Quinn Childs. PHOTOS/FILE
CRICKET
CHRIS COGDALE
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The naming of twins Quinn and Ethan Childs in the Central Districts’ A team was one shining light in Wairarapa’s disappointing Chapple Cup tournament.
Left-arm spinner Quinn and medium pacer Ethan are in the CD A side to play four T20s in Taupo yesterday and today.
The tournament also features the A teams from Northern Districts, Wellington, and Auckland.
Hard-hitting batsman Brock Price could probably consider himself unlucky to miss out on selection having scored 96 and 54 over the Chapple Cup.
Highmark Homes Wairarapa finished the three-day Chapple Cup tournament in Napier with four losses, including two in Sunday’s T20 competition.
Chasing Horowhenua-Kapiti’s total of 176 runs for nine wickets in the morning game, Wairarapa started positively with John McKenzie [44] and Jack Forrester [12] putting on 51 for the first wicket in 5.3 overs.
Steady batting had Wairarapa well placed after 16 overs and needing 34 runs to win with six wickets in hand.
The loss of captain Jaco Vorster for 58, off 39 balls including seven fours, slowed the scoring and momentum swung to Horowhenua-Kapiti.
The remaining Wairarapa batsmen failed to get on top of the consistent Horowhenua-Kapiti bowling.
Needing 16 off the final over, any faint hope of victory disappeared with the dismissal of Price for 19 and they eventually fell 10 runs short.
In the afternoon game, Wairarapa won the toss and sent Whanganui into bat, a decision that they would soon regret.
Whanganui feasted on wayward bowling to race to 100-3 after only eight overs. There was also some woeful fielding, which included four dropped catches, that allowed Whanganui batsmen to post an imposing score of 214-5.
Hugo Wakeling was the best of the Wairarapa bowlers with 2-28 off his four overs, including the final over which went for only 10 runs.
Forrester [22 off 13 balls] and McKenzie [29 off 14 balls] again got Wairarapa off to a flyer, putting on 47 runs in 3.4 overs.
Price, with a hard-hit 54 off 31 balls, including four fours and three sixes, kept them on track, but once he was bowled with the score at 136, the momentum died and Wairarapa were all out for 171 in the final over.
Despite the four losses, Wairarapa coach Neil Perry did find some positives.
“Barring the last game, we improved with every game. We were just lacking in focus for a full game and once a mistake was made it led to other mistakes.
“We’re a very young side and the players at times lacked game awareness and the mental ability to stay in the game. The players need to use the club games to develop that,” Perry said.
Wairarapa won’t need to wait long before they meet Whanganui again in a Furlong Cup match in Masterton on December 7-8.
CHAPPLE CUP T20
BRIEF SCORES
Horowhenua-Kapiti 176-9 [Jamie Pinfold 68, Matthew Good 44, Kelsey Fahey 31; Ethan Childs 3-24, Stefan Hook 3-24] beat Wairarapa 167 [John McKenzie 44, Jaco Vorster 58; Fraser Bartholomew 3-22] by nine runs.
Whanganui 214-5 [Akash Gill 51no, Greg Smith 41, Chris Stewart 38] beat Wairarapa 171 [Brock Price 54; Connor O’Leary 3-37] by 43 runs.
