Cricket: Whanganui’s Marist and United confirmed for Coastal Challenge semifinals

Joel Clark scored his first unbeaten century for Marist to guide them to a victory over Paraparaumu and lock in their Coastal Challenge semifinal spot. Photo / Jared Smith

Wanganui Vet Services Marist and Property Brokers United are guaranteed to finish in the top three of cricket’s Coastal Challenge alongside Wairarapa’s Burger King Red Star.

The question is which of the teams will get the two home semifinal positions after Marist ended Roofbox Paraparaumu’s play-off hopes with a four-wicket win at Tasman Tanning (Victoria) Park on Saturday.

The United v Kāpiti Old Boys match at Paraparaumu Domain ran into wet weather, finishing with a no-result tie, but two competition points to each side means the other Horowhenua-Kāpiti teams are now out of the semifinal spots.

Marist have not been able to field their strongest line-up for the past two weekends, but key players delivered for them as the home side bowled out their opposition cheaply and made a steady batting run to the winning total.

Multiple Paraparaumu batsmen got starts as Hayden Mourits (25), Jacob Ross (20) and Byron Gill (30) looked like they might be set for the anchor innings.

However, Marist pace bowler Connor O’Leary (4-32) and his spinner sibling Hadleigh O’Leary (4-33) got among them before any batsman could get established.

James Birrell (40 not out from 35 balls) tried to bat with the tailenders, but Connor O’Leary and returning opening bowler Angus Dinwiddie (2-44) cleaned them up shy of 200 runs.

Whanganui opener Joel Clark (113 not out from 110 balls) stepped up for one of the most well-weighted innings of the entire Coastal campaign, having conceded only 27 runs from his 10 overs of spin without securing a wicket.

Paraparaumu’s veteran bowlers, Sean Windle (2-38) and skipper Dale McNamara, fired the ball in, but Clark defended by blocking out dangerous deliveries while still punishing the bad balls — finishing with 19 boundaries and a six.

Only 31 runs from Clark’s innings were from in-field runs as he reached the boundary rope from all around the pitch, with classical drives, pulls and flicks off his pads.

It proved important for Clark to keep going as the likes of veteran Mark Fraser (19 from 26) were run out in bizarre circumstances when he blocked McNamara, who picked up the ball and threw the stumps down.

Hadleigh O’Leary (38 from 57) hit a boundary off his first delivery before settling into the support role with Clark, the pair putting on the decisive 89-run partnership in quick time.

O’Leary was ruled stumped off spinner Jayden Keats and after Craig Thorpe came in to whack a couple of quick boundaries before being run out, Clark signed off on his season-defining innings with a six to give Marist the victory with a crucial bonus point for winning before the 40th over.

Down at Paraparaumu Domain, two competition points each guaranteed United and Kāpiti their semifinal spots, leaving fifth-placed Levin Old Boys on the outside with one round robin of games remaining.

Batting first, United had to come off in the 12th over when they were 42-3, losing 16 overs of play before they resumed with the understanding it would be a 34-over match.

United had reached 183-9 at that point, but wet weather set in, ending play.

United opener Zeb Small (35) was the standout in the top order, while Max Carroll (56 from 57) delivered in the middle order.

All-rounder Brendon Walker (29 from 27) got going in the lower order, and veterans Simon Badger and the returning Tom Lance were at the crease when play ended.

Results

Coastal Challenge

Roofbox Paraparaumu 196 (P Birrell 40no, B Gill 30, H Mourtis 25, J Ross 20; C O’Leary 4-32, H O’Leary 4-33, A Dinwiddie 2-44) lost to Wanganui Vet Services Marist 197-6 (J Clark 113no, H O’Leary 38; S Windle 2-38) by four wickets.

Property Brokers United 183-9 (M Carroll 56, Z Small 35, B Walker 29; M Harrison 3-35, Z Benton 3-39, M Newell 2-35) v Kāpiti Old Boys was rained out.

Burger King Red Star 200 (T Bidois 102, J Wakeling 20; H Kahu 5-33, J Dawon 2-48) bt Weraroa CC 159 (P Liyanage 59, J Marshall 28; Q Childs 2-19, E Childs 2-27, P Sigvertsen 2-40) by 41 runs.

Premier 2 40-over

Wicket Warriors Whanganui 92 (L Cherian 37; D Rayner 2-8, B Cunningham 2-9, W Turner 2-16) lost to Matt Burke Engineering Marton Saracens 93-3 (T Westwood 40, D Rayner 31no) by seven wickets.

Whanganui Collegiate 2nd XI 83 (K Hatfull 23; M Comrie 4-18, A Muir 2-20, L Hoekstra 2-22) lost to Whanganui High School 1st XI 84-3 (R Meredith 23no, L Hoekstra 20) by seven wickets.

Whanganui Renegades bt Property Brokers United 2nd XI.

Premier 3 30-over

Whanganui Collegiate P3s 150-5 (T McMurray 78no; J Baldwin 3-24) lost to Wanganui Vet Services Marist 2nd XI 152-8 (D Purvis 67no; R McIntyre 3-34, A Whiteman 2-22) by two wickets.

Kaitoke Knight Riders 215-4 (D Holly 102no, P Bowman 27no, M Slade 26; L Cox 3-31) bt Whanganui High School P3s 86 (L Meijer 27; J Malipaard 3-9, M Slade 2-6, N McKay 2-29) by 129 runs.

Matt Burke Engineering Marton Saracens P3′s 236-3 (A Pond 71, A Reynolds-Rowe 61, C Mariadoss 27) bt Awa City Cavaliers 120-7 ( J Kennedy 24, B McGregor 26, N Toy 21; A George 2-10, E Smallbone 2-20) by 116 runs.