CRICKET: Wanganui's two school cricket teams were taught a cricketing lesson by their older counterparts in Wanganui's summer one-day competition on Saturday.
Steelformers Marist were convincing 82-run winners in their game with Wanganui Collegiate, while Marton Saracens had more than 10 overs and four wickets to spare when they reached Wanganui
High School's total of 206.
Marist made a solid but not spectacular start to their innings, with former Collegiate player Sean Lance (23) and Wanganui representative coach Stuart Gillespie (31) getting the team through to 139 for seven wickets.
That was when Nathan Clarke and Hamish Reid, another former Collegiate player out to hurt his old team-mates, came to the crease and quickly put on a 123 run seventh-wicket partnership, with Clarke finishing 52 not out and Reid 68 not out.
Marist finished 262 for seven in their 50 overs. Collegiate made a shaky start to their reply with Brett Turner and Reid taking early wickets.
Ben Smith (39) and Deek Reuters (41) offered the most resistance as the school were all out for 180. Turner was the best of the bowlers taking 4-45.
Wanganui High School batted first in their game with Saracens and, although, a number of players made starts they struggled through to 206 for 9 wickets in their 50 overs. Lower order batsmen Anthony Bell (37) and Sam Clarke (49 not out) helped get a little respectability in the total. Matt Beaven was almost unplayable at times, taking 3-12, while Jeremy Davidson provided able assistance when recording figures of 3-47.
Jarrod Calkin proved to be the mainstay of the Saracens innings with a hard hitting 73, before Darren Grant (31 not out) and Carl Williams (39 not out) guided their team to victory.
