Rivals chasing semifinal places

Ritesh Verma and his United team will need to give it everything in their top-of-the-table clash with Weraroa CC today.

It is a big afternoon for Property Brokers United and St Johns Tech in the hunt for the semifinal spots as the inaugural Coastal Challenge Cup reaches the final round robin games.

All four Premier 1 Whanganui teams will face Horowhenua Kapiti opposition for their last matches, with United looking to secure a home semifinal by beating top-of-the-table Weraroa Cricket Club at their domain.

United sit in a tight race to finish first or second with Weraroa and previous table leaders Paraparaumu CC, who will face Bayer Marist in their game at Donnelly Park in Levin.

Of the three teams, United have the strongest net run rate, which may come into play to confirm final placings.

The call went out on Facebook earlier this week for all United players to confirm early if they can attend the match or are still on holiday so captain Gerard Hobbs could secure the necessary numbers.

Meanwhile, sitting in fifth place, Tech have it all to play for on home pitch at Victoria Park against Kapiti Old Boys.

They will likely need victory and a bonus point from the match to have any chance at the playoffs, as Levin Old Boys will be confident of securing fourth spot when they face Matt Burke Engineering Marton Saracens, who have had a disappointing campaign, at home at Donnelly Park.

Currently, Levin also has a stronger net run rate than Tech.

The cup semifinals will be held on January 23