Rough start to the cricket season

Wairarapa has some improving to do

BY WALT DICKSON - WAIRARAPA NEWS

Wairarapa has plenty of work to do if they are to be competitive in representative cricket this season.

That was made patently clear after two limp batting efforts in the opening Hawke Cup match against Taranaki at Queen Elizabeth Park in Masterton.

Taranaki won the two-day game by six wickets.

Wairarapa will be desperate to atone when they play Horowhenua-Kapiti at Levin on Saturday.

It has been one of the best performing provinces in the eight team zone-two competition in recent seasons, and Horowhenua-Kapiti is the competition's cellar dweller.

"We would certainly be expecting to turn the tables as far as results go this weekend," coach Mark Brown says.

He concedes it was a disappointing start to the competition, made worse by the fact that they played themselves into a strong position late on day one only to let the visitors "off the hook".

Sent in, the home team struggled in the conditions crashing to 45 for five.

Henry Cameron battled for three hours to make 29.

An unbeaten 46 from 16 year old Matthew Stringfellow helped steer Wairarapa through to 164.

Stringfellow shared in a last wicket partnership of 27 with another debutant Jamie Holmes.

Taranaki made a solid start but eventually things went pear-shaped as they slumped to 90 for 7.

However, just when it seemed Wairarapa were about to salvage something out of nothing a rear-guard fight back from the visitors, which included a 53-run partnership for the ninth wicket, saw them get through to 206.

Daniel Ingham was the pick of the bowlers finishing with 6-47.

Wairarapa's second turn at bat was worse than the first, dismissed for 154. Brock Price top scored with 57.

Taranaki reached the target of 112 with six wickets and 15 overs to spare.

Stellar batsman Sam Curtis, who sat the match out because of a broken bone in his hand, is expected to be cleared to play against Horowhenua-Kapiti.

Brown is assuming CD all-rounder Seth Rance will also be available.

Meanwhile, Red Star has gone to the top of the table in the Wairarapa senior men's limited over competition after an emphatic victory over Greytown last weekend.

Having bundled Greytown out for just 99, Red Star cruised to victory by seven wickets in the Umpires Cup match.

Greytown is second on the table, one point behind Red Star. An innings of 106 by Lansdowne's Choi Jackson was the feature the other match as his side beat Wairarapa College by 157 runs.