"I think everyone thought it was going to be a walk in the park, then there was five ducks [in our innings]."
It followed up his concerns last week for the batsmen in the Active Physio Wanganui squad not having good preparation for the Hawke Cup.
"There's no big scores happening. Hopefully that changes as we get onto good wickets."
Marist started well enough as representative player John McIlraith (29) and Brett Cameron had them approaching a 50-run opening partnership.
But then the Lincoln University-bound Cameron found himself running out of partners.
He reached his half century, but when Cameron was stumped trying to attack Jessica Watkin, a surprised Marist found themselves at 97-9.
The entire middle order contributed a measly eight runs as three of the duck-makers fell to Caleb Greene, who took 5-52 from his 12 overs, while even the reliable Fraser made a poor shot to be dismissed in single digits.
It came down to the unassuming final pair of Marcus Howie and Jonathan Quirk to combine for what amounted to a priceless 22-run partnership, in the context of the match.
With 70 overs to make the runs, Tech had called in a couple of veterans in Chris Friedel and Brett Field, and it was Field, with four boundaries in his 29, who was the only one to play with any confidence, while Andrew Mackintosh (27) also stuck around at the top of the order.
Field went out on a hat-trick ball as Fraser Kinnerley (3-12) induced a snick from Ramon Teki then sent Trent Hemi's stump cartwheeling.
Fraser said Kinnerley was bowling his best this season until a nasty facial injury saw him head off to hospital.
Sam O'Leary dug a short one into Field, who caught the top edge, and the ball flew straight to Kinnerley at slip, getting through his hands and splitting the skin above his upper lip.
Despite losing their key bowler, the 10-man Marist carried on with Jonathan Steward (5-27) getting Mackintosh, Field, then rattling the stumps of the lower order to have the quick match all sewn up before 3pm.
After a late start at Collegiate, the schoolboys lost wickets throughout with only Todd Inness (26) applying himself at the top of the order.
"They struggled a bit early on with the pace," said Marton captain Dominic Rayner.
"Barry [Touzel] came on and steadied the ship."
Like Tech, Collegiate had brought in a veteran and their schoolmaster Touzel made 12 as the lower order of Josh Lennox and Te Atuarere Albert reached double figures, and Sam Beard (21) was looking all right until falling to a very good catch by Rayner.
Dan Ford cleaned up the tail to finish with four wickets.
Beard came back by getting the snick on Chris Rayner, then Scott Oliver and Bryant Galpin could not get going either, as Marton were in trouble at 18-3, with Oliver falling to an excellent gully catch by Alex Paine.
But the key was always going to be the middle order, led by Dominic Rayner, and things appeared to be settling until young Josh Lennox took an interest.
"They brought their spinners on," said Rayner.
"One end was really dry and it turned."
Lennox got the men who could have pulled the match out in Rayner (25), Ford (20) and Bruce Galpin (13), while Paine came on and grabbed two crucial wickets.
Still so close, Jono Hicks swatted Marton's only boundary, but Lennox got him plus the final wicket to finish with an impressive 5-17 from 12 overs and leave Marton 14 runs short and winless so far in Premier 1.
