NPOB await United or Tech

Tech's Kane Watkin dismissed against Marist last weekend. Saving wickets will be crucial for whichever Wanganui team can win today's playoff and then go on to face New Plymouth Old Boys tomorrow.

It could well be the prize without a fun reward for Property Brokers United and St Johns Tech when they contest the local final of the national club championship qualifiers at Victoria Park today.

The winner of the match will return to the same Tasman Tanning No1 pitch tomorrow to play Taranaki one day club champions New Plymouth Old Boys for the right to go to the four-team Central Districts tournament, which decides the region's representative for the national club finals in March.

United have by-and-large had a monopoly of being the local winner to play the Taranaki qualifier, with the notable exception of the 2014-15 season where Marist got the honour after beating Tech in the final, following Tech's shocking upset of United in the semis.

NPOB have likewise been perennial favourites for their association's crown, allowing for occasional upsets where teams like Inglewood and Marist United have earned the spot.

Whoever gets the nod, it has been standard practice for the Taranaki club to treat victory over their Wanganui opposition as a bit of a formality on their way to the Central Districts playoffs.

NPOB skipper Mattie Thomas virtually said as much to his local newspaper this week, stating that it did not concern them having to wait until this evening before learning who they would face tomorrow morning.

While he knew a number of his representative players have had a lot of cricket so far this season, it only required "one more big shift" at Victoria Park.

"It's a [March] tournament we really want to be involved in," Thomas said.

"We went there a couple of seasons ago and the boys felt like they let themselves down a bit."

However, NPOB have still not seen the Tasman Tanning No1 pitch, which for last weekend's semifinal between United and Matt Burke Engineering Marton Saracens was as green as a spring leaf.

Provided the ground staff, which is led by Tech's Dominic Lock, have not made too many alterations, it is possible the Wanganui qualifier could gamble everything on winning the toss and hoping they can trap NPOB with a low score, while mentally setting themselves to bat for the whole 50 overs to try and surpass it.

In any case, NPOB have players in form, as evidenced by their seven wicket win over Marist United at Pukekura Park last Sunday.

Restricting Marist United to 175-9, with medium pacer Kyle Pillay taking 4-34, NPOB's CD Stag's representative Will Young then stroked 93 not out on a bowler's wicket, with Thomas making a good supporting 47, to comfortably wrap up the rain-reduced match.

Last weekend, Tech were assisted by Marist bowling too many wides at them to score 274-8 on the way to a 37 run win, while United survived the green No1 pitch to reach 144 before destroying Saracens for 32.

Sides chosen from:

Tech: Nick Harding, Calum Coker, Akash Gill, Dominic Lock, Kane Watkin, Ross Kinnerley, Josh Roebuck, Jessica Watkin, Peter Czerwonka, Caleb Greene, Chris Friedel.

United: Allistar Bostock, Matthew Boswell, Greg Smith, Robbie Power, Simon Badger, Chris Sharrock, Brendon Walker, Gerrard Hobbs, Stephen Holloway, Ryan Slight, Dylan Martin.

New Plymouth Old Boys: Mattie Thomas (c), Jackson Braddock-Pajo, Ben Mitchell, Kent Jordan, Matt Shaw, Jamie Watkins, Troy Jury, Michael Rublick, Tom McDougall, Kyle Pillay, Chad Quinney, Haydon Davies.