United Cricket Club (Counties Manukau) Incorporated

Counties Manukau Cricket Association (CMCA) sprung a surprise today by posting a changed schedule for the Reserve One grade on its website. After confirming last week that the top four teams in the grade would be fighting it out in the semis on 20th March & the winners of the two semis would clash in the final on 27th March (see relevant news item dated 19th Feb), CMCA has now decided that the top two teams will meet in the final on 20th March & there would be matches between #3 & #4 for the third place & #5 & #6 for the fifth place on the same day. This change has hurt United CC (#3) as well as Mauku CC (#4), as they've been robbed of a chance to proceed any further, whereas it would sound as music to Waiuku (#1) & Weymouth (#2), who are assured of no further challenge by Mauku & United (it is worth mentioning here that United CC had beaten Waiuku handsomely last Saturday, with about 7 overs to spare).

Further, there's still no clarity about the draw for the two non-competition games on 6th & 13th March besides robbing all the teams of a game as the final is now supposed to be held a week earlier (on 20th March instead of 27th March).