Cricket: Rain hands final spot to NTOB

NTOB batsman Morton Freer plays a shot as CHB wicketkeeper Scott Schaw anticipates a nick at Nelson Park, Napier, on Saturday but rain had the last say. Photo/Paul Taylor

They were again at the mercy of rain but no team should be bellyaching about it.

That's because all four semifinalists in the Pay Excellence premier men's club one-day cricket competition knew what was in store for them had inclement weather kicked in.

"March is quite often bad so the benefit of finishing on top is quite a good thing," Complete Flooring Napier Technical Old Boys (NTOB) veteran George Diack aptly summed up on Saturday as his second-placed team qualified at Nelson Park over third-placed Ruahine Motors Ford Central Hawke's Bay (CHB) in Napier.

The teams went up to the pavilion about 1.30pm for a rain break and didn't return when persistent drizzled set in before the umpires pulled the plug at 5.10pm with Tech 181-5 in 43.2 overs.

"You know that's cricket, especially in March," Diack said of the no result.

CHB skipper Scott Schaw admirably took it on the chin after NTOB pipped them to the second rung of the ladder by 0.1 net run rate after the last round of games the previous weekend.

"Rain helped them but we have to be in control of our own destiny," Schaw lamented.

CHB rued losing games to Craft and Hern Sports Havelock North CC and The Station Napier Old Boys Marist a few round earlier.

"It's not quite what we wanted from the one-off games because we've got talent," Schaw said after CHB won the 55-over competition this summer and fancied their chances of claiming the one-day and overall titles.

Top-placed Heretaunga Building Society Cornwall CC will play NTOB in the final at Nelson Park this Saturday.

Diack is looking forward to a similar final to last year when NTOB beat Cornwall in the one-dayers.

"This [weather scenario] could happen to us next Saturday.

"We could be in the same situation [as CHB] if it starts pissing down," he said after Cornwall claimed the top rung the previous Saturday when they claimed maximum nine points over the villagers.

Cornwall beat Havelock North by eight wickets at home with 19.4 overs to spare even though the rain gods spared them any rain disruptions.

The hosts won the toss and put Havelock North in for a total of 181 all out in 44.3 overs.

Visiting skipper Jared Priest was adamant it was a defendable score after opener Mohammed Al-Sahariar Rokon scored 68 runs and No9 Priest added 30 after No6 Zane Hinton's 25.

Cornwall wicketkeeper Seb Langridge said they started badly, gifting a rash of wides (22) to let Rokon and Hinton run away a little.

"It probably took us 25 overs into the game," Langridge said.

"The wides didn't help ... we don't need to bowl them at all."

Captain Jacob Smith 3-30 and spinner Jono Hall 2-32 were the pick of bowlers but opener Liam Dudding (1-17) was the most frugal.

In reply, opener Smith smashed an unbeaten century (109), including 10 boundaries and seven sixes, as Cornwall eclipsed their target with 182-2 in 30.2 overs.

"Jake's innings was superb. He led from the front and that's what you expect from a captain," said Langridge, mindful Havelock North were always going to come back strongly after a drubbing in the previous round.

No 4 Jarrod Smith was 41 not out.

Priest ruled out Cornwall's overwhelming favouritism.

"We definitely had the team today to beat them. We thought it was a defendable total."

He felt the Cornwall pitch was "shocking and difficult to chase a target on".

However, Priest lauded Smith's knock in a game he said where neither team were concerned about rain.

"We tried to get Jake out by tempting him to play a rash shot but he's a good batsman," he said, adding the villagers were backing Cornwall to win the final.

"It's not the sort of thing you hear from Havelock North players," he said with a laugh.

Langridge said in the past three to four years he couldn't recall playing a one-day final that didn't involve NTOB.