United spinner Robbie Power cannot believe his hatrick delivery did not carry to slip in the Twenty20 win over Tech at Whanganui High School on Saturday.
United spinner Robbie Power cannot believe his hatrick delivery did not carry to slip in the Twenty20 win over Tech at Whanganui High School on Saturday.
Property Brokers United made it back-to-back titles on consecutive weekends as the Bullocks Twenty20 finals capped off the summer season with a full Saturday of matches.
After the disappointments of the multiple defaults during the Long Format competition, which wrapped up the previous weekend, all four club teams fielded nearlyfull squads for the morning semifinals and then the afternoon playoffs, with only St Johns Tech being one player short for their first game.
All the previous qualifying matches had been played when the Treadwell Gordon Wanganui squad was away on Hawke Cup duties earlier in the season, so Saturday was a chance for several of them, other than those who had returned to university or had rugby commitments, to play the short format for the first time this summer.
Top qualifier United and third-placed Marist made the final with comfortable wins over Tech and Matt Burke Engineering Marton Saracens respectively, with the Saracens 1st XI playing a competition match for the first time since early February.
At Whanganui High School, United raised an imposing 199-6, thanks to Greg Smith, who had really found form in the post-representative season, and smashed 130 not out off just 60 balls.
Smith hit 12 shots to the boundary and five more over it on the artificial wicket, with Tom Lance, Josh Goleby and Brendon Walker dismissed in the teens while supporting him.
Tech's representative players Trent Hemi, Akash Gill and Ross Kinnerley had reasonable T20 figures, but Smith destroyed the eight overs from the other four bowlers, who went for a combined 111 runs, with Jessica Watkin getting some consolation from two stumpings off wicketkeeper Dominic Lock.
In reply, a nine-wicket Tech was bowled out for 80 in 13 overs, as Gill top-scored and was last man out with 30 from 19 balls.
At 44-4 in the eighth over, there really was no way back for Tech, with Walker (3-24) getting amongst the top order, while spinner Robbie Power (2-15) was desperately unlucky not to get a hat trick after dismissing Tom Friedel and Tim Czerwonka, only for his edge off final batsman Chris Friedel to just not quite carrying to slip.
At Cullinane College, Marist chased down Marton's 139-9 for the loss of just three wickets.
Without Craig Clare (rugby) and Dominic Rayner (injured), Marton's best was the 34 in 18 balls from Josh Trillo, as Scott Oliver (14) and Chris Rayner (16 not out) were the next highest contributors.
Hadleigh Reid (3-23) got the prize wicket by bowling Trillo, while Thomas Redpath (2-11) was hard to get away off his three overs, with Marton's cause not helped by two runouts.
While playing without Mark Fraser, Marist's remaining top order held firm as although they lost a couple of cheap wickets to be 23-3, Chris Stewart (68 not out) joined Zac O'Keeffee (46 not out) to put on a 117-run partnership in 13 overs.
Stewart faced 51 balls and hit five sixes.
Marton keeper Chris Rayner watches Marist's Chris Stewart reach the boundary at Cullinane College.
United then headed over to Cullinane to face Marist in the final, which was ultimately a little anticlimactic as the season's strongest team dominated from start to finish, picking up a quick ten wicket win.
Marist began well enough with Michael O'Leary (16) getting another start while fellow opener Max Smith (18) carried on, but then Power (2-25) and Harpreet Binning (3-16) got amongst them to run through O'Keeffee and John McIlraith, while Stewart's dismissal for 21 signalled they were in trouble.
From 58-5, there was no recovery as the lower order folded to be all out for 78, with spinners Lance (2-12) and Martin Pennefather (2-5) cleaning up the tail.
The run chase lasted until just the eighth over as Matthew Boswell (47 not out) hit nine boundaries and a six, with Lance (30 not out) not far behind him with six boundaries and a six of his own.
It finishes a good summer for United to claim both local Premier 1 club titles, although there was the disappointment of not reaching the Central Districts knockout tournament for the National Club Championship this time, while still being unable to grasp the Coastal Challenge Cup after Paraparaumu beat them in the final for the second year.
In the Twenty20 playoff for third on the WHS pitch, Tech got their 11th player and finished the season with a flurry, beating Marton by 45 runs.
Scoreboards
Semifinals United 199-6 (G Smith 130no, B Walker 17; T Hemi 2-24, J Watkin 2-50) bt Tech 80-9 (A Gill 30, R Kinnerley 19; B Walker 3-24, H Binning 2-7, R Power 2-15) by 119 runs.
Marton 139-9 (J Trillo 34, C Rayner 16no; H Reid 3-23, T Redpath 2-11) lost to Marist 140-3 (C Stewart 68no, Z O'Keeffee 46no) by seven wickets.
Playoff for Third Tech 164-2 (T Hemi 58, K Nauhria 31, R Kinnerley 27no, A Gill 22no) bt Marton 119 (C Rayner 57, J Trillo 36; C Friedel 3-20, T Lock 2-25) by 45 runs.
Final Marist 78 (C Stewart 21, M Smith 18; H Binning 3-16, M Pennefather 2-5, T Lance 2-12, R Power 2-25) lost to United 82-0 (M Boswell 47no, T Lance 30no) by ten wickets.
