Marist hammer Tech by over 200 runs

John McIlraith top scored with 84 in Marist's big team total against Tech Old Boys at Victoria Park on Saturday.

Marist continued their recent run of victories in the Bullocks Coastal Challenge Cup with a 226 run thrashing of town mates St Johns Tech in the playoff between sixth and seventh at Victoria Park on Saturday.

Reinforced by a couple of recently departed Collegiate 1st XI players and with a top order finding some form, Marist hammered their way to 343-8 on the No3 pitch at the park.

Representative batsman Chris Stewart (71) anchored the innings on top, with Zak O'Keeffe (24) likewise scoring at better than a run-a-ball to have 150 up by the 21st over, and although Stewart and Zander Engelbrecht departed in quick succession, Mark Fraser (49) was joined by fellow rep batsman John McIlraith (84) to keep the run rate high.

While Fraser and then Craig Thorpe also fell close to each other, Marist were 214-6 with 15 overs left and still poised for a big score.

Angus Dinwiddie (44) and then Nick O'Leary (23 not out) joined McIlraith to keep the pounding up, with Marist striking 31 boundaries and 11 sixes in the innings.

With Akash Gill having returned home with his Canadian Under 19 team and Ross Kinnerley restricted to just batting, Tech's remaining bowlers all suffered, with Trent Hemi (2-49) the only one who didn't have a mess made of his figures.

It got no better in the batting department as Ross Kinnerley (28) opened and looked to attack quickly, but promptly lost brother Fraser and was then caught, while Akhil Kumar fell the next ball as Dinwiddie (4-59) struck back from the early pounding to take out the top order.

Dominic Lock (22) started the recovery but was soon Dinwiddie's third victim, and from 70-5 in the 11th over the writing was on the wall.

Tech would struggle through another ten overs, losing wickets throughout as Dinwiddie, Engelbrecht (4-21) and Thomas Redpath (2-16) cleaned up Sam Suri, Quinn Mailman, Hemi and Chris Friedel in single figures, while Sam Roebuck (17) and Tyler Lock (11 not out) put up short resistance.

At Wereroa Domain, the fifth-placed home side completed a comfortable seven wicket win over eight-placed Wanganui Collegiate 1st XI, who entered the second half of the summer without several departed senior students.

Collegiate raised a competitive 240, being bowled out in the last over, with Bruce Donald (82) anchoring the new look top order, with support coming from Charlie Greatbatch (24), Shaun O'Leary (31) and Henry Kilmister (31).

Experianced Matt Good (4-33) took wickets at both ends of the innings, while Adam Simonsen (2-38) got the key wicket of Donald and Chris Petersen (2-57) and Carl Trask (2-43) took middle order scalps.

Good completed all-but a perfect match when he opened Wereroa's innings and raised 97 in 85 balls before being caught off Joseph Abernathy in sight of his century.

Simonsen (64) partnered him to led their team to 162 by the 23rd over, with Collegiate ultimately trying nine players at the bowling crease to little success.

It was a cruise from Good's dismissal as Thomas Morgan (44) carried on before being caught only five runs from victory, which came in just the 37th over.

Scoreboard

Marist 343-8 (J McIlraith 84, C Stewart 71, M Fraser 49, A Dinwiddie 44, Z O'Keeffee 24, N O'Leary 23no; T Hemi 2-49, C Friedel 2-59, S Suri 2-75) bt Tech 117 (R Kinnerley 28, D Lock 22; A Dinwiddie 4-59, Z Engelbrecht 4-21, T Redpath 2-16) by 226 runs.

Collegiate 240 (B Donald 82, H Kilmister 31, S O'Leary 31, C Greatbatch 24; M Good 4-33, A Simonsen 2-38, C Trask 2-43, C Petersen 2-57) lost to Wereroa 244-3 (M Good 97, A Simonsen 64, T Morgan 44) by seven wickets.