schlup 3-23) lost to Kapiti Old Boys 68-1 (J Miles 53no; C O'Leary 1-12) by nine wickets.
Landsdowne 151 (J Ryan 52, J Forrester 22; F Kinnerley 4-20, V Sanjaya 3-36, A Gill 2-39) lost to Tech 152-7 (B Hunter 40, A Gill 37; K Patel 2-29, R Speers 2-31) by three wickets.
Red Star 280-8 (S Hook 84, T Burling 43, N Elliott 41, C Freeman 23, E Childs 21; A Lennox 2-66, S O'Leary 2-76) bt Whanganui Collegiate 147 (J Clark 70, A Lennox 24; Q Childs 5-31, E Childs 3-31) by 133 runs.
Levin Old Boys 270 (B Te Tomo 96, D Sanson 73, J Pinfold 22; J Keats 2-41, K Patel 2-42, J Bohmer 2-46) bt Paraparaumu CC 151 (B Gill 29, D Reder 26, J Bohmer 22; F Bartholomew 3-42, D Sanson 2-13, D Kennett 2-28, R Taylor 2-33) by 119 runs.
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