T20 titles decided

Celtic and Wairau Valley came out on top when the 2025-26 senior and third grade Twenty20 finals were staged at Horton Park on Friday evening.

In the senior encounter on the number one ground, Celtic scored a comprehensive eight-wicket win over defending champs Wairau, while Valley were equally dominant on the number three wicket, working their way to a conclusive six-wicket victory over Celtic.

Wairau batted first in the senior match-up and got off to a promising start. Openers Joel Lavender and Tarin Mason quickly pushed the score to 35 before Lavender departed for 14. Mason was joined by Andrew McCaa, the experienced duo batting sensibly, but positively, to take the score through to 93 in the 14^thover before McCaa was dismissed for 38. Mason followed 10 runs later for 38, the pair having set a platform for a final overs assault, with seven wickets in hand.

However, unfortunately for Wairau, that momentum never eventuated, just 21 runs being added in the final five overs as four wickets fell, three to run outs.

The other was the wicket of Will Anderson who was dismissed after a spectacular one-handed tumbling catch in the deep by Greg Knowles.

Wairau ended on a disappointing 124-7, testament to Celtic’s bowling and fielding efforts. Tom Sutherland produced figures of 2-25, Jaden Adams 1-35, Matt McCormick 0-16 and Knowles 1-21, all from their full complement of four overs, while Ben Holdaway was also miserly with 0-13 from three.

Celtic’s potent batting line-up made short work of the run chase.

Openers Tom Sloan (18) and Ben Holdaway put on 31 for the first wicket, then Knowles joined Holdaway and quickly ensured there would be no hiccups on the way to victory. Both hit cleanly and long, combining for a 52-run partnership before Holdaway departed for 25 with 42 runs required. Luke Holdaway joined Knowles, who raced to an unbeaten 56, putting an exclamation mark on Celtic’s victory with a six to end proceedings in the 17^th over.

Mason was the pick of the Wairau bowlers, grabbing 2-25 from his four overs.

However, as Wairau veteran Colin Wood suggested, “They fielded better than us, bowled better than us and batted better than us … that pretty much sums it up,” as the Celtic crew celebrated a well-deserved and decisive victory.

Third grade

Wairau Valley notched up a similar scoreline in the third grade decider.

They restricted Celtic to 80 all out from 16.3 overs, then steadily picked off the runs, getting the job done in the 15^th over for the loss for four wickets.

Kobi Kennedy (13), Reon Holdaway and Peter Trevathan (both 11) were the top scorers for Celtic, chief destroyer Jacob Hefford producing the outstanding figures of 5-8 from four overs, while Kyle Buckley picked up 2-4 from 2.3.

Valley openers George Frampton (20 from 25 balls) and Buckley (35 from 34) set up a successful chase with a 50-run partnership, then an unbeaten 14 from Joseph Gilhooly clinched the deal. Quinn Deane, 2-18 from four, was the pick of the Celtic attack.