Four cricket teams chasing second final spot

Today's final round of Hamilton club cricket's Hec Holland Plate one-day competition has an intriguing look about it.

Unbeaten Fraser-Tech are assured of their spot in the March 14 final, winless Star Varsity are certain not to make it, but the remaining four teams have everything to play for.

Furnace Old Boys, Lonestar Hamilton Boys' High School, Melville and Suburbs are all tied on four points after two wins and two losses.

Today Old Boys face a must-win situation against in-form Fraser-Tech, HBHS also need to win against Star Varsity and Melville square off with Suburbs, with the loser of that match eliminated from the playoff race.

If teams are equal on points following today's matches, Fraser-Tech's final opponent will be decided on a who-beat-who basis, followed by net run rate if there is a stalemate.

Melville's form has dipped recently and after starting the season well with two wins they capitulated to be dismissed for just 37 against HBHS and struggled last week with a depleted lineup against Fraser-Tech.

Medium pacer Maurice Patten has been in superb form for Melville though, capturing 12 wickets in just three matches, and said he was confident that his side would perform well if they kept things simple.

"It is a must-win for us and as long as all the key players perform in our team we'll have a really good chance of winning," Patten said.

"I think the key thing is do the basics right.

"If we bowl in partnerships and bat in partnerships and back up and do all the basics right, which is the key to cricket, I think we'll go well."

Patten was called in late to the Hamilton team for the Brian Dunning Cup one-day tournament in Taupo earlier this week and performed well in the second match with 3-27 from 10 overs against Counties Manukau.

"I think the main thing was to keep it simple and just bowl straight, short of a length or on a good length," Patten said of his Taupo performance.

He was looking to continue that today.

"By keeping it straight, making them play and bowling maidens, making them force the mistake is the easiest thing to do, rather than trying to get wickets.

"Don't try and get wickets in one-day cricket, it's all about containment.

"So if you can do that you'll force them to make a mistake and the wickets will come; that's my philosophy anyway."

Old Boys will be relying on their pace quartet of Andrew Mathieson, Anurag Verma, Cedric English and captain Cameron Weight to again do the damage in their quest for the final.

Weight said the "better execution with our bowling" had been the key to turning around their season and he was hoping to bowl first and chase a small target to improve their run rate.

HBHS will be looking for a more consistent batting effort to get past Star Varsity.

The school side were bundled out for 118 as they chased a small target against Old Boys last weekend and before that they were unconvincing with the bat against Melville.

They will need to be on their game against a Star Varsity side with nothing to lose.

Round five, 10.30am start:

Old Boys v Fraser-Tech, Galloway Park 1; Melville v Suburbs, Galloway Park 2; Star Varsity v HBHS, Galloway Park 3.

- © Fairfax NZ News