Thomas Shields

by Dan Tasker of the Oamaru Mail
Union's senior cricketers strangled the life out of an out-of-sorts Albion batting order to set up their Borton Cup three-peat on Saturday.

It was a vintage Union display - economical with the ball, stingy in the field, and responsible with the bat as they set about crafting an eight-wicket victory.

Union captain Thomas Shields said the team were dedicating the win to former Union captain and club life-member Bob Pile, who passed away in early March.

Albion captain Dylan Winter had made it clear he wanted more from his batsmen. He didn't just want a smash and whack innings, he wanted his boys to stick around and bat the full 50 over's.

But instead of ticking the scoreboard over while maintaining wickets, Albion were strangled out of the game, scoring a mere five runs in the opening 10 over's.

The pace and aggression of Chris Ware (1/22) and the accuracy of Glynn Cameron (1/14) as Union's opening bowlers set the tone for the blues. The Mungas were holding their wicket, but like a possum in headlights, they seemed too scared and stunned to change their position.

Opening batsman Steve Halliwell (46) stuck around for a while after combining with Pete Cartwright to make 18 runs for the first wicket - in 16 over's.

It didn't get much better for Albion, with king-hitters Brad Kernahan and Paul Odell the only others to get runs with 23 each. Union continued to apply the pressure to eventually bowl Albion out for 142 with five balls remaining in their innings. Dan Conlan had the best figures for Union with 3/29, and was at one stage on a hat-trick.

Union, in complete contrast, were considerably more upbeat and positive with the bat. Anthony Cromwell (32) and Jeremiah Shields (32) combined for a 65-run first-wicket stand inside 10 over's.

After both openers fell to the spin of Paul Odell (2/19), Sean Conlan and Duncan Drew continued to secure Union's third successive title with eight wickets and 17 over's in hand.

Player Pages:
Glynn Cameron | Sean Conlan | Antony Cromwell | Duncan Drew | Jeremiah Shields | Thomas Shields | Chris Ware |

Albion 142 ( S. Halliwell 46, B. Kernahan 23, P. Odell 23, D. Winter 14, D. Conlan 3-29, Drew 3-46, Johnston 2-29 )
Union 144-2 ( A. Cromwell 32, J. Shields 32, S. Conlan 29no, D. Drew 19no, Odell 2-19 )
Union won by 8 wickets
Full scorecard for the match