Mudmen make it two in a row, Mariners bag victory

THE Curtain Bros Papua New Guinea Smash Cricket is proving to be a tightly-contested T20 tournament with another two impressive games in round three.
The Trakpro Mudmen made it two in a row and the ODG Mariners bagged a crucial win in the afternoon game.
The morning match saw the Trakpro Mudmen bat first in perfect conditions, finishing 7/137 off their 20 overs against the ODG Mariners.
The batting was again led by former Barramundi Vani Morea with 55 off 45 balls.
Barramundis Norman Vanua and Lega Siaka recorded 22 runs each.
For the Mariners, Raymond Haoda took 2/16 and Alei Nao 2/28 off his four overs.
The Mariners lost regular wickets during their chase and struggled to put partnerships together, eventually being bowled out for 112 in the 19th over to hand the Mudmen a 25-run win.
Simon Atai top-scored for the Mariners with 23 and Nao chipped in with 19, as did captain Assad Vala.
The Mariners then faced a must-win game in the afternoon against the Hastings Deering Black Bass who batted first and amassed 136.
Gaudi Toka anchored the innings with 57 runs, and some hitting by Mahuru Dai (35) and Damien Ravu (27) set a decent total.
The Mariners batting needed someone to stand up and it was Vala with a man-of-the-match performance, hitiing 64 not-out off 47 balls to bring his team home.
Vala enjoyed a 62-run partnership with JB Reva (39) and controlled the run chase to perfection, hitting the winning runs in the 19th over.
Damien Ravu and Gaudi Toka both took two wickets each in the Mariners’ 6/138.
Round four today sees another two games at Amini Park, with the Black Bass involved in both games against the Mudmen and Cassowaries.