Big boys in finals bash

Friday, Mar 04 2022

Big boys in finals bash

Ian Snook

Taranaki’s leading two club sides, New Plymouth Marist United and New Plymouth Old Boys, will face off in the Alpha Sports T20 Final at Pukekura Park at 2.00pm on Sunday (6 March)

Both teams are fresh from comfortable semi-final wins with Merit RV NPOB disposing of Stratford and Nag ‘N’ Noggin NPMU defeating Civil Quarries Inglewood during the week, with NPMU having won all of their previous games and NPOB winning all but two, losing to NPMU and NPBHS.

NPOB will have been particularly happy with the form of opening batsman Josh Borrell who stroked a fluent 62, his second 50 in as many games, and the punishing Ben Mitchell, whose 45 formed a partnership with Borrell which created a very useful total of 159.

Both Borrell and Mitchell are amongst the top echelon of batsmen in the T20 comp with Borrell sitting third in the runs scored with 220 at an average of 31.34, a top score of 81 not out and a strike rate of 115.18, with Mitchell striking at a rate of 139.36 with 131 runs and a top score of 45.

Stratford never threatened the 159, being bowled out for 117, with top efforts from the veteran Jamie Watkins, bowling as accurately as ever in picking up three wickets for three runs, and his mini-me Davis Mills, another cunning line and length exponent, who grabbed four wickets for 16 runs.

NPMU gave the covid hindered Inglewood no chance at all on Thursday night bowling them out for a meagre 61.

The competition leading wicket taker, the towering Shay Smith, once again created all sorts of havoc for the batsmen, taking three wickets for seven runs, with plenty of support from captain Ryan Watson firing down his bullets and grabbing two wickets for eight runs.

Watson, also the leading run scorer during the season with 336 at a at an impressive average of 67.20 and a strike rate of 152.73, then quickly knocked of 39 not out for NPMU to win by eight wickets.

Both sides are stacked with Taranaki rep players and possess any number of match-winners.

NPMU’s Dean Robinson has the second most runs in this format with 229 at a huge average of 76.33, a strike rate at an impressive 134.71 and a highest score of 83 not out. Robbie Yule adds to the strength of NPMU’s batting sitting in 9th place amongst the run scorers and with a strike rate sitting on 144.44 which provides both the top and middle order with in-form players.

Sitting quietly in the background is the talented wicket-keeper batsman Jared Cunningham. Perhaps the best grabber and stumper in the province he is also an explosive batsman who hasn’t been required much to date. If this is his day he will be a good man to call on.

Unfortunately for NPOB both Olly Burbidge and Sebastian Lauderdale-Smith, normally key players in their batting line-up, will be away at university, so captain Mattie Thomas along with the likes of all-rounders Jordy Gard, Mills and the experienced Mike Rubik, will need to solidify the middle order. If it comes to that, Watkins has also been known to score a run or two at crucial times.

Another loss for NPOB will be left-arm spinner and recent addition from NPBHS Liam Carr who is unavailable. Much will depend on his spin twin Thomas, an experienced campaigner who sits just behind Smith on the bowling stats with 15 wickets at an average of 10.93, an economy rate of 5.26 runs per over and a best of three wickets for seven runs.

With Thomas, Watkins, Mills, Gard, the shrewd Kyle Pillay and the return of the fiery Jarod Ritson, NPOB possess a bowling attack capable of making life difficult for any batting side.

NPMU can of course say the same with Smith being really impressive capturing 16 wickets at an average of a meagre 4.88 and a miserly 2.85 runs per over economy rate. This is the stuff of champions and he will be keen to take this form in to yet another final.

Off-spinner Michael Blanks with the fifth most wickets will support Taranaki’s best all-round player Watson in the attack, with former rep players Josh Barrett and Kurt Leuthart, both canny performers, providing a strong line-up. Yule has also demonstrated an ability to take wickets.

At university is paceman Kerryn Deegan, Bryce Hannam who is sitting in eighth position on the wicket taking chart has a broken finger, and another bowler who will be missed, Jack Krutz, is unavailable.

T20 seldom has an out-and-out favourite and this game will be no different. A match-winning individual performance with the bat or a period of dominance from two or three bowlers combined with a top fielding display can turn the result.

With NPMU currently holding all three trophies, winning the T20 and Two Day comps last season and having beaten NPOB in the One Day Final this season, they will be seen to have an edge. But don’t tell Ali Jordan or Ralph West that.

Possible Lineups:

Nag ‘Noggin’ NPMU
Ryan Watson (Captain), Dean Robinson, Robbie Yule, Jared Cunningham, Jacob Leuthart-Richards, Jesse Vertongen, Josh Barrett, Kurt Leuthart, Michael Blanks, Sean Mosquera, Shaileen Sukdhoe, Shay Smith

Merit RV NPOB
Mattie Thomas (Captain), Joshua Borrell, Davis Mills, Ben Mitchell, Josh Gard, Mike Rubik, Myles Simkin, Jordi Fettis, Jamie Watkins, Sean White, Kyle Pillay, Jarrod Ritson.