Pleasant Point Cricket Club won their first Senior title after moving into senior ranks three seasons ago, getting across the line against the Temuka side who had been unbeaten until now this season in the final of the 60/60 over competition at Aorangi Ovl on Saturday.
A very good final with the team in ascendency changing throughout the match saw Will Harvey with 38 runs from 34 balls with good support from George MacDougall in his best innings of the season (8no) get Pleasant Point home with two wickets and 17 balls to spare.
Pleasant Point won the toss and decided to bowl first, a good decision as they soon had Temuka 23-3. However Temuka captain Glen Drake set about changing the script as he and Warren Morgan added 57 for the 4th wicket.
Drake showed a full array of strokes, scoring at run a ball as he looked like scoring a century before a top edge off a pull shot saw him the eighth batsman out for 90 in the 51st over, but by then Temuka were looking much better at 168-8.
Dillon Lees then played a real cameo scoring 37 off 31 balls including 4 sixes to help Temuka to a very competitive 205 all out.
Pleasant Point lost their first wicket with only 13 runs on the board, before solid partnerships built around opener Joe Williams who batted 2 1/2 hours for his 63, supported by twins Liam and Adam Beck, both with 35 had Point on target at 143-4.
However the loss of these three batsmen gave Temuka a sniff and with the spin of Herath (3-35) and Drake (2-46) to the fore, Point lost a further 4 wickets for 25 runs and with the score 169-8 it looked to be going Temuka’s way.
However Will Harvey found support from MacDougall and together over the next six overs took Point close and then eventually to the win, leaving a disheartened Temuka side to congratulate a jubilant Pleasant Point side, club and supporters as they achieved their first ever senior win.
The Pleasant Point Senior Side who played the final.
Back l to r: L Gibb, C Diederiks, G MacDougall, C Lundie, J Williams, T Leonard, M Otley (coach)
Front l to r: S Wills, W Harvey, L Beck (c), T Costley, B Dryden, A Beck.