Both 50-over matches are to start at 12.30pm with the 2 v 3 preliminary final next Saturday being the grade's penultimate clash.
The Senior B Hope Cup semifinals start at 2pm and feature competition leaders Ngatapa against defending champions HSOB Presidents for the Challenge Cup on HBR 3. Horouta Te Waka are down to host OBR on HBR 2.
Carl Shaw, captain of the unbeaten HSOB premiers, cares not a jot for his unit's five-from-five record: “We've improved — improvement being our goal from the beginning — in most of the games we've played throughout the season. If we continue that way, we'll give ourselves every opportunity to win tomorrow and take momentum into the final.”
Shaw's men are coming off an eight-wicket win against a Boys' High team whose biggest partnership in Round 6 was a second-wicket stand of 46 in 11-odd overs. Second-drop Keegan Jooste, the burly left-hander now considered to be an all-rounder, scored 23 runs off 35 balls and was Boys' High's best batsman on the day.
No matter what else happens this weekend, it is impossible to see Teghbir Singh — who hit 12 sixes and 22 fours — batting for 45.2 overs for 132. Responsible batsmanship is to be applauded but the defending champions need a bonus-point win over Horouta to be assured of a place in next Saturday's preliminary final.
OBR's goal is to bat for 50 overs and improve their run-rate from -1.098: that, for their skipper Nick Greeks, is priority 1.
“HSOB have a strong batting line-up and we have to put up a competitive total and if we bat second, take the chase as deep as we can.”
Boys' High skipper Nathan Trowell sees top-order partnerships and his bowlers putting the ball in the right areas as being of vital importance: “If we get early wickets, we need to keep our foot on the gas and attack.”
Horouta will be without as many as seven of their regulars.
The cavalier approach served them spectacularly well last Saturday — 381-7 is a huge score in limited-overs cricket at any level of the game — but how repeatable such an effort is shall soon be known. Both sides would benefit from being as positive as possible but also flexible in their approach. To target a specific area of the ground or individual bowler, to sense an opportunity to take the game over and how to do that with control, are skills representative cricketers learn.
Experience has a role to play tomorrow.
In the B Grade semifinals, Ngatapa and HSOB Presidents is a delicious 1 v 4. The Mike Gibson-led Green Caps won the first match by eight wickets on December 11 with Ollie Needham's Presidents claiming victory in the rematch on February 19 by 62 runs.
Horouta Te Waka go into their semi without their captain Mel Knight, and Craig Christophers of OBR will be up to book a Hope Cup berth.
It wouldn't do to to forget that their dashing leftie, Jannie Jacobs, remains the only century-maker in the grade this season: 126 not out on opening day at Nelson Park. He hit 11 sixes and nine fours in 77 minutes, and must be just about due to go again.
