United get lesson from Collegiate

United's hopes of staying in the hunt for the inaugural Wanganui Premier League title nosedived into the green Collegiate pitch on Saturday.

For the second time in two weeks, this season's one-day champions were overtaken in fairly comfortable order the schoolboys now taking a mountain of confidence into Wednesday's clash in New Plymouth against Francis Douglas Memorial College for the Gillette Cup first XI knockout competition.

Played over on Collegiate's secondary field, United struggled through to 168-8, still defendable on that track but difficult for a side now relying more on spin and slow bowling.

Max Carroll (31) and Chris Sharrock (37) were the best from the top order, while Lindsay Hobbs (32) made an important contribution among the tailenders.

Collegiate's Angus Baddelly was on song with his right arm medium pacers, taking four wickets, while Morgan Inness was downright measly with 2-5 off his five overs.

Perhaps learning from Marist's success the week before, Collegiate looked to see off United danger man Andrew Cording to get among a weaker bowling lineup.

George Metson and Inness opened up and made some early in-roads before a United fightback had them pick up two lbw decisions to reduce the schoolboys to 40-2.

Enter Andre Halbert and Oliver Paine, who picked off several boundaries and started climbing into their work, lifting Collegiate to 71-2 by the 14th over.

Having reduced their target to less than 100, Collegiate still lost three more wickets but continued their accumulation for a satisfying five-wicket win.

Down in Marton, Saracens kept the door ajar to win the Premier League, but only just as Wanganui High School's determined run chase ended only 13 runs short.

Dominic Raynor struck a captain's knock 120 plus took four wickets while WHS all rounder Travis Bartels was also in great touch, taking his own brace of wickets and top scoring with 72.

Results

Porter Hire Premier 1

Marton Saracens 227 (D Raynor 120, A Gill 5-30, T Bartels 4-45) bt WHS 212 (T Bartels 72, D Lock 37, D Raynor 4-25, M Jones 3-27).

David Jones Motors United 168 (C Sharrock 37, M Carroll 31, A Baddelly 4-35) lost to WCS 169-5.

Porter Hire Premier 2

Marton 157-8 (J lock 27, Lewis 27, R Verma 3-28, K Bremer 3-20) lost to United 158-3 (J Whiteman 100no, J Hauiti 24no, M Transom 2-53)

WCS 241-6 (H Unwarth 80, S Lambert 74, K Challis 3-27) bt Renegades 138 (B Heap 23, M Deighton 21).