Bethlehem College blasted their way into the final of the WBOPCA First XI championship final, when they defeated Otumoetai College in their semifinal at home.
After winning the Saturday toss, Bethlehem elected to bat and were 64/2 when Bede Murray and Matt Cole came together. Cole took to the Otumoetai
bowling attack with real enthusiasm, smashing 124 off just 68 balls while Murray was no less dominant at the other end, blasting 83.
Batting down the order Chase Raleigh also threw caution to the wind, smashing a quick-fire 34 off just 15 deliveries, as the home team went on to post a massive 339/9. While Otumoetai made a valiant attempt for victory, the large target proved too much and they were restricted to 229/8, to hand Bethlehem College a berth in the title decider.
By contrast, the second semifinal played out in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, saw Trident High School win a battle of attrition before securing their place in the final.
The Eastern Bay team batted first and posted a gettable target for Katikati College, when Trident were removed for 174. Hamish Wilde played a big part in his side's innings, top scoring with 89 runs.
