Marist's Gurkarnvar Singh looks to connect at the Springvale fields on Saturday. PHOTOS/LEWIS GARDNER
The Porter Hire Premier 1 batsmen either didn't have the patience or showed too much of it on the artificial wickets at the Springvale Park fields..
Bayer Marist continued their strong start to retaining the Premier title with a 63-run win over Property Brokers United on Saturday, while Matt Burke Engineering Marton Saracens rued eight dropped catches and a slow run rate in their defeat to St Johns Tech, a confidence booster for the young side to have a Premier victory over opponents with a full lineup.
Preparations of Tasman Tanning Victoria Park's No1-4 pitches had been delayed due to bad weather over the week.
While Marton's Dane Slako and Dan Ford could take catches off their own bowling to get rid of Tech's openers to have them 36-2 in the 10th over, the key was going to be Dominic Lock.
Lock carried his bat through 29 overs to score a vital 76 from 103 balls, including six boundaries. He finally fell with a lazy shot and Jono Hicks held on to it for John Carroll, who took 4-47 from his 11 overs, including bowling the other key batsmen in Bevan Hunter for 12.
Sam Roebuck made a good 26 from 36 balls as Tech had been let off the hook and reached 182.
"We just gave too many opportunities," said Tech coach Andrew Lock.
"They dropped a few, but they took them in the end."
Marton openers Scott Oliver and 18-year-old birthday boy Bryant Galpin were not looking to give away chances, but they were not exactly finding the fence either, as the longer grass on the council-mowed field turned several fours into twos during both Premier games.
From 18-0 after 10 overs, Saracens were lucky Tech offered quite a few extras, including 31 wides.
Marton had their hopes on captain Dominic Rayner, but after a watchful start he tried to hit Joe Roebuck over the field and simply spooned up a chance for Hunter.
Oliver continued to shore up an end, but when he was dismissed for 38 from 117 balls, Marton were behind the eight ball with a run rate approaching six an over.
Others tried to the lift the tempo as Ford's stay at the crease was as entertaining as it was short, smacking a six and a four before trying to hit the cover off of a Ramon Teki delivery and offering up a catch to Sam Roebuck.
Despite giving over seven overs of extra deliveries, none of the Tech bowler's figures really suffered as Teki finished with 2-13 from his five overs, while Caleb Greene rattled the stumps twice among his 3-42 from 13.
Still trying to chase the one Wanganui club title that has eluded them for two seasons, United had to ring in a couple of veteran players to cover the Labour Weekend match, but their key men in the top order got starts before falling under the pressure of Marist's tidy bowling attack.
Earlier, it appeared 154-7 would not be enough of a total to defend, with the spin of United's Tom Lance helping him get three of the dangermen in captain Mark Fraser (45) and the Kinnerley brothers - Fraser (2) and Ross (8).
Other than Fraser's signature dig, his 45 coming off 89 balls with five boundaries through the tough outfield, it was wicketkeeper Gurkarnvar Singh (29) and Thomas Redpath (17) making an undefeated 47-run partnership and batting to the finish which gave their team something to work with.
Ross Kinnerley was not 100 per cent clear to return to bowling, but admitted he was "trying very hard" and picked up 3-27.
United pin much of their hopes on last season's effective opening combination - Lance and Chris Sharrock - but representative bowler Sam O'Leary continues to mature as he got them both to have United 29-2.
Captain Max Carroll was joined by Robbie Power, who left the pitch reluctantly as the first of Ross Kinnerley's victims from an lbw shout.
Carroll had to carry on but when he got a perfect ball from Kinnerley, right on line, at 65-5 with only veteran Gerard Hobbs remaining of the regular Premier 1 batsmen, United were in trouble.
Premier 2 captain Ritesh Verma fell to a good diving catch by Craig Thorpe off the bowling of Fraser, who along with Steward would clean up the tail, finishing with figures of 2-11 and 3-10 off a combined 10.5 overs each.
The arrival of players like Steward and the firming up of commitment by others is of great satisfaction to Fraser, who at this time last year was often struggling to put together a team.
He now has a squad of 15 to choose from and after a similar comfortable win on October 11 over Marton, they are looking the goods to retain their title.
"I guess we've backed ourselves to beat these teams," Fraser said.