Wellington have eased into the Georgie Pie Super Smash final after dispatching Northern Districts in Hamilton tonight.
The home side might have been defending champions and top qualifiers but they were no match for a Wellington side led by a masterful display of slow bowling.
Spinners Jeetan Patel and Luke Woodcock combined with medium pacer Grant Elliott to restrict the Knights to a below par 124-5 from their 20 overs. In reply, Michael Papps scored 65 from 46 balls as Wellington cruised to their target with right wickets and 23 balls to spare.
The win saw Wellington move into Sunday's final, also at Seddon Park, where they could face a rematch with ND, depending on the outcome of the Knights' clash with Auckland tomorrow.
If the final does indeed feature another meeting between the top two teams in the round robin, Wellington will be confident of claiming the spoils and winning a spot in the Twenty20 Champions League.
That confidence would have come from their dominance tonight, which began as early as the second over when Patel took the wicket of Brad Wilson. The Knights attempted to rebuild but it wasn't until No 6 batsman Daryl Mitchell that an individual score advanced past 20.
ND were simply strangled by an slow-pace attack that saw Patel (1-14), Woodcock (1-18) and Elliott (2-20) each complete their four overs in economical fashion. The Knights, shorn of several internationals, were guilty of being too tentative at the crease and only in the final overs, when Mitchell was joined by Scott Kuggeleijn, did the ball find the fence with any regularity.
In contrast, Wellington raced to their target in a hurry, aided by some loose bowling from much of the ND attack. Although Daniel Flynn completed a fine run-out from the seat of his pants to dismiss Michael Pollard, the early wicket did nothing to dampen Papps' enthusiasm.
The opener brought up his half century from 32 deliveries, all but deciding the game before falling late in the chase. Stephen Murdoch (35 off 33) provided solid support at the other end as the pair put on 68 for the second wicket and only Mitchell Santner managed to stem the bleeding, completing his four overs for just nine runs.
ND will now attempt to bounce back and earn a spot in the final with a win over Auckland tomorrow, an opponent they have beaten twice this season.
By Kris Shannon
