Port Moresby welcomes Papua New Guinea's playoffs
Tony Munro - 6 March 1999

It's finals time in Papua New Guinea, with the play-offs starting in several of the major centres, including Port Moresby. Port Moresby's five-team semi-final series starts this weekend with Hoods meeting Raukele in Saturday's elimination final, while United faces Kempa in Sunday's qualifying final.

Saturday's match is deja vu for both teams with Hoods having beaten Raukele by five wickets in the last round of the competition proper last weekend.

Hoods' national team opening bowler Tuku Raka and his club partner, Hobart Magalu, face a good contest against the strong Raukele batting line-up, with consistent first-drop, Eddie Tamaru, and the Leka brothers, Leka and Api, providing the resistance. The loser drops out of the finals while the winner progresses to play the loser of the United-Kempa match next weekend.

Minor premier, Mobil, lurks on the sideline waiting to face the winner of the United-Kempa encounter in next week's finals matches. The winner of that match will go straight to the Grand Final.

United enters the finals in a confident mood, shrugging off poor previous form to win its last three matches. United captain Rarua Dikana, Boge Kikona and all-rounder Tauna Vai are the players talented Kempa opening bowler Kulu Loi and left-arm swing bowler Tauka Gauda will be keen to remove cheaply.

The biggest event in PNG domestic cricket, the Benson and Hedges National Championships, will take place in Popondetta, on PNG's northern coast, at Easter.

Twelve leagues will compete in the event, for which Port Moresby are reportedly red-hot favourites.