The fixture was a showdown for first place and contributions from a number of players got the Pirates over the line at O’Connor Park.

The Royal Hotel side won the toss, batted first and made a shaky start, with openers Shawn Payne and Matt Rhodes falling for eight and 16 respectively.

All-rounder Joe McDonough got his side back on track with an impressive 20, before talisman Nick Pollack smashed a quick-fire 38.

But, apart from a solid 16 from Shaun Davis, nothing else went to plan for the Pirates and they limped to 8/132 off their 45 overs. Craig Irwin was the pick of the bowlers for the Snipers, snaring three wickets.

The Snipers would have fancied their chances on the synthetic wicket, but the Pirates bowling attack was too good, skittling the Soldiers Club for just 93 runs.

Joe McDonough continued his solid day out taking three wickets, with Andrew Holgate and Matt Lawrence chipping in with two wickets apiece.

Things could have been much worse for The Club, too, if it wasn’t for the 39 compiled by captain David Field.

The two sides will do it all again tomorrow at Victoria Park, when they take part in the competition’s major semi-final.

In the match in Bowning, Harden batted first and managed to scrape together 117 before it was bowled out in the 17th over.

The Buffaloes had little trouble reaching the total, with both Dave Brown (51) and Andrew Swaffield (57) retiring unbeaten. To top it off first-drop batsman Beau Walker came to the crease and smartly dispatched a six to take maximum points.

In the other match the Golf Club beat Boorowa at Victoria Park. The Golf Club batted first and Rob Field got his side off to a solid start posting 23, with Brad Roche also chipping in with 24. Horrid bowling from Boorowa gifted the Golf Club 36 extras, before they were bowled out for 139 in the 41st over.

In response Boorowa could only reach 98 before it was rolled in the 33rd over.

In the Sweeney Cup Dalton claimed the minor premiership with a comprehensive win over Gundaroo at Gundaroo.

Dalton batted first and Brent Poidevin continued his strong form scoring 78 after coming in as opener. He got strong support from Nicolas Arney who scored 71 and helped the total to 219 off 40 overs.

Gundaroo was lacklustre in response and despite a solid 20 by Clint Harvey, the hosts were bowled out for just 104.

The Soldiers Club Horns only needed to beat Murrumbateman to claim the minor premiership but the fifth-placed side proved too good in the end.

The Horns batted first in Murrumbateman and a strong start by Josh Payton (71) looked to be a solid foundation for a huge score. However, teammates at the other end continued to fall cheaply, with the exception of Joe Logue, who scored 29. They were eventually bowled out for 133 after 33 overs.

A boil over looked increasingly likely once Murrumbateman’s Wayne McIllhatton made his presence felt at the crease. He was unrelenting and smashed 53 not out for the home side.

Support from James Gray (34) and an excellent cameo by Mark Quinn (37 not out) meant Murrumbateman was home before the start of the 20th over.

In the match in Bookham, Harden batted first and managed 129 before it was all out before the 37th over got started. Top run-scorers were Kelvin Brown (32) and Tyler Allen (39). The Bulls never looked in trouble cruising to the total and losing just one wicket in the process. Elliot Southwell was the key batsman, smashing 61 not out.

In the other Sweeney Cup match Binalong proved far too good for the Golf Club in Harden. The Bushrangers registered 211 off their allotted overs and in response, the Taipans only scraped together 89 runs. 

Dylan Arabin was a standout performer for Binalong, scoring 63 and taking one wicket.

Finals matches

Triggs Shield

Major semi-final: Royal Hotel Pirates versus Yass Soldiers Club Snipers at Victoria Park from 12pm.

Minor semi-final: Yass Golf Club Piranhas versus Bowning Buffaloes at the turf pitch in Harden from 12pm.

Sweeney Cup

Major semi-final: Dalton Dingoes versus Yass Soldiers Club Horns at Dalton from 12.30pm.

Minor semi-final: Bookham Bulls versus Gundaroo Gunners in Bookham from 12.30pm.

The winners of the major semi-finals go through to the finals, the losers of the major semi-finals play the winners of the minor semi-finals next week and the losers of the minor semi-finals are out.