The victorious Wanganui United team after their victory in the Premier 1 Twenty20 final over Whanganui Collegiate 1st XI this afternoon.
The victorious Wanganui United team after their victory in the Premier 1 Twenty20 final over Whanganui Collegiate 1st XI this afternoon.
Property Brokers United comfortably wrapped up the first Premier 1 silverware of the summer by retaining their Bullocks Twenty20 trophy with a no-nonsense 39 run win over Whanganui Collegiate 1st XI at Victoria Park today.
As expected, the two sides agreed to just play a straight championship game, rather thanthe original schedule of their final pool match in the morning being followed by a final for which they had both already qualified in the afternoon.
Just as predictable, neither Wanganui Vet Services Marist or Tech Old Boys had the numbers or inclination for their last games against each other.
As well as the title, United were also looking for payback for their eight wicket loss to Collegiate at the school grounds back in late November, and started well through Gerard Hobbs (27 from 29) and Tom Lance, who only faced six balls but hit 13 runs – enough to finish tied with clubmate Robbie Power for most runs in the T20 competition (134).
Alex Kayser (43 from 41) joined Hobbs to bring up the 50 in the 7th over when the partnership was broken, but Brendon Walker (26 from 14) kept up the momentum, hitting three sixes for the second game in a row.
Collegiate bowler Adam Lennox (2-34) finally had Walker hit the ball back to him, which Zak Guiniven (19 from 9) also did to Oscar McVerry off the fifth ball of his sole expensive over.
Harry Godfrey (2-25) got both Kayser and Andre Canderle (11) to give up nick-behinds to wicketkeeper Carter Hobbs during the final overs slog, but 153-7 was still looking like a challenging total.
And so it proved as Collegiate lost key openers Shaun O'Leary and Lennox to John Beale (2-15) with only 11 runs on the board, and while James Craig (14) and Godfrey (37 from 32) led a recovery to get to 59-2 in the 10th over, but Craig fell to a caught behind off Ratu Latus.
Godfrey departed in the following over to a catch off Ben Toyne, and while Daniel Burgess (27 off 21) was trying to keep up with the run rate, he lost Harvey Meyer to a run out.
Lance then dismissed Hobbs with the next delivery, and when McVerry gave up a catch to bowler Canderle (2-9) at the start of the 17th over at 103-7, there was no way forward.
Burgess was caught behind off Guiniven (2-2), who along with Canderle cleaned up the tail midway through the 19th over for 114.
Although he didn't play the final, Power finished on top of the tournament's MVP standings on CricHq, having tied Lance in the batting stakes, including the sole century of 121no, while he also tied Lennox for most wickets with six.
Robbie Power finished the Twenty20 tournament with the best statistics, which was helped mainly by his 121 not out and 3-25 against Wanganui Marist on December 7.
The sides will return to the last round robin of the Coastal Challenge Cup this Saturday, with United trying to hang onto their semifinal spot when they face unbeaten Levin Old Boys at Donnelly Park.
Scoreboard
United 153-7 (A Kayser 43, G Hobbs 27, B Walker 26; H Godfrey 2-25, A Lennox 2-34) bt Collegiate 114 (H Godfrey 37, D Burgess 27; Guiniven 2-2, A Canderle 2-9, J Beale 2-15) by 39 runs.
