Plenty overs left after dispatching hosts

Morrinsville-Piako Cricket Association picked up its second win in a row in last Saturday’s Waikato Valley Premier Men’s competition.

In the round-four Champions Trophy match, MorrinsvillePiako prevailed in a low-scoring affair at Otorohanga Domain.

The visitors dismissed their hosts for 165, with Maurice Barrow’s 4-19 leading the way, then chasing it down for the loss of seven wickets, but with a healthy 14 overs left to spare.

Morrinsville-Piako returns to the Morrinsville Recreation Ground this Saturday to play St Paul’s.

But with four rounds compelted and three to play, it is Cambridge and Te Awamutu who have opened up a gap at the top of the competition table.

Both had wins on Saturday - Cambridge over R&A Sangha, and Te Awamutu over Hinuera - leaving them in first and second on 26 and 23 points respectively, with a gap of seven back to Otorohanga in third.

They both did it with ease, chasing down meagre totals for the loss of only a handful of wickets.

At Centennial Park in Paeroa, Cambridge dismissed R&A Sangha for 207, thanks to Patrick Tomsett’s haul of 5-28, then chased it down in 50 overs for the loss of five wickets, with Nick Boyle’s 46-ball 64 the most notable contribution.

Te Awamutu faced a slightly stiffer task at Pohlen Park in Matamata, restricting Hinuera to 228-9 in their innings, a total compiled thanks to a lower order fightback and a captain’s knock.

Hinuera were 81-7 in the 25th over, only for skipper Mitch Green to post an unbeaten 75 from 71 balls batting at No 9, which, aided by Ben Blackett’s 34 from No 8 and Jason Rusk’s 38 from No 10, saw them through to 228-9. Green’s knock included six 4s and three 6s.

Te Awamutu opener Clint Price then undid all of Hinuera’s good work, scoring an unbeaten 114 as they reached their target with six wickets and six overs to spare.

The final game of the round was a battle between two private schools, St Paul’s Collegiate and St Peter’s, Cambridge, hosted by the city dwellers.

St Paul’s made 236-5 batting first, led by Sean Dykes’ unbeaten 109-ball 105, and that proved to be well beyond St Peter’s’ reach, making them the only side to defend a total at the weekend.