Familiar look to season finale

BACK TO TRADITION: The Whanganui Premier 1 teams will put on their whites and play with the red ball for the rest of the season. PHOTO/FILE

Red ball and white uniform cricket returns to the Porter Hire Premier 1 grade today for the final part of the summer season.

Virtually identical to the Premier League introduced in January 2013, the four club sides will face off in games played over one day but under two-day style rules, in a round robin for the next three Saturdays.

The top two teams will then contest the final on March 12.

Games start at 11am with a 100-over format - 52 for the team batting first and then 48 plus any unused overs from bowling their opposition out early, for the team batting second.

There will also be bonus points for scoring a certain amounts of runs and taking a certain amounts of wickets.

Today's games will see United meet Bayer Marist at Victoria Park, while Marton host Tech at Centennial Park.

So far this season, the championship honours have been shared amongst the clubs.

Property Brokers United won the short local knockout competition in December for the right to play the Taranaki's one-day champions Marist United in the National Zonal Qualifier.

St Johns Tech claimed the biggest prize by winning the inaugural Coastal Challenge Cup, the inter-district 50-over competition with the Horowhenua-Kapiti teams, on February 8.

And last weekend Matt Burke Engineering Marton Saracens were victorious in the combined Whanganui Twenty20 grade, played between Premier 1 and 2 teams without their representative cricketers.

The first games today will see United meet Bayer Marist at Victoria Park, while Marton host Tech at Centennial Park.