Waihola Swans to play Owaka Bandits in final

THE Waihola Swans have made the final after their game with the Clutha Comets ended in a draw.

After Clutha won the toss and batted, a solid opening partnership of 44 by Darren Baucke and Mike Edwards inside 10 overs set a decent platform.

Middleorder batsmen Caleb Carson (48) and Sam Mosley (21) contributed well but the Comets’ tail failed to wag, and they were dismissed for 167 in the 37th over of the innings.

Peter Grant took three for 28 off five overs while Dylan Bungard and Braden Adams took two scalps each.

In reply, the Swans were in all sorts of trouble. The Clutha bowlers took seven wickets with only 37 runs on the scoreboard inside 12 overs.

Opening bowler Connor Smith bowled a doublewicket maiden and picked up three more wickets in his next five overs to have very impressive figures of five for nine off six overs.

Peter Grant (62) set his stall out to make it difficult for the Comets and batted very well with the tailenders. Grant was dismissed with some work still to do but tailenders Craig Gordon (four not out) and Merlin Crowie (23 not out) ran well between the wickets in the last over to seal a draw.

The Owaka Bandits have a chance to do the double after seeing off the Kai Kings by four runs at Swamp Hen Park, Owaka.

The Kings won the toss and uncharacteristically chose to bowl.

Owaka lost only five wickets but Kai restricted the home side to 170 runs off 40 overs.

Gordon Edwards batted for the best part of 20 overs to finish on 75 not out while Joel White made 37.

Orry Young (two for 22) and Tony Phillips (two for 29) were the Kings’ best bowlers.

Kai lost its first wicket with 14 on the board but Blair Benington and Phillips took the score to 39 in the 12th over before a run out meant Benington departed for 19.

Phillips then combined with William Casey for a muchneeded partnership of 66.

This took the Kings to 105 for three with 11 overs left.

The Bandits took two more quick wickets including another woeful run out to fight their way back into the contest. Phillips was removed for 47 with the score at 154 with three overs remaining.

Jason and Orry Young got the equation down to eight runs from the last over but beautiful bowling from Bandits captain Tony Miller restricted the batsmen and they fell four runs short. . Francis Parker took two for 38 off eight overs for the Bandits but it was Jeremy Gray who was the best bowler on the day taking one for 21 off his eight overs.