Both teams will be without their Canterbury representatives going into the final after tight semi-finals.
Burnside West managed to chase Heathcote’s batting total of 230/8 into the last over with one wicket to spare, thanks in large part to Carl Huyser’s 53 off 50 balls and bowler Alex Tait’s late cameo (45 runs not out).
At Sydenham Park, a tidy bowling effort from OBC held Sydenham to just 168/9, but with several players struggling to get going in OBC’s battings, the game was poised for a thrilling close.
OBC’s Australian import Dylan Hunter was the savior, finishing on 86 runs from 63 balls, before William Graham and William Lintott managed to steer the side to a one wicket victory with 66 balls remaining.
OBC captain Jack Lewis said Hunter, who has been with the team since January, will be key for the finals.
“He’s a great batsman, it was great. He really raised the expectations of the guys,” said Lewis.
If OBC win on Sunday, it will be the club’s second title of the season, having won the T20 final against Sydenham in December.
Lewis said it would be “pretty special” for the team to win the club’s first one-day final since the 2016/17 season.
“It’s not often you win two titles in a season,” he said.
But it will be a challenging question for the team from Elmwood Park as they take on the defending one-day champions, who have also been undefeated in the format for the past two seasons.
Burnside West player-coach Carl Huyser said that while much of the team’s success is due to the depth of their players, both finalists will be challenged by the absence of key players due to Canterbury playing duties.
It will be an opportunity for young guns, Tim Seeto and Nick Gibb, to perform under pressure in their first season at the highest level.
Both players were part of the Christ College 1st XI, which won the Gillette Cup in December, but have been training with the club team since October.
“We contacted them a while ago and they have been training with the selection since December. We really supported them and they performed really well, which is quite rare to see,” said Huyser.
Club finals on Sunday from 10.30am:
premier league: Burnside West against Old Boys’ Collegians at Burnside Park
Championship: Merivale Papanui against OBC at Edgar McIntosh Park
Division One: Halswell v Riccarton at Halswell Domain
Division two: East Shirley v Riccarton at Burwood Park