Cricket: Wanganui United win T20 title

Tom Lance and Matt Boswell did well at opening for United's win in the morning over Collegiate.

The disappointment of Property Brokers United's elimination in the Bullocks Coastal Challenge Cup semifinals a week ago was tempered by retaining the Premier 1 Twenty20 championship at Victoria Park on Saturday.

The final round of games was held in the morning, with the Top 2 qualifiers on points then going on to the final in the afternoon.

Having given seven players to the Air Chathams Wanganui team that was playing against Wairarapa next door, while two others were away for personal reasons, an understrength Wanganui Vet Services Marist, on seven competition points, received a lifeline after they were beaten by Watson's Tech, who could not qualify for the Top 2 as they were on three points coming into the round.

United, sitting on nine points, defeated Whanganui Collegiate 1st XI, on seven points, by a comfortable seven wicket margin.

Collegiate's lower order managed to salvage their innings from 50-5 to make 138-6, with Adam Lennox top scoring with 35 after United's James Pennefather took 4-23.

But United had run up 139-3 by the 17th over, with Matthew Boswell (41 not out) and Tom Lance (31) getting them off to a good start, before Simon Badger (34 not out) finished it off.

Not playing for Wanganui due to school commitments, Collegiate spinner Joel Clark took 2-18 before the winning runs were struck.

Marist therefore still advanced to the final match on averages, but were well beaten by United, with one of the match highlights being a superb one-handed catch by veteran Gerard Hobbs.