United and Marist play the first day of their two-day Coastal Challenge match on Saturday. Photo / NZME
United and Marist play the first day of their two-day Coastal Challenge match on Saturday. Photo / NZME
Property Brokers United and Wanganui Vet Services Marist will continue their rivalry in a rare opportunity to play red-ball club cricket in Whanganui on Saturday.
The second Coastal Challenge format for the 2021-22 season will get underway at grounds in Whanganui, Levin, and Masterton with this inaugural two-day competition forthose eight club sides, following on from the Twenty20 format in October.
Marist drew first blood for local honours on October 16 when they won a one-run thriller, where it all came down to the final delivery with United needing three runs to tie, but only able to manage two.
This weekend United have Chris Sharrock, Andrew Penn, John Beale and Hunter Morrison, while Marist can call upon Chris Stewart, Mark Fraser, Connor O'Leary, John McIlraith and, if work duties allow, Fraser Kinnerley.
Whanganui Collegiate School has released some players for the local derby, with Carter Hobbs and Daniel Burgess playing for United and Shaun O'Leary and Adam Beard for Marist.
It is a knock-out style tournament, as the four undefeated teams will match up against each other for the second round, held on December 4 and 18, with the other clubs in minor playoffs.
The final between the two remaining unbeaten teams will be a full weekend on January 8-9.
In the other games to start the competition, the Coastal Challenge Twenty20 winners Levin Old Boys will play Weraroa CC at their Domain.
Their fellow Horowhenua-Kāpiti clubs, Kapiti Old Boys and Paraparaumu Medical Centre CC, clash at Kena Kena Park, while the Wairarapa derby is between Burger King Red Star and United CC at Queen Elizabeth Park.
The matches begin at 11am.
Saturday also sees the start of the Bullocks Premier 2 40-over competition between 10 teams who will vie for the championship from November through to March.
Seven clubs are represented, with Wanganui United providing two teams, while Whanganui Collegiate has also entered two school sides.
