Whanganui Cricket: Recreated homegrown Premier 1 competition

Roger Moore bowling for the Renegades in 2020. This year they make the step up to Premier 1. Photo / NZME

There will be four Premier 1 teams looking to grasp hold of a fresh piece of silverware when Cricket Whanganui's Premier club seasons get under way across multiple venues on Saturday.

In 2021-22, the traditional powerhouses Property Brokers United and Wanganui Vet Services Marist combined with the Horowhenua-Kapiti and Wairarapa clubs to play an expanded Coastal Challenge Cup all season – consisting of tournaments in all three formats.

This summer, Coastal Challenge has returned to the regular schedule of just the 50-over competition for what will be the eighth season – Marist having won the title in 2018-19 while United hunt that maiden championship after four trips to the grand final.

The Challenge will begin on January 21 and conclude on March 25, so for the first half of the summer, Cricket Whanganui has been able to recreate a homegrown Premier 1 competition.

Joining United and Marist will be the Whanganui Collegiate 1st XI, coming back to Premier 1 after playing two roughly-equal teams in Premier 2 in the first half of last summer. And for the first time in this recent era, the all-conquering P2 champions Wanganui Renegades step up.

Renegades "done the double" last summer – winning both P2 titles after claiming the T20 crown for the third-straight year on February 19, then finishing on top of the P240 standings when the season concluded on March 26.

This pre-Christmas tournament will see all four sides play each other once, with the top two teams contesting the final on December 17.

On Saturday, Renegades will face Marist at Tasman Tanning (Victoria) Park, while Collegiate hosts United at the school grounds.

Renegades have already drawn first blood on Marist after picking up a 49-run win over "Marist B" in the Combined T20's opening round last Saturday.

The Marist lineup had some 1st XI players mixing with their regular B team, but now they will be strengthened by the return of their Riverview Whanganui representative squad members.

The United squad which played the opening T20 round was also a mixture of 1st XI and 2nd XI from their rather deep roster and had a narrow 10-run defeat to Wicket Warriors Whanganui.

They will also be reinforced by the return of their Whanganui players, to take on a Collegiate team who have a handful of players in the representative group, although they did not play against Wairarapa at the weekend due to the school prizegiving.

The matches start at 12.30pm.

The Premier 2 competition will also begin on Saturday with matches at Springvale Park and Collegiate.

Nine teams have been split into two pools, and are playing a series of qualifying games from now until February 4.

The placings from these P240 games will decide the two divisions that will compete for separate championships from February 11 to March 25 – six teams in Division 1 and four teams in Division 2.

As reigning P240 champions playing the pre-Christmas Premier 1 tournament, Renegades have automatically qualified for the P2 Division 1 grade, and it will be interesting to see who joins them.

Wanganui United have three teams taking part, including a Colts side.

The games start at 12.30pm.

Draw for November 5

Premier 1

Wanganui Renegades vs Wanganui Vet Services Marist

Property Brokers Wanganui United vs Whanganui Collegiate School 1st XI

P240

Pool 1

Whanganui Collegiate School 2nd XI vs Kaitoke Knight Riders

Matt Burke Engineering Marton Saracens vs Marist Wanganui 2nd XI

Bye: Property Brokers Wanganui United 2nd XI

Pool 2

Property Brokers Wanganui United P3 vs Wanganui Old Boys

Wicket Warriors Whanganui vs Property Brokers Wanganui United Colts