Collegiate's Shaun O'Leary bowls during United's innings. O'Leary made the match-winning score with the bat for his team to be unbeaten in the first round of Twenty20.
Collegiate's Shaun O'Leary bowls during United's innings. O'Leary made the match-winning score with the bat for his team to be unbeaten in the first round of Twenty20.
Whanganui Collegiate 1st XI are the top side at the halfway point of the round robin for the Bullocks Twenty20 competition after a comprehensive eight wicket win over previously unbeaten Property Brokers United today.
The Collegiate bowlers got amongst the United top order early to reduce them to 15-2, beforebowling restrictively at the school grounds to hold the middle order back to 105-5 at the end of the innings.
Stephen Holloway was caught and bowled by Adam Lennox, while Gerrard Hobbs departed from a run out.
Fresh from winning the International Junior Sportsperson prize at the Whanganui Sports Awards the night before, Keightly Watson came and went as one of two victims of Unreal Grass Wicket Wanganui spinner Joel Clark (2-17).
Clark also had key man Brendon Walker (18) stumped, after he was looking to get going with the only six of the innings.
Robbie Power (13), Martin Pennefather (23 not out) and Zeb Small (14 not out) survived to carry their team through the last ten overs and into triple figures, but they needed to bowl well to defend the middling total.
United's Zeb Small dives to make his ground.
Instead, Collegiate had it all sewn up at the start of the 13th over, as Lennox (23) and Shaun O'Leary (58 from 38 balls) had them away to a strong start, before Holloway got payback with the stumping of Lennox off the bowling of Power.
O'Leary just carried on, smacking six boundaries and two sixes, before he was finally caught just 15 runs shy of the target.
It was a simple matter for William Hocquard (13 not out) and Harry Godfrey to secure the remaining runs, with Godfrey hitting a six to sign the match off.
Collegiate have now beaten all three Whanganui club teams, although it remains to be seen how strong the schoolboys will be in the second half of the Twenty20 competition with games in December and January, leading into finals day on February 1.
For the other match, Wanganui Vet Services Marist were able to have a relaxed time with a few bevvies at the Sports Awards, given Tech Old Boys defaulted their game with less than a handful of players available.
Last weekend in the Coastal Challenge Cup, the Horowhenua Kapiti sides played another split round amongst themselves while the Whanganui and Wairarapa clubs took a break with players on representative duties.
Levin Old Boys defeated Weraroa CC by four wickets, which was enough to narrowly claim top of the points table on run rate ahead of Paraparaumu CC, who had a three wicket win over Kapiti Old Boys in a low scoring game.
Scoreboard
United 105-5 (M Pennefather 23no, B Walker 18; J Clark 2-17) lost to Collegiate 106-2 (S O'Leary 58, A Lennox 23; R Power 1-35) by eight wickets.
