Quinn Childs was Wairarapa Men’s leading wicket-taker in the 2018-19 season with 12 wickets. PHOTOS/FILE
CRICKET
ELI HILL
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Development and depth are the two key phrases Neil Perry uses to describe the Wairarapa Men’s cricket season.
Wairarapa finished fourth in the Chapple Cup and last in the Furlong Cup standings after their first innings loss against Whanganui over the weekend.
But Perry said he was happy with the efforts the team had produced.
“After going through last year unbeaten, we’re obviously disappointed with the way the results have ended up since Christmas, but I can’t fault our playing or our determination.
“We developed our playing, had clear communication and the team have been focused on becoming better cricketers.”
Perry paid tribute to captain Daniel Ingham, who was also the side’s second highest wicket-taker with 10 wickets throughout the season.
“Although he was hampered by injury that meant he couldn’t bowl as much as he would like, Daniel really led from the front.
“He also put up some good batting performances and scored his first 50 for the side in the game against Manawatu.”
Other strong players for Wairarapa included the Childs twins, Quinn and Ethan.
Quinn Childs led Wairarapa’s bowling with 12 wickets, with an average of 28 runs per wicket, and was selected for the Central Districts Under-19 squad.
Jared Watt rounded out the top three bowlers, taking 10 wickets over the season.
Jack Forrester led the side’s batting with 233 runs at an average of 33, and scored his first century for the province in Wairarapa’s eight-wicket win against Nelson in the Chapple Cup.
Second in runs scored was Jaco Vorster on 206 [51.5], while Liam Burling was third with 194 [48.5], even though his season was cut short when he injured his shoulder before Wairarapa’s match against Hawke’s Bay.
Perry said the side’s fourth place in the Chapple Cup was a highlight of the season.
“Top four is the highest position we’ve reached in recent years and our win against Nelson was a big one for us.
“It’s not often you beat one of those bigger sides.”
Depth had been a big area of focus for Wairarapa, with university, injuries and other commitments taking out several players particularly in the latter parts of the season.
“In the match against Hawke’s Bay we had four people out and then the one against Wanganui we had eight players missing, plus Daniel [Ingham] was injured halfway through.
“The fact that a small side like us is able to make those changes and still have a competitive side is quite a big thing and I doubt if even a few years ago we’d have been able to pull it off.”
It wasn’t only the squad that had grown but also the support network, with opening batsman Mark Childs retiring before the Hawke’s Bay match but remaining on the scene in an assistant role.
Perry said the next stage in the team’s development would be hitting centuries on a regular basis.
“We’ve got lots of people getting started with 30s and 40s, but if we can get players staying in longer and with more runs that’ll get us over that 300 mark.
“That development will come from club cricket. We need players to go out there and have the focus to hit 100.
“We have plenty of players who can do it, it’s just putting in that time.”
Batting and bowling
Furlong and Chapple Cups
Batting: Jack Forrester 233 runs with an average of 33.30, Jaco Vorster 206 at 51.50, Liam Burling 194 at 48.50.
Bowling: Quinn Childs 12 wickets at 28.00, Jared Watt 10 – 17.90, Daniel Ingham 10 – 18.00.
