Easts hope to continue 'lucky' run

By their own admission Eastern Suburbs were fortunate to qualify top for tomorrow's Dominion Post premier club cricket final and are hoping that luck will continue in their bid for a seventh straight title.

Easts captain Lance Dry, who was captain in all six of the club's finals wins, said he was still shaking his head after being handed the advantage for the three-day final against North City at the Petone Recreation Ground.

"I think luck had a pretty big hand in it," Dry said. "We managed to win our game [against Onslow], albeit whilst trying to lose it and Norths got tipped over by Taita."

Qualifying top means Easts need only a draw to retain the silverware, though Dry said he would be taking a positive approach.

"Our biggest advantage is the fact that we've been there before and this is obviously Norths' first time [in a premier final]," he said.

"They possibly don't know what to expect but it's bound to be a good game."

Norths captain Sam Fairley said Easts held no fears after dominating their previous two-day encounter, though he was disappointed to be without key allrounder Ben Jansen (broken finger).

"We would have beaten them outright if it hadn't rained so we've got a lot of confidence going into the game," Fairley said.

Top qualifiers Hutt District and Johnsonville scrap for promotion in the Dominion Post senior three-day final, which starts tomorrow at the Petone Recreation Ground.

Johnsonville skipper Gareth Powell said his side had been boosted by winning this season's one-day final against Hutt and top-order batting was the focus.

"Our main concern is someone in the top-six getting a score because I'm pretty confident we can bowl teams out."

Hutt Districts captain Kieran Lennon admitted "we didn't really show up to play" the one-day final but said "if we all turn up and play like we can we'll be very hard to beat."

- © Fairfax NZ News