Coasters fall short despite gutsy effort

IN a gutsy performance Coasters suffered an unfortunate loss to Raukele on run rate in Port Moresby cricket after rain washed out the latter’s run chase.
Having ground out 168 runs for nine wickets in the opening innings Coasters could have been forgiven for thinking they had a foot through victory’s door but it was not to be as at the stop of play in the 24th over Raukele were 8-152  compared to Coasters’ 4-122 at a similar stage.
The match was awarded to the men from Hula.
Raukele batsman Junius Ani made 30 while former PNG paceman Inoa Baeau collected a treble (3-34) off eight overs to play leading roles in their team’s fortunes.
Elsewhere Badili Hardware STC (3-173) easily accounted for PMMI Taora (94 all out) in the fourth week of the Port Moresby cricket competition disposing of the Hanuabada based team by 79 runs.
Thanks mainly to two unbeaten half centuries by experienced hands Mahuta Kivung (68 no) and Peter Moide (61 no) Steamies were able to produce a competitive first innings total from 28 overs.
Earlier, an hour long delay caused the match not to see out its scheduled 40 over  with Steamies’ batsmen able to impose themselves on the Taora attack after a shaky start that saw them rocked by a first ball run out of opener Emmanuel Karo.
At 1-0 the situation worsened when Lega Tau and Vagi Nou both fell cheaply in the space of two overs for the Badili Hardware team to be reeling at 3-25. That’s when Kivung and Moide stepped in the steer the ship clear of impending danger with a pragmatic partnership that yielded 153 runs.
Taora bowler Rarua Ipi was the only one with bite picking up two wickets and then hitting 16 runs in Taora’s paltry 94 run response.
In other matches KCC defeated newly promoted Kempa while the expected close encounter between perenial rivals SNS United and BNG Poreporena returned an unconfirmed result with the winners yet to be decided on run rate.