OPPOSING CAPTAINS: A week after being batting partners in Active Physio Wanganui's win over Wairarapa, Dominic Lock (Tech) and Mark Fraser (Marist) will lead their teams against each other in the 50-over knockout final on Saturday. PHOTO/BEVAN CONLEY 131214WCBRCCRI01
OPPOSING CAPTAINS: A week after being batting partners in Active Physio Wanganui's win over Wairarapa, Dominic Lock (Tech) and Mark Fraser (Marist) will lead their teams against each other in the 50-over knockout final on Saturday. PHOTO/BEVAN CONLEY 131214WCBRCCRI01
Nothing is for certain in knockout cricket, as the teams from both Wanganui and Taranaki well know.
Tomorrow at Victoria Park will be the final of the two weekend 50-over competition between St Johns Tech and Bayer Marist, with the winner coming back to the Tasman Tanning No1 pitch onSunday to play the surprise Taranaki one-day champions Inglewood.
It will be the first time in six seasons a Wanganui team other than Property Brokers United has played the annual champions vs champions game, as the revamped schedule for the Porter Hire Premier 1 means the actual 50-over club title will be decided in the New Year.
United were shocked by Tech to the tune of a 175 run belting on the first weekend of the knockout competition on December 6.
Nick Harding (51) and Josh Roebuck (71 not out) took the United bowlers apart towards the end of their innings, then pace bowlers Travis Bartels and Trent Hemi collected seven wickets between them to bundle the perennial one-day champions out for 73.
Meanwhile, Marist continued their good form from winning the Premier League title by beating Matt Burke Engineering Marton Saracens by a comfortable seven wickets in the other knockout game.
Marist's John McIlraith had a strong match with 4-29 and then 82 not out at the top of the order as his team chased down their 177 run target.
Key to Marist's chances on the weekend will be the form of captain Mark Fraser, who in the words of Active Physio Wanganui coach Rod Bannister, earned a "better late than never" callup to the Central Districts A team this week.
After scoring 99 in Wanganui's innings victory over Wairarapa last weekend, Fraser decided to continue to gut through the pinched nerve in his back that left his upper hand on the bat numb.
He didn't have a lot of luck in CD's two Twenty20 games with Northern Districts A in Taupo on Tuesday, being run out without facing a ball in the first game and dismissed for five in the second.
Similar to Tech's upset, the Taranaki champions Inglewood pulled a shock of their own when they won the final over New Plymouth Old Boys, perennial title winners and undefeated this season, at Pukekura Park on December 6. Inglewood had qualified fourth for the playoffs, but won through to claim their first major club title in 53 years by beating NPOB by three wickets.
In a team bowling effort, they restricted NPOB to 196, with captain Hayden McIntyre and fellow representative player Jason Dombroski getting three scalps each. Inglewood appeared to be struggling at 128-7 with 15 overs left, but McIntyre (67 not out) batted through to the end with Aaron Taylor (39 not out) to see their team home with 13 balls to spare.
