Arenikau men win last over thriller

Having lost to Amuri the week before, Vaipae was out to collect some much needed points in their The Computer Man Aitutaki round robin cricket match against Arenikau.

Morgan Upu got Vaipae off to a flier, banging his way to 86 runs while team mate Monga batted well to score 48 and take Vaipae through to a competitive total of 189.

Arenikau’s run chase started on track with opener Peter Tare notching up 53 runs before being caught off the bowling of Shane Munokoa.

July Pukenga Junior looked like he would seal the deal for Vaipae after collecting 3 wickets from his 4 overs; however the Arenikau batters kept chipping in with enough runs to keep them in the game.

After two boundaries in the 18th over, the momentum of the match was back in Arenikau’s favour. Arenikau headed into the last over needing just 2 runs for victory. Putai Putai bowled well and secured two dot balls to take the game to the wire, however a four on the second to last ball of the game sealed the win for Arenikau and with it their first points for the season.

In the women’s round robin competition, joint table leaders Vaipae and Amuri are set to square off tonight in what is effectively a final.

Heading into the last round of the round robin both teams are jointly leading the table.

A win for either side will see them go four points clear, take the 2014 round robin title and book themselves a spot in the Champion of Champions final against the winner of the forthcoming knockout cup.

Women’s round robin points table – 1st equal Amuri 4 Points, Vaipae 4 Points and 3rd Place Arenikau 0 Points. The Computer Man Aitutaki Points Table: 1st Place Amuri (8 points, 2 wins from 2 games), 2nd Place Arenikau (4 Points, 1 win, 1 loss from 2 games) and 3rd Place Vaipae (0 Points, 2 losses from 2 games).