Karori and Easts to meet in much anticipated final

Karori and Easts to meet in much anticipated Wilkinson Pearce Cup final at the Basin

It’s the battle of the heavyweights of Wellington club cricket. In one corner are the nine-time defending champions Eastern Suburbs, gunning for a remarkable 10 straight Wilkinson Pearce Cup titles, having won outright four finals in a row. In the other corner are the challengers to their throne, Karori, Wellington cricket Twenty20 and One-Day champions and top qualifiers for the second straight year.

Neither will give an inch when they meet in the 2010/11 Wilkinson Pearce Cup final this Saturday, Sunday and Monday at the Hawkins Basin Reserve in what promises to be a high intensity match for Wellington club cricket supremacy.

As top qualifier, Karori just needs to draw with Easts and a maiden Pearce Cup title and first Wellington club title since 1986/87 will be theirs, while Easts need to win outright to clinch a decade of championships - a situation they are familiar with having won in last year’s final against Karori at Barton Oval in a whirlwind match.

Karori won the toss and batted first but were bowled out for 67. Not to be outdone, Easts were in trouble at 37 for 7 but recovered to make 112. Karori then made just 70 in their second innings and Easts found themselves needing just 26 to knock off the win.

Easts captain Lance Dry said the team can’t wait for the opportunity to defend their title on the Basin Reserve.

"We are very excited about the opportunity to extend our dominance to 10 consecutive Pearce Cup titles,” he said. “We are also really looking forward to playing at the Hawkins Basin Reserve, it’s one of the world’s premier Test cricket grounds and to be able to play the Pearce Cup Final there is a genuine privilege and as such an opportunity we want to do justice to."

Despite being top qualifier, Dry said the pressure is right on Karori to perform.

"I think Karori's weaknesses are well documented, this is their fourth Pearce Cup final in six years and they have not managed a title yet. People have bandied around the term chokers but the reality has been that on each occasion we have managed to outplay them, whether we do or not this year will be determined in a few days time".

Karori captain Simon Baker says the stage is set for a big weekend.
“This final is surely one of the most pressure-baked in the history of club cricket in Wellington and New Zealand. We have pressure on us to win it for the first time in years. However Easts have a huge opportunity and pressure to create history, no one will ever again get the chance to win a monumental 10 straight titles. It's a one-time deal, and they know it.
“It's exciting to be a part of the Pearce Cup final with the two best teams in Wellington playing at the Basin Reserve, something the lads are really looking forward to. Our aim at the start of the season was to win the local Twenty20 title, One-Day title, Pearce Cup and defend our National Club title. We are wrapped to be on track but the really fun stuff starts now, although after nine consecutive days of finals cricket there are going to be some sore bodies!”
Baker says the key to Karori’s potential success this weekend will be a strong team effort.
“The strength of our Premier side is our depth, we will be fielding a side with 11 potential match winning players whether it be with the bat or ball, everyone of us will contribute. Easts rely on two or three guys each week and the rest can be unreliable. If their key players fail, they will struggle over the three days.
“There is a great culture within the broader Karori premier squad and the coach Glenn Pocknall has ensured high standards are consistently met. If we continue to play at the level we have played at all summer I believe we can win the Pearce Cup and the National Club Champs.”

The Easts and Karori squad lists for the Final are:
Easts from: Josh Brodie, Nathan Cameron, Jeremy Dean, Lance Dry, Chamika Gajanayaka, Ben Gamble, Scott Golder, Jamie Gibson, David Holt, Ricky Joseph, Josh McLauchlan, Sam McLauchlan, Niranjan Naguleswaran, Jamie O'Donnell, Ben Orton
Karori from: Stefan Allan, Jules Balasingham, Simon Baker, Harry Boam, Tom Blundell, Lee Edwards, Marc Ellison, Charles Gallagher, Neil Martin Andy McKay, Steve Murdoch, Fraser Quarterman, Oliver Redwood, Jarred Sewell, Chris Spring, Hamish Templeton

Wilkinson Insurance Brokers promotions
As proud supporters of grassroots cricket in Wellington, Wilkinson Insurance Brokers are on board promoting a number of initiatives, including:
• The search for Wellington’s fastest bowler. After a season of running in and bowling fast, speed merchants around the region have the opportunity to decide once and for all who is the fastest of them all with Saturday’s speed ball challenge. A speed radar will be set up in the practice nets for anyone to enter and test their speed. Prizes of $200 will go to the fastest U16 bowler and over 16 bowler on the day.
• An additional $100 will be up for grabs if anyone in the crowd can catch a six during the game on Saturday.
• Wilkinson’s are offering Cricket Wellington supporters a special offer of a 10 percent discount on insurance premiums through them. The contacts for this are James Crichton and Conrad Shanly (details below)

Match details

What: Wilkinson Pearce Cup Final

When: This Saturday, Sunday and Monday (2-4 April)

Where: Hawkins Basin Reserve (10.30am start on Saturday; 9.30am starts Sunday and Monday)

Pearce Cup Facts

• The Pearce Cup was introduced in the 1996/97 season as the Senior Grade Trophy after the merger of the Hutt Valley and Wellington Cricket Associations
• Only four clubs have ever won the Pearce Cup, University twice (1996/97, 1997/98), Wellington Collegians (1998-99), Stokes Valley twice (1999/00, 2000/01), Eastern Suburbs nine times (2001/02 through to 2009/10)

Individual records from the four completed finals are:

• Highest individual score: Scott Golder (Easts) 149 not out, Easts v Naenae 2006/07
• Best bowling in an innings: Lee Edwards (Karori) 7 for 56, Karori v Easts 2009/10
• Best bowling in a match: Ricky Joseph (Easts) 12 for 112, Easts v Karori 2008/09
• Highest innings score: 474-8 dec by Easts 2006/07
• Lowest innings score: 67 by Karori 2009/10
• Biggest winning margin: 10 wickets, Easts v Karori 2009/10

Pearce Cup Finals – past matches

• This will be Eastern Suburbs’ fifth consecutive final since the first in 2005/06
• This will be Karori’s third, having appeared in the 2005/06 and 2008/09 and 2009/10
finals. These two teams will thus be playing each other in their third consecutive Pearce Cup final.
• Naenae Old Boys (2006/07) and North City (2007/08) are the two other sides to play Easts in a Pearce Cup final.
• Of the previous five finals, Easts have been top qualifier just twice, and thus won it three times from the number two position.
• The first final in 2005/06 was abandoned without a ball being bowled, but Easts have won the subsequent four outright and, as second placed qualifiers, to claim their 10th title this season will need to win outright again.

2005/2006
Easts (1) v Karori (2)
Inaugural final
Match abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Easts won the Pearce Cup as top qualifiers.

2006/07
Easts (2) v Naenae Old Boys (1)
Easts claimed their sixth successive Pearce Cup final.
Finishing second, Easts had to beat top qualifier Naenae to claim the title, which they did, winning by 10 wickets. Scott Golder scored 149 not out and Roger Fouhy took 9 wickets in the game. Naenae were bowled out for 144 on the first day with Fouhy taking 5 for 47. In reply Easts made 474 for 8 declared – a lead of 330. Jesse Ryder hit 104 as Naenae posted 347, but Easts still needed just 18 to win.

2007/08
Easts (1) v North City (2)
Easts won by 7 wickets.
After being in early trouble in their first innings, Easts rallied late and their collective big-game experience in the end proved too much for an emerging North City side. Easts made 385 in its first innings, with John Peters hitting 110 and Lance Dry 70 not out. North City, in their first final mustered 235 and 181 and Easts needed 32 to win in the fourth innings.

2008/09
Easts (1) v Karori (2)
Easts won by 2 wickets.
The 2008/09 final was a tense affair. Karori made 154 in its first innings, and then dismissed Easts for 130. Easts then fought back dismissing their challengers for just 94 and needing 119 to win won early on the third morning by 2 wickets. Ricky Joseph had match figures of 12 for 112. This gave Easts its eighth successive title.

2009/10
Easts (2) v Karori (1)
Easts won by 8 wickets
Such was the dominance of Easts and Karori that their places in the final were decided with two rounds to go – and Karori claimed top spot by just 1.02 points. This meant that Easts had to win outright to claim their ninth consecutive Pearce Cup title.

The final was played at Barton Oval. Karori won the toss and batted first but were bowled out for 67with Ricky Joseph taking 6 for 14 from 13 overs. Easts were in trouble at 37 for 7 but recovered to make 112 – a lead of 45. Lee Edwards took 7 for 56 for Karori. Karori again struggled making only 70 in their second innings which meant the Easts needed just 26 to win.

ENDS

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