Central in hotseat to gets hands on the title

With two rounds remaining in the Rotorua reserve grade cricket, Central have the opportunity to wrap up the competition today.

However, Central who have yet to taste defeat this season, have to get past Rotorua Boys' High School, a side brimming with confidence after beating Western Heights High School last weekend.

Led by Boys' High captain Shaquille Graham, the top-order batsman scored a well-struck 76 in his side's 181 at Rotorua Boys' High School. Graham's half century was helped along with a quick-fire 20 by paceman Chance Perham, who later took 6-17 in a bowling display which left the Heights batsman bedazzled, with more ducks (five in all) on the scoresheet than you might see on the opening day of duck hunting season.

Perham's efforts were backed up by impressive bowling by Hamesh Gosai (3-20) who bounced and swung the ball to devastating effect against the hapless Heights batsman.

Central, who didn't play last weekend because of a Bay of Plenty Indians default, will get their first hit-out at Rotorua Boys' High School's artificial pitch this afternoon. If the home side want any chance of beating Central they will have to look to turn singles into twos and ensure all their top order batsman are firing.

If Rotorua were guilty of one thing last weekend, it was their inability of several of the talented batting line-up to go on and score some runs once they got started. Their fielding and bowling is up there with the best so it will be a matter of not letting the occasion get the better of them.

Central, on the other hand, are a well-rounded team who are yet to be tested this season.

The pitch at Boys' High - with its huge outfield and wicket which rewards a bowler willing to put their back into it - means it will be the team who gives it 100 per cent for the entire game who will come away with the spoils.

The other must-win match is between John Paul College and last year's champions, Taupo. Both teams sit equal second with Rotorua Boys' High on 12 points. If Boys' High win their match it will mean a three-way-tie for the final round next weekend.

John Paul College would have to be slight favourites with a couple of their batman striking form at the right time, most notably player/coach Mark Chapman who score 145 against Geyser City recently. However, the Wanderers are also striking form so today's match at Ray Boord Park should be a thriller.

Geyser City are still looking for their first win of the season and will be hoping this will happen when they take on Bay of Plenty Indians also at Boord Park both teams have plenty of talent and this game could go either way.

In the final match of the round between Taupo College and Western Heights High School, it's hard to look past the Rotorua side with their talented captain John Borrows or their opening batsman Travis Cornwall, both players have class written all over them, but they will need the rest of the batsman to improve on last week's performance if they are to beat a spirited Taupo side, when they meet at Boord Park.

All games start at 12.30pm.

Draw: Rotorua Boys' High School v Central, Rotorua Boys' High School; John Paul College v Wanderers, Boord Park; Indians v Geyser, Boord Park; Western Heights High School v Taupo College, Boord Park.