Car Company Stoke Nayland Looking for back to back TPL Titles

Car Company Stoke Nayland Looking for back to back TPL Titles

By finishing top of the table, playing through champions, Car Company Stoke Nayland, have earnt the right to a free pass into the final of the TPL club cricket final ay Saxton Oval on Sunday. They will meet the winner of the elimination final, ACOB or Nelson College, who will battle it out at the Botanics on Saturday.

A powered up ACOB team will be the heavy favourites to defeat a depleted schoolboy line up.  College’s ace Jarrod McKay has found other things to divert his interest and is not available for this key encounter. This fairly and squarely lays the responsibility of match winning performances on the Raxworthy twins, Finn and Jonty.  They both looked in superb nick last weekend with Jonty especially imperious.  These two though, with skipper Paddy Wilson appear to be the only major dangers in the College line up.  Their bowling, sans McKay, is military at best and they have also been a little dusty in the field.  They have punched above their weight in this competition and coach Garry MacDonald will have them well prepared, but a victory here would surprise.  Off spinner Mason Lund may be a key figure, but he will need support.

In contrast, ACOB will welcome back the peripatetic Thomas Zohrab and Nic Clark.  Zohrab has had a very good season at all levels and provides danger with both bat and ball.  Clark can be a bit hit and miss, but when he hits it generally goes a long way.  Dynamic Greg Chitty is in form, backing up from a half century last weekend, while the likes of David Zohrab, BJ Barnett, chunky James Graham, Reuben Smith and skipper Ollie Jones-Allen are all better than mere journeymen.  The key though may be all rounder Jake Milton.  He is a class above and he loves the big occasion and will be licking his lips at the prospect of play off cricket.  ACOB should prepare for two days of cricket this weekend.

Car Company Stoke Nayland will be hoping that College and ACOB beat each other up on Saturday and whoever advances to the final on Sunday will have battle scars.  Whoever they play though, they willll fancy their chances.  Stoke Nayland have beaten both these teams at least a couple of times this season though these was an early blip with a tie against ACOB in the day/night match. They have been the form team from the outset and boast plenty of match winners all around the park.  Paddy Howes has been slightly off the boil lately, but he is about due to fire again.  All their batsmen are more than capable though, with Darius Skeaping, Dylan Eginton, Brendan Hodgson, Kurt Pahl, Ben Homan, Chris Dittmer and Ricky Edwards all capable of a match defining innings.  They also have bowling firepower galore with Eginton, Skeaping, Tim O’Connor, Tom Chambers and Billy Guyton leading the way with spinners Howes and Liam Clark to follow.  Plus they field and catch very well. They will be very, very difficult to beat.

Both matches begin at 11:30 am – Saturday at Botanics, Sunday at Saxton Oval,

The Car Company Nelson Second grade this year has seen 11 team battle it out across the first 11 weeks of the season. This determined a top 6 – Division 1 and bottom 5 – Division 2 split where the teams continued for 1 more round. At the completion of this we have found 4 finals teams representing 4 clubs. The top 6 final will be the ever-threatening Wakatu Gold who have been within striking distance of the trophy for many years, last taking out the title in the 2016-17 season. Motueka will be determined to not let this one slip as they have been competition leaders for the whole year, proving that age is no barrier for the likes of Corey Pascoe who is still putting on the whites each Saturday. Wakatu boast their own timeless classics with Jim Morrison going for his best re wine impression that he only gets better with age.  This final will be played at Motuekas home ground of Memorial Park and play will commence at 12.30pm

The Division 2 final will see Athletic College Old Boys taking on Nelson College Blue at Broads. ACOB will consider themselves unlucky to just miss out on a top 6 finish in the regular round robin, so they will be looking stamp their mark by taking the silverware on offer. Nelson College Blue have built nicely across the season and found some fantastic late form in the competition to push their way into the final. It will be youth vs experience, in what will be sure not to disappoint. Glenn Baumfield considers the ground a second home so ACOB will be looking to the experience of these older players to see them home. Roger Hemmingway will have the team well drilled and on the hunt for the title, so get donw and support the teams if you can! Game will begin at 12.30pm.