Confident accumulation by some old heads on young shoulders has Silk Audit Marist keeping pace with Wanganui United after Saturday's Porter Hire Premier 1 matchups.
On a flat and dry track at Victoria Park, Marist hauled in Wanganui High School's 211 to take a smart 8-wicket win.
After the slogs in the slosh the previous weekend due to wet weather, WHS were able to put up a challenging ask on the back of a century by Bevan Hunter, while Jack Stewart brought a solid supporting hand with 33.
Much improved on their 108-9 effort in falling short of United last weekend, WHS's Andrew Lock said having the full 50 overs to work with did not mean his side had a different mindset for constructing their innings.
"We knew [last week] that was going to be a 30-over match so it wasn't a stop-start affair."
After a tightly contested 26 overs WHS's innings stood at 94-5 before Hunter took the reins working the ball around and starting to find the boundary rope.
Having taken his team through to 183 and heading for a formidable total, Hunter was caught brilliantly on the boundary for 103 Marist's Luke Burgess taking the catch while heading over the boundary rope and tossing it up for second go.
Marist's Brett Turner said that catch saved them chasing another 20-30 runs, as he felt his team had already gifted 50 more than necessary on the lifeless pitch.
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"Obviously we thought we didn't field that well."
The extra digits proved little worry as youngsters Brett Cameron and Craig Thorpe steered the fluro-green men to 75-0 in 14 overs, taking WHS's spinners to task.
After Thorpe's fall, new Wanganui representative Cameron kept blasting, eventually falling for 96 off 80 balls.
Burgess and Fraser Kinnerly wrapped it all up by the 35th over.
Turner said he was pleased the young players had carried the can, with fellow Wanganui representative Mark Fraser likewise not needed for a turn at the crease.
It bodes well as providing a good performance will be all on their shoulders when Marist face United next week with the Hawke Cup players away.
Based on their bye, United still lead Premier 1 but an upset by Marist could make it very interesting come season's end with the championship being decided without a finals series.
In the other match on Saturday in Marton, WCS pulled it out against Saracens, dismissing them 14 runs short.
RESULTS
Porter Hire Premier 1
WHS 211-8 (B Hunter 103, J Stewart 33, S.O'Leary 3-19, F Kinnerly 2-14) lost to Silks Audit Marist 213-2 (C Thorpe 33, B Cameron 96, F Kinnerly 22no, L Burgess 24no).
WCS 222-7 (M Innes 33, M McMurray 32, H Collier 66, C Robson 42, D Ford 2-34) beat Marton Saracens 208 (D Ford 30, D Raynor 71, T Molscan 5-56, H Collier 2-21), United bye
Porter Hire Premier 2
WHS 112 (J Watkin 39) beat Tech OB 64 (J Watkin 5-10).
Marton Saracens 175-5 (T Walker 47) beat Renegades 69 (J Carroll 4-24, J McAleese 3-10).
United 194-9 (A Kenny 48, J Whiteman 42) beat Collegiate 94 (R Morgan 4-9, H Kirk 3-27).