Lawrence chose to bowl first on a slippery surface, and its decision looked to be the right one as it took a wicket with the fourth ball of the game.
Opener Gray and Beal-Harris then took the game to Lawrence, putting on a massive partnership in tricky batting conditions.
They rotated the strike and hit the bad balls away. A lush outfield changed the game plan, as both batsmen had to go aerial to get value for their shots.
Gray was the first to bring up his 50, with a straight six down the ground. Beal-Harris took slightly longer to reach the milestone, but was more than happy for Gray to take charge.
Gray brought up his maiden century for Owaka in style with another six over long on. He finished the innings unbeaten on 114.
Beal-Harris was dismissed on the penultimate ball of the innings for a well-deserved 57. It was a great effort from the pair, and Owaka ended the innings on 189 for 2.
In reply, the Lions batted 20 overs, but could only make 117 for the loss of nine. The Lions could not build any telling partnerships, and were only saved from an even larger defeat by some power hitting at the end.
Beal-Harris was in form with the ball, as well, for Owaka, with the impressive figures of three for 11 off three overs. Captain Francis Parker and centurion Jeremy Gray took two wickets each in the middle order.
The Kai Kings beat the Clutha Comets by four wickets in Balclutha. The game was a lot closer than the result suggests. Clutha batted first and was all out for 100 in the 19th over of the innings. Heath Faddeson top scored for the home side with 28. He got some support from Sam Mosley (15 not out) and Caleb Carson (14).
Roger Pennell was the pick of the Kai bowlers, with figures of three for 18 off three overs. Jason Young (two for 19) and Greg Webber (two for 20) bowled well in a tight display by the travelling Kings side.
In reply, the Kings chased the total down with three balls remaining for the loss of six wickets. Blair Benington was the rock in the Kings innings, opening the batting and ending unbeaten on 35.
Captain Mark Shepherd also contributed 35 runs in the middle order. Clutha bowled 16 extras, which ended up being a key factor in the result. Connor Smith and Jared Crawford both took two wickets for the Comets.
The Waihola Swans beat the Valley Stingers by three wickets in Tuapeka Mouth.Batting first, the home side recorded 128 for eight off its 20 overs. Captain Lachie Johnston top scored with 38 runs off 28 balls. Pete Allan (34), Bevan McCall (16) and Daniel Cragg (15) were the other batsmen to reach double figures.
Swans captain Dylan Bungard bowled well in two spells. He removed two of the top order batsmen early on and then brought himself back on to take two more wickets in the lower order, finishing with four for 16 off four overs. Young spinner Kellan Crowie took three wickets for 12 off his three overs.
In reply, the Swans chased the total down in the final over of the game for the loss of seven wickets. The Swans had some useful contributors all the way down the batting order. Shannon Young (21) and Ashton Tourell (22) batted well at the top of the order before Jamie Morton (22) and Bungard (32 not out) finished the job for the travelling side. McCall took four for 23 off his four overs. Opener Marc Phillips bowled four overs for just nine runs, but remained wicketless.
The Kings and the Swans sit on top of the table with two wins each. The Stingers and Bandits are close behind on one win, and the Lions and the Comets are yet to register a victory.
- Francis Parker
