By Gary Caffell
Beau Hourigan and Quincey Stephens were unlikely heroes in Rathkeale College’s one wicket win over Wairarapa College in the Wairarapa Cricket Umpire’s Cup fixture played at Wairarapa College on Saturday.
It was tail-enders Hourigan and Stephens who got Rathkeale home when they came together with the score at 115-9 and Rathkeale still six runs from sealing the victory.
Six runs, of course, does not sound a lot but in a game where the bowlers always held sway, and only five batsmen made it into double figures, the odds probably favoured Wairarapa College when Hourigan and Stephens joined forces.
However, they were equal to the task, producing nine runs between them and ensuring that Rathkeale College finished with the bragging contests in what was a very tight contest.
Batting first, Wairarapa College were in dire straits at 14-3, 26-4 and 47-5 and considering their poor start were probably grateful to eventually get through to their 120.
Opener Oliver Bunny was a picture of patience, his 32 coming off 90 balls and including three fours.
Alistair Payne was the other to make double figures in this innings, his 18 coming off 57 balls.
Rathkeale used seven bowlers with four of them securing two wickets apiece.
Stephens took 2-25 from his 8.5 overs, Stephen Sprowson 2-19 off 7 overs, Hourigan 2-19 from five overs and Miller Paton-Masters 2-8 off 4 overs.
The Rathkeale run chase started soundly enough and at 62-4 they were clearly in the box seat but with the next five wickets falling at 70, 78, 97, 109 and 115 the pressure was suddenly on their last two batsmen to get them over the line which they duly did.
Opener Anthony Sprowson didn’t waste time in scoring 22 off 18 balls, including four fours, while Jack Forrester made 22 from 42 balls and Stephen Spowson 19 from 50 balls.
Gus Wakeling and Frank Dickson both got through their full allocation of 10 overs for Wairarapa College with Wakeling finishing with 3-44 and Dickson 3-18.
Short scoreboard:
WAIRARAPA COLLEGE 120 (H.Wakeling 1, Bunny 32, Wootton 4, J.Wakeling 0, G.Wakeling 9, Dixckson 7, Payne 18, Nelson 6, Coley 1, Steventon 6, Lewis 1 not out, extras 35; fall of wickets, 8, 14, 14, 26, 47, 91, 97, 105, 108, 120; E.Childs 3-2-4-1, Stephens 8.5-1-25-2, S.Sprowson 7-2-19-2, Hourigan 5-0-19-2, McIntyre 10-1-29-1, Q.Childs 5-1-11-0, M.Paton-Masters 4-1-8-2) lost to RATHKEALE COLLEGE 124-9 (A.Sprowson 22, E.Childs 0, Paton-Masters 6, Forrester 22, Q.Childs 7, McKensie 6, S.Sprowson 19, Osborne 6, Hourigan 7 not out, McIntyre 4, Stephens 6 not out, extras 19; fall of wickets, 17, 30, 39, 62, 70, 78, 97, 109, 115; J.Wakeling 10-3-24-1, G.Wakeling 10-0-44-3, Dickson 10-3-18-3, Bunny 2.4-0-16-0, H.Wakeling 6-0-16-2) by one wicket.
