Basketball: Kaipara need win for title

The Kaipara team have two weeks to get ready for the game against Maungakaramea. Photo/Thinkstock

Mother Nature has had her say in the final round of the Oxford Trust two-day competition, giving Kaipara Flats the chance to realise a goal which has been four years in the making.

With each game's final day washed out, Kaipara coach Kevin Forde was gutted that his side missed out on the chance to claim an outright win - although admitted he was glad to have made the final.

Now, Forde and his team have two weeks to prepare for a showdown with top qualifiers Maungakaramea.

"We had a number of players away [on the weekend], most bowlers and Rory Christopherson away," Forde said, noting that Christopherson was making his first-class debut with the Northern Knights.

"We still had a strong side to go out there and were in a commanding spot to get the outright win."

With Kaipara being the second-ranked side, it means Maungakaramea hold a significant advantage going into the final.

For Maungakaramea to claim the title, they require only a draw in the final, meaning Kaipara must outplay them..

Forde added that he felt his side could do it.

"You've got to advance the game as quickly as possible to give yourself maximum time to bowl them out. They only need to avoid an outright win.

"Our preparation will be based around the simple things like ticking the strike over and getting runs without taking too much risk.

"But we've got to weigh that up with how they're going to play us. They can dictate, so we've got to outplay them."

Forde noted that in his four years of being involved with Kaipara, they had won Twenty20 and one-day titles but were yet to add the two-day crown.

"We made the final last season, I think, but were beaten outright. We only had nine players on the final and we were the top qualifier.

"[Winning the two-day competition] is something we haven't done since I've been involved with the club. For me, and a lot of the senior boys I've been involved with, we really want to win this."

Maungakaramea captain Neal Parlane confirmed his side wouldn't be playing negatively when the final came around.

"Coming top of the table you deserve to have an advantage," Parlane said.

"Sounds really bad, but, it basically means we could go into the game to draw, but we won't do that.

"To me [playing negatively] kills it, but that's the way the competition is run."