Cricket Whanganui senior season concludes with final round of P2 40 on Saturday

Saracens' Dominic Rayner, pictured here in 2016 in the Hawke Cup, stands on top of the P2 40 MVP list, having scored 382 runs at an average of 127.33. Photo / Bevan Conley

The 2021-22 summer will conclude for Cricket Whanganui's senior players with the final round of the P2 40 competition on Saturday.

Of the three championship tournaments involving the Premier 2 sides, the 40-over competition is the longest, running the length of the season after stumps went in on November 6 for nine rounds of games.

Played without finals, finishing top of the table guarantees the trophy.

Tech Old Boys' title hopes suffered a body blow in their loss against Whanganui Collegiate 2nd XI last weekend, with the school team now on a three-game winning streak.

Tech's final throw of the dice will be against the Kaitoke Knight Riders, who were also victorious last weekend over Marist B's, and could well rate their chances as a number of the Tech players have a wedding to attend on Saturday.

Collegiate's streak will have a firm test when they travel down to Centennial Park to face fourth-placed Matt Burke Engineering Marton Saracens, who had the bye last weekend.

With both of their Premier 1 teams finished for the season after not qualifying for the Coastal Challenge Cup semifinals, Marist B's and Treadwell Gordon United 2nd XI will play out the last chapter of the clubs' rivalry for this season.

Wicket Warriors Whanganui are scheduled to play the Wanganui United 3rds, who defaulted their last fixture.

In the season statistics, Saracens' former representative captain/coach Dominic Rayner stands on top of the MVP list, having scored 382 runs at an average of 127.33, thanks to not being dismissed a couple of times and a season-best score of 159 not out against Tech on November 13.

Rayner has also claimed four wickets at an average of 19, plus four catches in the field.

Wanganui Renegades' Adam Heap holds second spot but cannot improve on it as his table-topping side has the last bye of the competition.

Heap took 15 wickets in the competition at an average of just 7.07, while making 129 runs at an average of 64.50, being not out four times, plus three catches.

Rayner's veteran clubmate Andrew Spence is second in the batting statistics with 186 runs (37.20), followed by Renegades' former representative player Josh Trillo with 171 (85.50).

Along with Heap, the other bowlers to take 15 wickets are Wicket Warriors Whanganui's Sreejith Sreekumar (9.20) and Marist's former rep player Kane Watkin (12.47), who had the season's best figures of 6-24 against Kaitoke last week.

Games start at 12.30pm.

Draw for March 26th, P2 40

Matt Burke Engineering Marton Saracens vs Whanganui Collegiate Senior 2nd XI

Tech Old Boys vs Kaitoke Knight Riders

Marist B's vs Treadwell Gordon United 2nd XI

Wicket Warriors Whanganui vs Wanganui United 3rds

Bye: Wanganui Renegades CC

It is an all Horowhenua-Kapiti semifinal weekend for the Coastal Challenge Cup 50-over championship on Saturday.

The Whanganui and Wairarapa clubs will just have to keep up with the scores online, as undefeated Levin Old Boys will want to add to their Coastal Challenge Twenty20 crown when they host Weraroa CC at Donnelly Park.

Defending champions Paraparaumu Medical Centre CC are gunning for their fourth Coastal Challenge 50-over title, and take on Kapiti Old Boys, this year's Coastal 2-Day champions, at Kena Kena Park.

Games start at 12.30pm.