CRICKET
Three Southey Sayer Wairarapa Korus will take the field for the Central Hinds today and tomorrow for the opening round of the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield.
New Zealand Under–19 international Emma McLeod, top order batter Georgia Atkinson, and all-rounder Ocean Bartlett have been named in the 12 to play the Canterbury Magicians in the two 50–over games.
The surprise omission, though, is the experienced medium pacer Melissa Hansen, who would likely have relished the early season conditions at Fitzherbert Park and showed her class with the bat in top scoring with 34 in the Korus’ loss to Hawke’s Bay last Sunday.
RUGBY
Rugby continues to grow in Wairarapa–Bush with increased registered players at all levels.
Figures released by New Zealand Rugby earlier this week showed 147,434 players for the 2023 season, an increase of seven per cent from 2022, with women’s and girls’ participation up 20 per cent to 29,448 participants.
Locally, junior player numbers grew by seven per cent, secondary school-aged students by three per cent and adult rugby players by 11 per cent.
Wai-Bush chief executive officer Tony Hargood confirmed there were 2277 registered players in the union, a 17 per cent increase from 2020 when covid disrupted the rugby season and a five per cent growth from 2022.
BOWLS
The Wairarapa Bowls Interclub Championships will be decided over two days of play at Featherston and Greytown today and tomorrow.
Four teams – two-time defending champions Martinborough, Masterton, Carrington, and Featherston – will take to the greens in the men’s championship to be played at Greytown today and Featherston tomorrow.
Defending champions Martinborough, Masterton and Carrington will play in the women’s top division, with play at Featherston today and Greytown tomorrow.
The teams comprise seven players with play in singles, pairs and fours.
Seven points are awarded for a win, plus a bonus point for winning by 11 shots or more. A draw is worth four points, while teams or singles players losing by one or two shots earn a bonus point.
CYCLING
Caleb Roberts powered away to top the podium in the ACM Wizwireless Carrington graded road race on Tuesday night.
Roberts cut out the four laps of the brutal Carrington – Haringi Road circuit, made even tougher because of a full-on westerly wind, in an impressive time of one hour 23 minutes 13 seconds, seven seconds clear of runner-up Gareth Price, and third-placed Nigel Page.
Terry Blackburn took out the B Grade [3 laps] from Belinda Fuller and Andy Curtis-Cody, while Stephen Price won the C Grade [2 laps] ahead of Steve Brown and Mike Wilkinson.
The next race on Tuesday is a 48km handicap road race on the Wainuioru – Te Wharau course.
