Ross Kinnerley faces a ball.
Collegiate upset Marist in a low-scoring Premier 1 second-round match at the weekend. The Cricket Whanganui Premier 1 competition was able to get through a full round of matches without weather interference, but that didn’t mean the matches lasted very long on Saturday.
With both games played on grass pitches at the Whanganui Collegiate grounds, 30 wickets fell for only 291 runs scored.
A depleted Matt Burke Engineering Marton Saracens transferred their home fixture to Collegiate No 2 to face Property Brokers United but, after being dismissed for less than 60, saw an early end to their fixture with the defending champions getting a six-wicket win in only eight overs.
The match ended so quickly that umpire Scott Oliver, who in September was named as a Central Districts representative to the NZC Regional Umpire Panel, was able to walk across the road to continue officiating duties at the Whanganui Collegiate 1st XI vs Wanganui Vet Services Marist fixture on the No 1 ground.
It would prove a historic match as the schoolboys, facing several of their former Old Boys and indeed family members, also dismissed Marist cheaply en route to a four-wicket win.
While Collegiate secured a narrow victory over Wanganui Renegades in last year’s inaugural Premier 1 45-over competition, the Renegades are still in essence a P2 club.
Beating Marist is a big scalp – you would have to go back to October 24, 2020, to find Collegiate’s previous victory over a fully fledged P1 team, defeating Kapiti Old Boys by 104 runs in the school’s last season of entering the Coastal Challenge Cup.
After bowlers Chris Mabin (3-17) and Seb Dadic (2-20) ran through Marist’s top order to leave them 34-5, the Kinnerleys in Fraser (15) and Ross (11) tried to resurrect the middle of the innings.
However, Angus Pearce (2-14), who at one point sent down four consecutive maiden overs, and Rory Nugent-O’Leary (2-21) eventually cleaned them up, Nugent-O’Leary also taking three catches in the field.
Defending only 84, Marist had plenty of players with experience bowling on the No 1 ground, but Collegiate batsman Theo Tripe (22) was able to see off the opening spell of the Kinnerleys and had his side halfway up the small mountain at 47-2.
However, Connor O’Leary (4-46) was determined not to lose to his younger brother, Timothy, picking up Tripe to a catch, while Thomas Redpath came on and bowled only one over but got a wicket after George Ormsby (17) had attacked him.
That set up an anticipated brother vs brother showdown as Timothy O’Leary launched older sibling Connor for two sixes – the first of them one-handed after he somewhat mistimed a pull shot but lost none of his power.
The second six was more authoritative, but the very next ball it was Connor O’Leary celebrating with two fists pumped after a toe-cruncher had earned him an lbw.
At 74-6, Marist had some hope, Hadleigh O’Leary coming on to bowl spin at the clubhouse end while Connor kept going to bowl his full nine overs.
But it was the two Anguses – Pearce and Allpress – who comfortably accounted for the remaining runs by the end of the 24th over, aided by Marist making a couple of fielding errors.
Play had already long finished across the road with the Wingnut Trophy in no danger of leaving the Station United building as United had Marton dismissed in just 28 overs and then went on the attack.
The match had been transferred away from Centennial Park due to the ground hosting the large Calkin Family reunion which included Saracens players Thomas Westwood and Dominic and Chris Rayner.
Marton could not get on top of United’s experienced attack, and then the wickets started to tumble, as only Johan Hayward (17) and Zeph Hayward reached double figures.
The bowlers shared the spoils, with James Woodford (3-13) getting scalps through the middle order, while veteran spinner Martin Pennefather, who will represent New Zealand in the Over 60s World Cup in India next February-March, took two wickets without conceding a run.
Daniel Austin (2-9), Brendon Walker and Aidan Muir claimed the rest.
In reply, United were not getting paid by the hour, reaching 63-4 in 48 deliveries.
After Nick Burroughs (19) made a quick beginning, Matthew Boswell (27 not out) cut loose with a six and three boundaries in the 15 balls he faced.
Boswell did lose partners, with Marton’s Aaron Smith taking 2-3 in one over, but Woodford ended up with four runs from the only delivery he faced to wrap up a rapid run chase.
Premier 1 will continue next Saturday, while P2 Twenty20 will resume after the Labour Weekend break.
Follow results and draws for the tournaments at
https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/org/cricket-whanganui/summer-202324/f02163af
Results for October 21
Premier 1
Wanganui Vet Services Marist 84 (F Kinnerley 15; C Mabin 3-17, A Pearce 2-14, S Dadic 2-20, R Nugent-O’Leary 2-21) lost to Whanganui Collegiate 1st XI 85-6 (T Tripe 22, G Ormsby 17; C O’Leary 4-46) by four wickets.
Matt Burke Engineering Marton Saracens 59 (J Hayward 17; James Woodford 3-13, M Pennefather 2-0, D Austin 2-9) lost to Property Brokers United 63-4 (M Boswell 27no, N Burroughs 19; A Smith 2-3) by six wickets.