Whanganui High School Sports
Outstanding effort 1st XI Boys....what a thriller of a finish!! Well done team!
Whanganui High School wins Premier 2 Twenty20 title in Super Over thriller with Whanganui Renegades
The youngsters of Whanganui High School have come of age after winning a senior club title following a gripping Premier 2 Twenty20 final that went to the Super Over with the Whanganui Renegades.
Cricket made a welcome return to Tasman Tanning (Victoria) Park on Saturday and there could not be a better feature club showcase than the A Grade trophy match.
The undefeated Renegades secured a 23-run victory in their semifinal earlier in the day against the Hunterville Hackers at Victoria, while WHS would have been the fresher side after a very quick nine wicket victory over Wicket Warriors Whanganui at the Collegiate grounds.
In a final with plenty of atmosphere as several other teams along with supporters stayed to watch, Renegades’ Jack Donaldson (90 not out off 57 balls) carried his bat at opener for a superb knock, partnering with each team mate as none of them reached double figures, to guide his side to a challenging 141-7.
Trying to strand Donaldson for partners, WHS’s bowlers shared the wicket honours with the best of them being Max Comrie (2-20) and Charlie Meredith (2-25).
In reply, WHS were going to rely heavily on their prodigies Levi Hoekstra (34 from 31) and Meredith (28 from 33), with the latter being the main hope after Hoekstra eventually departed and Campbell McKerras (33 from 21) had come in to attack the bowling .
Henry Carver (2-27) got Meredith’s key wicket, and although WHS lost a couple more, the Burroughs brothers in Nick and Harry were well set entering the last over with their team needing four runs with five wickets in hand.
But in a stunning seven deliveries from Mathew Hodges (2-28), three runs were scored and four wickets fell, as an over that started with a wide was followed by a catch, dot ball, run out on a quick single, a clean bowled, and single on a slight misfield.
One run behind facing the last delivery, the brand new batsman Logan Rippey lofted a straight drive right to the inner fieldsman, where it was dropped, with the two WHS
youngsters completing the score-tying run but being run-out going for the non-existent match-winner.
Renegades had been just that close to victory, but now the game was heading to a Super Over and WHS went straight back to their proven commodities – Hoekstra and Meredith.
Under enormous pressure, the pair were clutch facing up to Hodges – Hoekstra smashing a four, six and four before taking the single, with Meredith then driving a two and finishing with a four to throw down the gauntlet with 21 runs.
Having hit more sixes than WHS during the match, per the rules, Renegades could still tie the Super Over and lift the trophy, but the dynamic Meredith would not be denied – taking the ball and holding Donaldson and Nigel Sherbone to just singles and a solitary boundary when it no longer mattered, conceding just nine runs.
In the B Grade final, the previous season’s A Grade champions Matt Burke Engineering Marton Saracens earned some consolation with a four wicket win over Wanganui Vet Services Marist 2nd XI at the Collegiate grounds.
The Premier 2 clubs will now take a break for this weekend, before starting the P240 and P340 tournaments for the rest of the summer.
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