United to host 50-over final
Property Brokers United have the best semifinal record in the history of the Coastal Challenge Cup after recording their sixth victory from seven attempts on Saturday.
In something of a mild upset given the different build-ups, United claimed supremacy in the “old firm” rivalry with a 21-run win over Wanganui Vet Services Marist in a weather-reduced 40-over match-up at Tasman Tanning (Victoria) Park.
Guided superbly by Greg Smith
(101 not out from 101 balls), who carried his bat, United regrouped from losing early wickets and then a succession of scalps in the middle order to bat out their overs and raise a challenging 207-8.
Reinforced by a couple of returning veterans to a squad that ran down 322 to win against Weraroa CC the weekend before, Marist were naturally confident their deep batting line-up would reach the target. That feeling was enhanced when in-form openers Tim O’Leary and potential competition MVP Joel Clark (46 and 4-31) had them away to a flyer with 64 runs after 10 overs.
However, after returning allrounder Brendon Walker (2-26) produced the crucial breakthroughs to get O’Leary and dangerman Tom Dempster in consecutive balls, up stepped the spinners in Robbie Power (3-30) and Aidan Muir (2-32).
The pair strangled Marist’s run rate — the second-placed qualifiers playing and missing constantly and suddenly looking tentative with their running between the wickets.
When Power completed his spell, having just taken a wicket and effected a run-out, United had enough overs available between their veteran pacemen in Walker, Ryan Slight and Simon Badger to complete the final eight remaining.
However, with Marist’s veteran allrounders in Ross Kinnerley and Nick Harding at the crease needing 60 runs off 48 balls, United stayed with Muir to complete the last two overs of his spell and the 16-year-old repaid the faith in spades.
Badger got Kinnerley and Muir removed the injured Craig Thorpe while also dismissing Harding off a great boundary catch by Badger to leave Marist nine down while still needing 40 runs off three overs.
Defiant to the last, the other O’Learys in Connor and Sam put on 19 runs in quick time, but Badger and Slight kept them under control — the latter having just taken the game away with 22 runs still needed off three balls before he hit Sam O’Leary’s stumps to send his team to yet another Coastal final.
Early on, it seemed Marist’s top form coming into the match would see them through, as Smith lost Zeb Small, Matthew Boswell and Carter Hobbs in short order to Clark and Connor O’Leary (2-37) to leave United struggling at 36-3.
Max Carroll, who unfortunately will be heading back overseas before the final unless the club can work some magic with booked flights, stuck in with Smith, scoring 38 from 75 balls.
Sam O’Leary and skipper Hadleigh O’Leary, with only 28 runs off his overs of spin, kept Smith and Carroll under wraps, until the latter began to find the middle of the bat and the gaps around the field — even scoring from hard drives as well as his signature cuts and pulls.
Hadleigh O’Leary looked to introduce Harding for a few key overs before returning to the openers, but it didn’t work as planned, Smith launching boundaries off consecutive balls to raise his 50.
Clark’s return to the crease was more impactful, immediately ending Carroll’s stonewall innings, although at 121-4 with just under 13 overs left, United had gone deep enough to have wickets in hand for the slog.
Chris Sharrock (19 from 13) looked to do exactly that — straight-driving three boundaries — but when Clark trapped him in front, the remaining United batsmen understood their assignment was survival and singles to give Smith every chance to save the innings, as he rode his luck from two snick-behinds not being taken.
From here, United’s lower order contributed 13 runs for their four wickets, the sundries provided five runs, and Smith standing like Atlas scored 40 more runs under constant pressure from Clark, Kinnerley and Connor O’Leary — taking two off the last delivery to deservedly raise his bat, having hit nine boundaries and a six.
It still seemed United were still shy of putting Marist under pressure right from the start of their innings, and as Clark and O’Leary (18 from 23) were aggressive, driving twos and fours through the inner field, their confidence seemed justified.
But then Walker trapped both O’Leary and Dempster in front for a huge momentum swing, although Mark Fraser (15 from 20) came in and got set, with Marist’s 98-2 after 17 overs still keeping the upper hand.
Yet Power’s deliveries can often hang in the air so long that a batsmen has enough time to think of three options and doesn’t pick the right one. Fraser chipped one to the outfield where Carroll took the catch, and then Clark drove the ball straight back to Power at the crease.
From 99-4, the runs just dried up, with Chris Stewart (24 from 46) and Hadleigh O’Leary (24 for 35) only able to add 10 over the next seven overs from Slight, Power and Muir.
They finally started to catch up to Power, as a couple of full tosses were dispatched to the boundary, but with the run rate pressure having grown, a risky second run saw O’Leary caught short by Power off Boswell’s outfield throw, and two balls later Stewart pushed out of his crease but missed, for Sharrock to whip the bails off.
The stage was now set with fresh men Kinnerley and Harding at the crease, former Coastal champions, but it was the teenager Muir and the astute Badger, who bowled from both ends after Muir finished, who had their number.
United had to wait an extra 24 hours to learn who they will be facing as overnight wet weather in Masterton meant the Burger King Red Star versus Kā piti Old Boys semifinal was postponed until Sunday’s reserve day.
Kapiti made it two wins over the Wairarapa side, holding out by 14 runs to send the final to Victoria Park this weekend.