Academy puts blot on Wairau unbeaten run

Wairau finally have a blemish on their senior club cricket record after losing by 17 runs to Marlborough Academy in Friday night's Twenty20 play at Horton Park.

Marlborough Academy handed Wairau their first loss of the season but it wasn't enough to stop Wairau advancing to the Twenty20 final where they will face Wairau Valley next Friday night.

Valley also enter the final coming off a loss, after being tipped up by 81 runs by Celtic.

Half centuries from Sean Neal and Ben Wheeler formed the backbone of Academy's commanding 182 for seven.

Academy started slowly, losing Mitchell Croft (1) and Matt Wills (0) inside the first five overs and with just 18 runs on the board.

However, Neal and Wheeler combined in a 70 run partnership where Neal was the aggressor, hitting six fours and two sixes before he was bowled by Ben Stark for 53.

Wheeler picked up the pace once Neal departed, adding 58 with Gareth Weaver (27) before he departed to Greg Logan for 55 in the 17th over with the score at 146.

Logan grabbed two further late wickets as Academy hit out, finishing by scoring 64 runs off the final five overs.

Marty Vercoe, 59, playing his first match of the season, gave Wairau a solid start but he had little support from the usually reliable top order.

Bryce Smith (22) was the only other top six batsman to pass 20 as Wairau were 106 for four after 14 overs.

Johnny Nichols stroked an unbeaten 24 from No 7 but effective bowling from Weaver and Wheeler at the death saw Wairau come up short. Weaver, Ryan Maguire and Sean Neal each finished with two wickets.

Karl Fitzpatrick and Jerrym Lamb did the damage with the bat for Celtic as they piled on 194 against Valley on the No 2 pitch.

Fitzpatrick set the tone, striking eight boundaries and three sixes in scoring 63 against some wayward Valley bowling.

He shared a 63-run partnership with Lamb (49). Lamb and Jackson Pearce (27) added a further 52 before both departed to Dave Newman with the score at 177.

After conceding 16 runs in his first over, Newman completed a remarkable spell by snapping up three further wickets to finish with 5-24 and at least minimise some of the damage for Valley.

Needing to push for quick runs Valley's top order faltered with Tim Abrahams (4) and Nick Allen (0) both bowled by Greg Knowles in the first over of their innings.

When Greg Stretch (0) followed soon after Valley were 13 for three.

Simon Muir (18), Gavin Morrison (32) and Ed Gilhooly (19) offered middle order resistance but the run rate continued to climb in the face of an accurate Celtic attack.

Knowles took 2-17, Paul Murphy 2-18 and Matt Murphy 2-35 as Valley were restricted to 113.

- The Marlborough Express