Two exciting games were played on Friday night with Union defeating Albion by four wickets and Oamaru beating Valley by three runs, as both contests were decided in the 20th over.

At King George Park, Albion reached 128/6 in their 20 overs. Sabareesh Ramesh provided some early momentum, top-scoring with 59, while he combined with Aneesh Bose (22) to put on 52 for the fourth wicket - a partnership that lifted Albion to a competitive total.

For Union, Harry Mavor claimed 2-17 from four overs and Blake Martin took 2-28 from his four.

Union's chase was led by Tomas Shields (31) and Harry Mavor (35). However, it was left to veteran Brad Fleming (31 not out from 19 balls) to provide the final push, guiding Union to 129/6, and victory with three balls remaining in the innings.

Joshua Miller took 2-21 and Amal Asok 2-26.

At Weston, Oamaru endured a rocky start after batting first, slumping to 44/4 in the seventh over. Nicholas Johnston (28 not out), Ricky Atwal (28) and Quinn Wardle (31 not out) then engineered a middle-order recovery, steering Oamaru to 136/5 from their 20 overs.

Taine Stirling was lethal early for Valley, claiming 3-27 from his four overs.

Valley's chase saw wickets fall in clumps, but Jack Kelly took to the Oamaru attack with authority, his 58 runs coming from just 34 balls to keep Valley in the hunt. Campbell Fowler also contributed with 20.

However, with Kelly's dismissal at 93/4, Oamaru began to make serious inroads into the Valley order. Valley managed to inch the score to 128/9 at the completion of the 19th over, needing nine runs from the final over.

Johnston bowled the final over, his first ball being a wide before the second conceded four runs. But the third delivery took Valley's last wicket, securing a dramatic three-run victory for Oamaru.

For Oamaru, Asanka Gamlathge took 4-26 and Wardle took 3-13.

Club cricket in North Otago now takes a break, returning on the second Friday in January.

Short Scorecard(s)

Senior - Dick Hunt - Round 2

Albion Senior vs Union Senior at King George Park
Albion Senior 128-6 ( S. Ramesh 59, A. Bose 22, H. Mavor 2-17, B. Martin 2-28 )
Union Senior 129-6 ( H. Mavor 35, T.M. Shields 31, B.J. Fleming 31no, J. Miller 2-21, A. Asok 2-26 )
Union by 4 wickets.

Oamaru Senior vs Valley Senior at Weston Park
Oamaru Senior 136-5 ( Q.I. Wardle 31no, N. Johnson 28no, R. Atwal 28, T. Stirling 3-27 )
Valley Senior 133 ( J. Kelly 58, C. Fowler 20, Q.I. Wardle 3-13, A. Gamlathge 3-26 )
Oamaru by 3 runs.

Second Grade - Holiday Club20 - Round 2

Albion Club30 vs Oamaru Club30 at Whitestone Contracting Oval
Oamaru Club30 153-5 ( J. Minaar 49, S. Rana 45, N. Barnes 3-22 )
Albion Club30 121-5 ( J. Varghese 34no, A. Mathew 31, S. Rana 2-4 )
Oamaru by 32 runs.

Valley Club30 vs Union Club30 at King George Park
Valley Club30 145-7 ( T. Sidhu 62, R. Whitham 23, i. McLean 23, J. McCormack 3-29 )
Union Club30 146-6 ( A. Mishra 42, K. Chetty 25, A. Watt 2-12 )
Union by 4 wickets.