Oamaru is savouring Borton Cup success for the first time in over a decade after claiming a first inning victory over Union on the second day of the North Otago club cricket final on Saturday.
Oamaru captain Andrew Sewell (41) and middle-order batsman Robbie Duncan (15) patiently worked their way towards the golden figure of 136 after resuming at 105 for six at Awamoa Park.
On the first day, Union struggled with the pace of David Sewell (five for 36) but then recovered thanks to a timely 41 not out from Neil Rushton, to post 136.
The Oamaru chase was punctuated by a dashing 61 from opener Matt Slater as the home team looked to shut Union out of the final. Rushton, however, hadn't read that script and helped reduce Oamaru to 105 for six at the end of the day to set up an intriguing contest.
In fine conditions Sewell and Duncan took 75 minutes to score the 31 runs, but the partnership was invaluable in terms of swinging the advantage towards Oamaru.
The Union bowling attack sorely missed the pace of Rushton, who is in the North Island with the Otago squad along with Union team mate Duncan Drew and David Sewell, as Oamaru passed its first innings total and built a useful lead.
Oamaru reached 181 with Andrew Cocking chipping in with 20, to boast the lead of 45 runs. Apart from Rushton, Neville Donaldson toiled well to finish with tow for 42, while captain Mark Wilson and Steven Ridley also claimed two wickets each. Antony Cromwell took four catches in the innings.
Union took the crease needing quick runs to eclipse Oamaru's lead and set up a target for them to chase. They were given a breezy start from openers Daniel Gard (17) and Regan George (21) but then lost Glynn Cameron (1) and Gavin Strachan (6) to run outs.
Wilson (16), Cromwell (17) and Robert Coates (16) hunted quick runs as Union scored at 4.4 runs an over before declaring at 119 for seven, 75 runs ahead.
With just 14 overs left in the day it was unlikely Union could take the 10 wickets needed for victory. Oamaru set about chasing the target with first innings hero Slater finding the boundary at will, before being run out on 28.
Union spinner Glynn Cameron bought a couple of wickets as Oamaru looked for outright victory, before captain Sewell and Shoruban Pasupati shut up shot, content to win the cup on first innings.
Oamaru need 21 off the last over and, with one eye on glory, Pasupati dispatched the first delivery to the boundary. The charge was snuffed out next ball, however, as he attempted to lift the ball over mid-on and was caught.
Sewell was delighted to have the Borton Cup back at he club after an absence of over a decade.
"We needed to bat through the first couple of hours and ease our way past the total. Then we knew it would be tough for Union to do anything," he said.
Chasing the outright win was tempting, but Sewell did not want to risk losing the game. "We could have chased for the outright, but once we lost a couple of wickets we shut up shop."
Union captain Mark Wilson was disappointed Oamaru did not have more of a dash at the total, but said they deserved to win the cup on their first innings performance.
"They probably batted a bit long than we hoped. We didn't bowl them out as quickly as we needed to," he said.
Short Scorecard(s)
Senior - Borton Cup - Final
Union Senior vs Oamaru Senior at Awamoa Park, Oamaru
Union Senior 140 ( N.W. Rushton 41no, R.J. George 17, P. Johnston 14, G.R. Cameron 11, A. Cromwell 11, D.G. Sewell 5-36, S. Pasupati 3-35 ) & 119-8dec ( R. George 21, D. Gard 17, A. Cromwell 17, M. Wilson 16, R. Coates 16no, T. Geeves 3-26, J. Conlan 2-65 )
Oamaru Senior 181 ( M. Slater 61, A. Sewell 41, A. Cocking 20, R. Duncan 15, S. Pasupati 14, J. Gandhi 13, N.W. Rushton 4-33, S. Ridley 2-25, M. Wilson 2-38, N. Donaldson 2-42 ) & 58-4 ( M. Slater 28, J. Gandhi 11, G. R. Cameron 2-35 )
First innings win to Oamaru
Full scorecard for the match