Collegiate captain Angus Dinwiddle bowls with aggression is his team's first win back in Premier 1 cricket this season over Tech.
Wanganui Collegiate 1st XI picked up their first victory since their return to the Wanganui Porter Hire Premier 1 division as their busy schedule gave them an edge over St Johns Tech in the 29 run win on Saturday.
As well as Premier 1 cricket, Collegiate have kept up their busy interschool schedule, having played New Plymouth Boys High School at home on Labour Weekend's Sunday and Monday.
Therefore, the team is getting comfortable on the always challenging Collegiate No1 pitch with its slow outfield, and overcame a poor start to reach a defendable 180 on Saturday.
Struggling at 7-3 after Tech's representative bowlers Ross Kinnerley (3-18) and Nick Harding (3-47) ripped through the top order, Collegiate were settled by two of their senior players in captain Angus Dinwiddie (31) and Nick O'Leary putting on a 69-run partnership.
O'Leary hung in there for a crucial 81 off 127 balls, striking Collegiate's only three boundaries, with runs very hard to come by for the rest of the lower order, although the other O'Leary in Connor made a useful 13 not out.
In response, Tech's Canadian import Akash Gill wanted to get going but was left frustrated by offering a soft catch off the bowling of Ben Kelt, while the rest of the Tech top five in Caleb Greene, Dominic Lock, Jessica Watkin and Calum Coker showed they were lacking in red ball cricket with cheap dismissals.
Coming in at 36-4, the clean hitting Nick Harding was being asked to again shelve his swashbuckling and focus on grafting, although he did get down to a knee to launch one delivery over the boundary towards the school buildings early on.
It would be one of four sixers Harding would hit with 51 off 42 balls, but he eventually succumbed to a Nick O'Leary catch off the bowling of Dinwiddie.
The Collegiate skipper would also also dismiss Tech's other remaining hope in veteran Bevan Hunter as part of a fine haul of 4-39, and although Kinnerley tried to keep hope alive with 39 from 43 balls, he was running out of partners and became the third wicket of Connor O'Leary (3-18).
Under new coach Warren Marr, Collegiate will see that all it takes in Premier 1 is for one or two players to have a good day and victory will follow, as the afternoon belonged to Dinwiddie and the O'Leary's.
Premier 1 also returned to Victoria Park for the first time this season and competition leaders Property Brokers United hammered Marist by 84 runs in a low-scoring affair on the Tasman Tanning No1 pitch.
No United batsman really got comfortable, but there were enough starts amongst the top order to post 167 in 52 overs, with Simon Badger the top scorer on after scouring 32 from 71 balls.
Greg Smith (24) and Chris Sharrock (21) were the next highest contributors in a match that was going to be dominated by the bowlers, as Marist's Ben Lourie (4-20) took wickets throughout the order, backed up by the slow mediums of John McIlraith (2-31) and captain Mark Fraser (2-13).
McIlraith would have a fine match with an undefeated 60 off 55 balls at the top of the order, but Marist fell apart around him, collapsing with a miserly 23 runs coming from the rest of the lineup to be out of there for 83 in the 21st over.
Only new coach Rod Bannister made double figures before retiring for 11, while the last four batsmen fell for ducks in the space of less than two overs for an extraordinary scorecard.
Hunting as a pack, United's bowlers shared the spoils with Ritesh Verma (2-1), Karl Bremer (2-7) and Dylan Martin (2-14) making sure it was a very short afternoon.
The win leaves United as the only unbeaten team and are likely on their way to claiming their first silverware for 2016-17 after the trophy cupboard was pretty bare in the previous season.
Results
Collegiate 180 (N O'Leary 81, A Dinwiddie 31, R Kinnerley 3-18, N Harding 3-47) bt Tech 151 (N Harding 51, R Kinnerley 39, A Dinwiddie 4-39, C O'Leary 3-18) by 29 runs.
United 167 (S Badger 32, G Smith 24, C Sharrock 21, B Lourie 4-20, M Fraser 2-13, J McIlraith 2-31) bt Marist 83 (J McIlraith 60no, D Martin 2-14, R Verma 2-1, K Bremer 2-7) by 84 runs.