By Gary Caffell
Wairarapa’s junior cricketers have been making a huge impact on a higher stage.
Six of them were part an invitation team — an amalgam of Wairarapa and Wellington players — who won the Twenty20 section of the Wellington year nine zonal tournament, beating the Wellington Firebirds development side and the best of the Hutt Valley in the process.
The Wairarapa contingent in that side were Gus Borren, Zac Te Maro, Jacob Osborne, Joe Quinn, Jake Jonas and Craig Pankhurst with Borren making a remarkable 80 from just 30 balls in a 10-wicket win over Wellington Black and also steering his side to a victory over Hutt Valley where he made 15 off seven deliveries in what was a low scoring encounter.
In the 50-over section of the same tourney Osborne made a fine 48 off 50 balls against Hutt Valley and Jonas picked up five wickets across all games at an average of 3.80.
Osborne and Quinn captured four wickets apiece.
Wairarapa had three players — Ocean Bartlett, Kayarna Jones-Dennes and Elizabeth Cohr — in the Central Districts under-15s side coached by Wairarapa Korus skipper Esther Lanser.
They finished second at their national tournament, losing to Auckland in the final.
Bartlett took 3-17 in the 10-wicket win over Otago on the first day and Jones-Dennes made 41 against Wellington on day two as CD scored what was then their third straight victory.
Another Wairarapa player in Olivia Clark was part of a New Zealand invitation team competing at the same tourney and was a standout performer for them, making 29 in their loss to Auckland and finishing the tourney with five wickets for 43 runs at an average of 8.60.
