It's third time lucky as Karori lift cup

HAMISH BIDWELL

To save Simon Baker's blushes, we won't use the word that he did after leading his team to its first Pearce Cup in 25 years.

Suffice to say, the Karori captain's view was that it was "about ...... time".

Having lost the past two finals to Eastern Suburbs, Baker's boys never looked likely to make it three in a row, finishing deserved 109-run winners at the Basin Reserve yesterday.

"I'm pleased we beat the second best side," Baker said.

"I thought Naenae would actually get into the final ... so in that sense it probably was good that it was Easts and the match wasn't rain affected, it was a good track and a good competitive match."

With Easts, the nine-time defending champions, needing an outright to topple top-qualifiers Karori, day one pretty much decided the match.

Once Karori had amassed 381, they were unlikely to be toppled.

Easts continued to scrap but after bowling Karori out for 254, second time round, the 330 that left them to win in 49 overs was just too many. Tidy Karori offspinner Jarred Sewell took 4-49 as Easts were dismissed for 221, to secure him 10 wickets for the game and the man-of-the-match award.

So with one dynasty over, are Karori on the brink of another?"I won't personally be there for nine, but this is a good group," said Baker of a team that had already won the one-day and Twenty20 competitions this season.

"We've had a couple of disappointing [Pearce Cup] finals but we've always said `when we're good enough we'll win it' and we have.

"Look, Easts have set the bar so high and you do look at them and think they haven't got some of their key players from the past, like the [Stephen] Mathers, the [Stephen] Hotters, the Phil Parkers, but they just compete so well.

"God knows what'll ever happen to them if they ever lose Lance [captain Lance Dry] because he just instils that in the team.

"I heard a rumour last week that he's retiring and I hope he's not because, as much as you love to hate him, he's a good guy I think and he's a tough competitor and it makes it fun."

Dry said the rumour was true.

"I am, I've retired."

Truly?

"No, we're going to win it next year," Dry said.

And that was about it from a man not shy of a provocative quote.

"They won, so I think this should be a one-sided story."

As for Baker, while he said he wasn't about to commit the next nine years to the cause, at 33, he felt he had a few good seasons left in him yet.

"I can't believe these guys that give up in their early 30s."

And when there's a Pearce Cup waiting to be filled, and refilled, back in the dressing room, why would you?

- © Fairfax NZ News