Whanganui cricket: Crunch time for United and Marist in Coastal Challenge

Ryan Slight (left) provides the pace to a varied United bowling attack. Photo / Stuart Munro

Property Brokers United and Wanganui Vet Services Marist need to keep stacking up Horowhenua-Kāpiti victories as the Coastal Challenge semifinals come into view.

United go back on the road to face the top-performing club from their neighbouring region in Kāpiti Old Boys, who will be in sudden-death mode.

Old Boys are playing their final round-robin game before taking the last bye next weekend.

Enjoying a fortnight of home games, fourth-placed Marist will host Roofbox Paraparaumu.

At Paraparaumu Domain, Kāpiti will want to keep their momentum going, as will table leaders United, who if they win will guarantee a home semifinal with a game to spare.

Still trying to win their first Coastal title despite having made the final in five of the eight seasons, it will concern United that their tight three-wicket win on the road against Weraroa CC was reliant on the batting of three key veterans.

Current and former representative captains Greg Smith, Max Carroll and Simon Badger all batted very well, but the rest of the top and middle order were dismissed in single digits, in a painful reminder of all those beaten grand finals where at least one batter - usually Smith - had a strong innings but no one else could stick with him.

The bowling is fine - the returned Ryan Slight has brought some much-needed pace, while Badger, allrounder Brendon Walker, representative spinner James Woodford, veteran spinner Robbie Power and the youth contingent with Harry Burroughs and Aidan Muir can all deliver.

But United have these last two games to not only secure a home playoff, but also get other players into some form with the willow in their hands.

Despite missing several key players last weekend, Marist dealt a major blow to Levin Old Boys’ title hopes, hammering the defending champions by eight wickets to leave them outside the top four while sitting on the bye.

Angus Dinwiddie and Joel Clark had not been the front-line bowlers but they opened the innings and got the key breakthroughs, before Hadleigh O’Leary joined Clark to spin a spell on Levin’s middle and lower order.

Although Ross Kinnerley and Nick Harding are still out injured, representative quick Connor O’Leary makes his return for this crucial game with a Paraparaumu team coming off the bye.

Neither Mark Fraser nor Hadleigh O’Leary were even required to bat against Levin, but with the likelihood of impressive run-scorer Tom Dempster being unavailable and Tim O’Leary returning to his Whanganui Collegiate First XI duties, they along with veteran Chris Stewart will have to step forward.

Paraparaumu will have been smarting from their big loss to United on their last trip to Victoria Park, which was followed by the Chapple Cup tournament break and the bye.

In the other match, Red Star return to their home Queen Elizabeth Park, looking to hang on to the other home semifinal spot when they host Weraroa CC.

All games start at 12pm.

The sixth round of the Premier 2 40-over competition will show if Wicket Warriors Whanganui and Property Brokers United Second XI are going to have a say in the make-up of the top-two final, as they face the sides occupying those spots.

Third-placed Warriors travel to Centennial Park to meet leaders Matt Burke Engineering Marton Saracens, while United take on Whanganui Renegades in a Victoria derby.

There will be a mini-series of schoolboy games as Whanganui Collegiate Second XI meet Whanganui High School First XI, before their rescheduled round one match on Wednesday.

In Premier 3 30-over, table leaders Kaitoke Knight Riders will look to keep the momentum going against the Whanganui High School P3s.

The P2 games begin at 12.30pm, while the P3s get under way at 1pm.