CRICKET
The Southey Sayer Wairarapa Korus can finish the Mike Shrimpton Trophy on a high with victory over champions Manawatu tomorrow.
The fifth-placed Korus will field one of their stronger teams of the season for the 40-over match at Queen Elizabeth Park, and coach Simon Roseingrave said the women are determined to show they are better than their four-win two-loss record.
“We’ve used 25 players, and it’s been a bit of a mixed bag dictated by player availability, but I believe we should be able to finish on a high with the team we’re putting out on the park,” Roseingrave said.
“They know each other, they’ve all had good cricket this season, and we’ve had more to select from, so we know the performance should be there, and the last couple of weeks, we’ve had some very solid trainings, so I think going out on a high is where we really need to finish; otherwise it will be a disappointing season in terms of results.”
The Korus will still be short of their best XI, with all-rounder Ocean Bartlett away on Central Hinds duty and Ella Southey and Elizabeth Cohr having returned to university.
However, the inclusion of Melissa Hansen, who is unavailable for the Hinds because of personal commitments, and New Zealand under-19 international Emma McLeod, who recently returned from the U19 World Cup in South Africa, is a big plus.
Hansen and McLeod, along with wicketkeeper-batter Gemma Sims, bring much-needed strength to the middle order, an area where the team has lacked consistency this season. Vanessa Taylor and Olivia Clark will open the batting.
Talented allrounder Macy Lyford also returns from injury, and CD under-17 rep Jess Monk is back after being away for last month’s triple header.
“We’ve got a good strong side, and we’ve had to leave out some reasonable players; if we don’t perform, there will be something wrong.
Although Manawatu will be without Hinds Hannah Rowe, Jess Watkin, Georgia Atkinson, and Mikaela Greig, Rosiengrave said the two-time champions have good depth, evidenced by their effort against Hawke’s Bay when a weakened side chased down 211 after being 4-4.
Tomorrow’s match starts 11am at Queen Elizabeth Park Oval.
Wairarapa Korus team: Olivia Roseingrave [captain], Sinead Barrell, Chichi Beck, Sally Booth, Olivia Clark, Melissa Hansen, Macy Lyford, Emma McLeod, Jess Monk, Courtney Olson, Gemma Sims, and Vanessa Taylor.
