We had another weekend of sunshine to open the season as we moved through week 2 of the ROBLAWMAX Senior Men's T20 Cup.
In Pool A, Eastern Suburbs continued their dominance early doors with a commanding 8 wicket win over Hutt District to kick off the morning fixtures. Jed Wiggins starred with an unbeaten 41 during the successful chase for Easts. In a tight game, Onslow prevailed against Petone by 14 runs. Posting 120/10, Onslow managed to bowl out previously undefeated Petone for 106. Luke Minihan the standout performer in the match with 4 wickets for Petone. North City got a solid victory against Victoria University by 31 runs in the final Pool A morning fixture. Matt Wills the pick of the batsman in the contest with 48 from 38 at the top of the order for defeated Vic Uni.
In Pool B, there were some interesting morning results as firstly, Naenae got a hard earnt win against Johnsonville by 4 runs in a last ball thriller. A strong 40 from skipper Mark Young helping Naenae to victory by the thinnest of margins. Previously undefeated, Kaori were beaten by Upper Hutt in what was a strong performance from the team from the Tararuas. Sam Morgan, supported by captain Bhavik Patel (35 off 37) smacking 35 off 17 to get Upper Hutt rolling making 128/7 off their 20 and dismissing Karori for 112 snearing the prized wicket of Oscar Wilson early for just 6 runs. Taita remained unbeaten in the morning to go 3 from 3 by beating Wainui by 8 wickets. Toby Barton with a blistering 70 not out for Taita and an impressive 62 not out from Wainui's Ryan Jackson.
In the afternoon in Pool A it was a masterclass from Caleb Montague for Hutt District, making 109 off 66 balls to send Hutt on their way to a 31 run win over Petone. Easts picked up another win to go 4 from 4, dispatching Norths by 5 wickets, Jakob Bhula scoring 54 for Easts. Onslow and Vic Uni produced a close encounter with Onslow edging home by 12 runs, restricting Vic to 139/6 in their 20 overs having made 151/8 batting first. Again, Matt Wills was the standout performer with the bat making 58 for Vic, Devan Vishvaka with 53 for Onslow.
In Pool B, Taita remained top with a fourth win edging Johnsonville by 2 wickets. Jesse Tashkoff making a vital 51 for Taita with Sean Wakelin snearing 4 wickets for Johnsonville. Karori kept up the pace and a spot in the top two in the pool with a win against Wainui, bouncing back after the morning defeat to Upper Hutt. Once again, Oscar Wilson was the star making 73 off just 33 deliveries for Karori to send them on their way to 177/7. Wainui were dismissed for just 82 in reply to keep them bottom of the pile and yet to register a win. Upper Hutt made it two wins for the day with victory over Naenae by 4 wickets.
Going into the final round robin this weekend, Easts have already qualified for the semi-finals in Pool A, top on 16 points. Onslow, Petone and North City all on 8 points will hope they can do enough to secure a win and a spot in the last four in their final pool match, Onslow currently holding the superior run rate which could prove crucial. In Pool B it's Taita who are top on 16 points, yet to register defeat. Karori sit 2nd on 12 points but play Taita in the last pool match and hold a superior run rate. Upper Hutt are third and still in with a shot on 12 points depending on the result of the Taita v Karori match.
All to play for in the T20 Cup as we now appraoch the business end. Let's hope the weather outlook changes during the week with the forecast currently set for rain on Saturday and for Sunday's final at Alex Moore Park. Fingers crossed we can see some final battles for a place in the coveted semi-finals on Saturday afternoon.
Article added: Tuesday 22 October 2024
