The Otago Countrywide representative season kicked off on Saturday with the two Crosby Morris semifinals played side-by-side at Molyneux Park in Alexandra.
In the first match, South Otago beat Maniototo-Molyneux by 84 runs.
South Otago was asked to bat first and scored a respectable total of 242.
Opener Jeremy Gray (30) and first drop Caleb Carson (88) added 101 runs for the second wicket.
But Maniototo-Molyneux skipper Sam Bastin led the fight-back with five for 37.
An important rear-guard partnership from Kelan Smith (68) and Quentin Gare (21) added some key runs towards the end of the innings to give their side a defendable total at the innings break.
Charanjit Singh added 62 but Maniototo-Molyneux slumped to 158.
Connor Smith (three for 20) and Quentin Gare (three for 32) were the pick of the South Otago bowlers.
Queenstown will join South Otago in the Crosby Morris representative final after it posted a six-wicket win against Upper Clutha at Molyneux Park.
Upper Clutha recorded a tidy 269 for the loss of seven wickets from its 50 overs.
A third-wicket partnership of 92 between Sam Pimm and Josh Shackleton set up a decent platform and Ross Anderson was a pillar of strength for his side, compiling an unbeaten 52 off 82 balls.
Queenstown used 10 bowlers in the innings with Swaran Sandhu, Sam Gillespie and
Sukhdev Singh all claiming two wickets apiece.
Queenstown master blaster Amrit Gossal proceeded to send the ball to all parts of the ground from the start.
Gossal was in destructive touch again and thumped 41 from just 11 deliveries.
Then Kevin Loggenberg and Swaran Sandhu put on 119 for the fourth wicket in a 10-over run fest.
Loggenberg was the enforcer, plundering an unbeaten 87 runs off just 46 deliveries, playing with freedom and class.
The target was overhauled in the 31st over.
- Francis Parker
