Whanganui cricket: Last chance for Premier 1 clubs to earn place in final

Wanganui Vet Services Marist's Ross Kinnerley.

It will be a virtual semifinal round when the Whanganui Collegiate 1st XI host Wanganui Vet Services Marist at the school grounds on Saturday.

Weather dependent, the final round robin games in Premier 1 before the Top 2 final on December 17 will match up the two sides who have picked up one victory each from their two games.

After a 73-run win over Wanganui Renegades in the opening round on November 5, Marist’s anticipated clash with rivals Property Brokers United was abandoned last weekend due to the damp state of the grounds.

Collegiate, meanwhile, rebounded from losing to United by seven wickets in their first game, to hanging on with some strong bowling in the final overs to beat Renegades by six runs in a reduced-overs match last Saturday.

There has always been a strong connection between the Collegiate squad and Marist, as many former 1st XI players migrate over to the club when they complete their secondary school education.

Brothers and cousins have often played against each other in this fixture over the summers.

For example, Marist have several members of the extended O’Leary family, including Connor, Hadleigh and Sam, while Collegiate has the likes of Timothy O’Leary coming through the ranks.

Oscar Mabin has been the key player throughout for Collegiate - the young allrounder top scored with 41 and bowled four tight overs in the win over Renegades.

But facing Marist veterans like Mark Fraser, John McIlraith, Nick Harding and the Kinnerleys – Ross and Fraser – the schoolboys will have quite the test.

It will be the first time the sides have faced each other at Premier 1 level since the 2020-21 Coastal Challenge Cup, where Marist won by seven wickets after chasing down the schoolboys’ very competitive 276-9.

Eyeing up the December 17 final themselves, United will want a strong hit out when they take on Renegades at Tasman Tanning (Victoria) Park.

It will be a chance for the likes of Tom Lance, Greg Smith, Chris Sharrock, Sam Roebuck and Lovedeep Randhawa, among others, to build form ahead of the prospect of the first trophy game of the season.

Renegades, although out of contention and likely to be a little light on numbers, are still hunting that first win in their ascension to the top grade for the first half of the summer.

The likes of Ben Heap, Woody Martin, and Mathew Hodges have been their form players so far this campaign and will need a good shift with bat and ball.

The games start at 12.30pm.

The P240 qualification rounds continue with games at Collegiate and Victoria Park on Saturday.

As the unbeaten Matt Burke Engineering Marton Saracens take the bye in Pool 1, it will allow the other teams to make up some ground on the points table.

The Whanganui Collegiate 2nd XI host the Wanganui Vet Services Marist 2nd XI at the school grounds as part of a doubleheader with their 1st XIs.

Having picked up the win over Collegiate last weekend, the Property Brokers United 2nd XI will look to keep the momentum going against the Kaitoke Knight Riders at Victoria Park.

Pool 2 will see the two Property Brokers United teams that postponed their game last weekend – the 3rds and the Colts – playing at Victoria against Wicket Warriors Whanganui and Wanganui Old Boys-Tech respectively.

Draw for November 26

Premier 1

Whanganui Collegiate School 1st XI vs Wanganui Vet Services Marist

Wanganui Renegades vs Property Brokers Wanganui United.

P240

Pool 1

Whanganui Collegiate School 2nd XI vs Wanganui Vet Services Marist 2nd XI

Kaitoke Knight Riders vs Property Brokers Wanganui United 2nd XI

Bye: Matt Burke Engineering Marton Saracens.

Pool 2

Property Brokers Wanganui United P3 vs Wicket Warriors Whanganui

Property Brokers Wanganui United Colts vs Wanganui Old Boys-Tech.