The teams pose together at the conclusion of the Intermediate Cup at Victoria Park on Sunday.
The Huntley School 1st XI have taken their first step to retaining their national title by winning the Pak N' Save Intermediate Cup for Whanganui schools at the weekend.
However, becoming the local qualifier to make the Central Districts tournament, which Huntley have won four times in a row, was not as straight forward as previous seasons.
The favourites did lose a match along the way to St Georges Intermediate, beating them for what is believed to be the first time in eight years.
Play started at Victoria Park on Saturday morning with a moments silence for the victims of the Christchurch shootings.
The games, which are in Twenty20 format with eight wickets available, saw Huntley pick up an easy seven wicket win over Whanganui Intermediate, bowling them out for 20 as Jack Trotter (4-7) and tournament MVP Harry McVerry (2-10) were the main destroyers.
Huntley had the winning runs by the fourth over.
St Georges also had an auspicious start with a seven wicket win over Hunterville.
Opener Peter George (20) looked to anchor the innings, with his side being bowled out for 75 in the 18th over, with five St Georges bowlers getting a wicket, along with three run-outs in the field.
St Georges' openers Etham Gilmore (24) and Logan Brown (21no) had put on 58 runs by the eighth over when Gilmore was bowled, with skipper Theo Tripe (13no) coming in to quickly wrap up the chase by the 10th over.
In the Saturday afternoon games, St Georges continued to show themselves as contenders with a 99-run win over Whanganui Intermediate, making 144-6.
Opener Jimmy Lithgow (29) and No 3 batsman Te Awanui Rice Edwards (37) were the highest run scorers, with others contributing including Nehemiah Su'a (18no) at the end of the innings.
In reply, Intermediate were bowled out for 45 by the 14th over, as another five St Georges bowlers picked up wickets, with Kye Mason getting two in the space of four balls to wrap up the innings.
But Huntley ran rampant over Hunterville with a 168-run hammering, raising a tournament-best 246-2 from their 20 overs.
Despite losing a wicket in the first over, Huntley's Timothy O'Leary (53) and McVerry (60) both retired unbeaten, having hit 17 boundaries and two sixes between themselves.
Diego Coleman (28), Ollie Duncan (34no) and Falcon Proffit (16no) then kept the momentum going to raise the massive total.
Facing a run rate over 12, Hunterville were dismissed for 78 with a run out after the last ball was bowled.
Again, it was George (17) who was their top scorer and anchor, while Hayden Lourie made 16.
Huntley had the luxury of using nine bowlers, with Angus Pearce (2-10) and Proffit (2-12) having the most success.
And so to Sunday morning and St Georges managed to spring the surprise with a big seven wicket win over Huntley in the last round robin matches.
The same batsmen who nearly made 250 the day before were bowled out for 57 in the 13th over, with McVerry (14) and Coleman (16) the only ones to reach double figures.
Lithgow (4-14) got all the key wickets through the middle of the innings, but again it was a team bowling effort with four more team mates picking up scalps.
Gilmore (18no) and Brown (15) put on 28 runs by the sixth over, with Tripe (16no) then coming out to guide St Georges to the winning runs by the 14th over.
The other game of the round saw Whanganui Intermediate beat Hunterville by 13 runs to get their first win.
Intermediate made 90-7 on the back of Hunterville giving away costly extras – 36 of them – while Noah Jones (20) scored at a run a ball down the order.
Jayme Bremner (2-8) and Lourie (2-29) had the most success of the bowlers.
Hunterville were given an extra batsmen, but were dismissed for 77-9 at the start of the 19th over.
Opener Riley Somerville (24) scored runs at the top, while Intermediate also gave away 27 extras.
Max Comrie took 4-9 from his three overs.
And so the afternoon playoff games were rematches of the morning round as Huntley faced St Georges again for the title, while Whanganui Intermediate and Hunterville met in the consolation final.
This time, St Georges opted to bat first against Huntley and were dismissed for an inadequate 63 in the 15th over.
Tripe (13) and Edwards (19) were the only ones to reach double figures, as Trotter (3-10), McVerry (2-12) and Duncan (2-24) all got amongst them, with the latter two getting top order wickets while Trotter cleaned up the tail.
In reply, openers O'Leary (12) and Coleman (24) had Huntley set before McVerry and Pearce just had to polish off the last ten runs for victory and send their team off to another Central Districts qualifier.
The last game of the tournament was also the closest, as Whanganui Intermediate held off Hunterville for a five run win, again with both teams having an extra wicket.
Intermediate raised 74-8 with the biggest contributors being Jones (14) and Jaiden Toy (12no), along with 25 from sundries.
George took tournament best bowling figures of 4-6 from his four overs, while Joshua Keenan (2-10) bowled well.
In reply, Hunterville had enough balls to spare but not enough wickets, as their lower order collapsed to be all out for 69 in the 17th over.
Lourie (21) and George (13) each looked to guide their team through, while 18 extras also helped.
But after Jones (2-12) got some key wickets, Hunterville fell apart from 59-4, as Blake Smith (3-8) picked up three scalps in a row and then Blake Sollitt (2-2) got the last men standing in less than two overs.
MVP Awards
Tournament Overall: Harry McVerry (Huntley)
Batting: Tim O'Leary (Huntley)
Bowling: Jack Trotter (Huntley)
Most Improved
Hunterville: Anthony Smailles
WIS: Max Comrie
St Georges: Ethan Gilmore
Huntley: Diego Coleman
Parents/member of family Bat Prize: Hamish Cranstone (Huntley)
Pak N Save $100 Cricket Voucher: Drew Brennan (Whanganui Intermediate).
