Naenae, Karori fight for place in Pearce Cup final

A PRELIMINARY final, of sorts, will help decide which club ends up walking away with the Pearce Cup title.

Competition leaders Naenae Old Boys and defending champions Karori will meet in the last match of two-day round-robin action, where the victor will emerge to probably meet Eastern Suburbs in the April 6-8 final at Basin Reserve.

Having secured an outright win over Taita on Saturday – as Karori were being held to a draw by North City – Naenae now hold an eight-point lead over the thirdplaced title-holders.

Last week’s leaders, Easts, drop to second, four points behind Naenae, after not playing this week by virtue of having beaten Wellington Collegians outright on the previous Saturday.

‘‘A first innings [win] against Karori will get us through, hopefully,’’ Naenae captain Marc Calkin said.

‘‘But we won’t change the way we play because once you start playing negative cricket, it just doesn’t work.’’

Naenae had to be at their positive best to get past Taita. They eventually won by four wickets, having been set a target of 80 in 19 overs.

‘‘Last week they batted 75 overs for 150 and we just had to get that 150. We got it in 31 [overs], then had to come back yesterday and push it along again,’’ Calkin explained.

‘‘So we batted another 20 overs, which got us 80, before it came down to the wire a bit [in the second innings]. But if you lose trying to win, then you take it on the chin.

‘‘But if you lose not trying to do anything, that’s when you need to start talking to each other.’’

The irony of the strong position his team have got themselves into is not lost on Calkin, given Naenae are the Pearce Cup club in most danger of not being admitted to next season’s competition under Cricket Wellington’s planned restructure.

‘‘The club don’t want down,’’ he said.

‘‘Our reserve side are six points clear in their grade and they only need one first innings win to take the whole grade out. So it would be pretty strange if we get taken out of the top grade, because we’ll then have two teams in the same grade.

‘‘I honestly hope they [Cricket Wellington] really do think about it. I know they’re trying to improve Wellington cricket but if Naenae can’t get the [playing] numbers together, which I know we’re working hard behind the scenes to do, it would be a real shame to take a team out that have been there or thereabouts for the last seven years.’’

While Naenae and Karori meet this Saturday, Easts will play Taita in a match they should win.

In terms of the just-completed round, Upper Hutt got themselves a useful outright, beating Onslow by four wickets.

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