Three-peat for Sports Gold XI
Te Awamutu Sports Gold beat Te Awamutu Marist by two wickets to retain the Challenge Cup at stake whenever these two teams meet in the Waikato Valley cricket 40 overs competition.
It was the third consecutive win for Pratt Milking Machines Te Awamutu Sports Gold over their old foes.
Marist were all out for 120 in 35.2 overs batting first.
Top scorers were Bryce McCandlish with 34 and Vinay More 21.
Bowling honours for Sports went to Stan Reason with 3-28 off eight overs, Callum Pearson with 2-13 off 5.2 overs and Daniel Starnes with 2-19 from six overs.
Starnes is an off-spinner from the UK on a working holiday.
Sports reached their target of 121 for the loss of seven wickets in the space of 29 overs.
Mike Aitken top scored with 32, while Pearson completed a good double with an invaluable 19 not out and Year 10 student Nelaay Mistry chimed in with 12.
Peter Shury was the pick of the Marist bowlers with 4-21 from eight overs.
He could consider himself unlucky not to have picked up a five-wicket bag and bowled Marist to victory — the Marist fielders were guilty of dropping catches throughout the Sports’ innings.