The covers go on at Weraroa Domain at the weekend.
Sharp fielding and a big wag in the tail of the Weraroa senior men's cricket team helped to keep their season alive in the Coastal Cup competition at the weekend.
Playing a United team from Wanganui in a rain reduced-over match at Weraroa Domain, the home side was dismissed for 219 in the 41st over, which was their highest score of the tournament.
United opening bowler Harpreet Binning (2-40) had early success before the rest of the Weraroa top order in Locky Spring (24), Keegan Maclachlan (17), Jamie Marshall (25) and Kelsey Fahey (38) all got starts.
Fahey in particular was in good touch, hitting six boundaries and a six in the 35 balls he faced.
Nonetheless, United bowlers Simon Badger (3-31), Brendon Walker (3-36) and Martin Pennefather (2-40) all caught up with them to have the home side in trouble at 163-8.
However, Weraroa tail-ender Jaedyn Dawson struck back with a priceless 33 not out in 23 balls to give his side a challenging total, with United's overs reduced by the wet.
United lost their veteran openers early until a promoted Walker hit 25, and then it looked like the visitors would stay on track as Zeb Small (33) and Badger (53) played a steady partnership.
Wicketkeeper Zak Guiniven went on the attack with 36 from 22 balls, including four boundaries and two sixes, and at 198-5, United were nearly home.
But Guiniven's dismissal to Caleb O'Connell (3-24) triggered a collapse under pressure as the last five United wickets fell for 17 runs, two of them being run-outs.
The O'Connell spell, combined with Dawson innings, set their side up for a valuable four-run win. It also means Weraroa's trip to Tasman Tanning Park this coming Saturday to play Marist will be a virtual quarterfinal.
Wanganui Vet Services Marist had an unexpected Saturday off for their Old Timers Day as a default victory kept them in the Top 4 of the Coastal Challenge Cup 50-over competition.
Wairarapa's United CC were supposed to make the trip to Tasman Tanning (Victoria) Park, but instead defaulted for the second time in three games.
Marist pocketing the points keeps them in fourth sport on superior run rate against this coming weekend's opponent Weraroa CC, who ended Property Brokers United's championship hopes by just four runs in a gutting loss at their domain.
Having made the final four times in six previous seasons but still not won the championship, it is the first time since the inaugural Coastal Challenge in 2015-16 that United will not qualify for the semifinals.
In the other games, Kapiti Old Boys extinguished Burger King Red Star's semifinal hopes by travelling to Masterton to administer a heavy 77 run defeat, while Levin Old Boys made a big statement with their rain-reduced four-wicket victory over Paraparaumu Medical Centre CC to go top of the table.
SCOREBOARD
WERAROA
Thomas Morgan b HB Binning 6
Locky Spring c CM McKerras b HB Binning 24
Keegan Maclachlan c Matthew Simes b SB Badger 17
Jamie Marshall c CM McKerras b BW Walker 25
K Fahey c SB Badger b Martin Pennefather 38
CT Trask c GH Hobbs b BW Walker 7
Caleb O'Connell c & b BW Walker 14
Sean Finlayson c SB Badger b Martin Pennefather 14
Max Cullerton st ZG Guiniven b SB Badger 19
Jaedyn Dawson not out 33
P O'Donnell lbw b SB Badger 0
Extras (w 17, b 2, lb 3) 22
Total (9 wickets; 40.4 overs) 219 Duckworth Lewis 5.39 RPO
Bowling: Lovedeep Randhawa 8 0 54 0. HB Binning 8 0 40 2. SB Badger 7.4 0 31 3. BW Walker 9 0 36 3. Martin Pennefather6 0 40 2. GH Hobbs 2 0 13 0.
UNITED
AJ Penn b Caleb O'Connell 14
GH Hobbs b Keegan Maclachlan 6
BW Walker lbw b P O'Donnell 25
Matthew Simesc Caleb O'Connell b Locky Spring 14
Z A Small c Jaedyn Dawson b CT Trask 33
SB Badgerc K Fahey b Caleb O'Connell 53
ZG Guiniven lbw b Caleb O'Connell 36
Lovedeep Randhawac Jaedyn Dawson b CT Trask 4
Martin Pennefather run out (Jamie Marshall/Caleb O'Connell) 0
CM McKerras not out 5
HB Binning run out (Sean Finlayson)0
Extras (w 20, nb 1, b 4) 25
Total (10 wickets; 41.0 overs) 215 Duckworth Lewis 5.24 RPO
Bowling: Caleb O'Connell 8 2 24 3. Keegan Maclachlan 8 1 37 1. P O'Donnell 9 1 33 1. Locky Spring 8 0 741. Max Cullerton 3 0 15 0. CT Trask5 0 28 2.
Kapiti Old Boys 192 (R Hickey 56, M Harrison 45; G Deans 3-35, A Jaspers 2-22, P Wootton 2-28, O Patel 2-46) bt Burger King Red Star 115 (J Anderson 35, J Wylie 22; M Harrison 3-10, C Andrews 3-21, Z Benton 3-30).
Paraparaumu Medical Centre CC 186 (S O'Brien 48, N Harvey 48, D Reder 29, A Kumar 22; J Parker 3-22, D Sanson 3-28, A Simpson 2-16) lost to Levin Old Boys 179-6 (M Good 68no, B Te Tomo 43, A Simpson 36; D McNamara 3-53, S Windle 2-32) by four wickets under D/L method.