CAW chairman Michael Erdeljac said the appointment of a match referee was in recognition these were the showcase games for the season.

“It’s a first but these are our elite games, we want to do all we can to make sure they are as high a quality contest as possible,” he said.

“The third umpire is there in case of injury or illness and if there is any controversy.

"In our eyes three heads are always better than two and bring some certainty to any of the decision making and we have already seen that pay off with the District cricket grand final.

"The storms on Friday meant they lost a few overs but with the three umpires, they were able to come to a decision that got the game under way.”

Despite the rain delays it was Eskale who triumphed for the first time in 20 years and all inside two hours play on the second day.