Quinn Childs [bowling] making CD ‘A’ and Under-19s highlight for Wairarapa Cricket. PHOTO/FILE
Hard work paying off
CRICKET
CHRIS COGDALE
[email protected]
Wairarapa cricket is in good heart.
That’s the view of Wairarapa Cricket development and operations manager Simon Roseingrave.
He says several changes were made in the 2018-19 season.
“In terms of trying to change the way we approached our game, it was a success. The playing community backed our changes.”
The main ones occurred at club senior men’s level, where two teams entered the Coastal Challenge competition, and took on four teams each from Whanganui and Horowhenua-Kapiti.
United, a team based around the Lansdowne and Greytown clubs, and Red Star had mixed results. United had four wins in the round-robin and won a playoff to finish sixth. Red Star had just the one win and finished 10th.
Roseingrave said the competition had its challenges.
“It’s logistically difficult with a lot of travel, it adds a lot of expense, but the clubs and the players want to play it. They enjoyed playing against different teams” he said.
“Results-wise, it was an eye opener. Other districts had a wider base of players, especially in terms of experience at that level.”
Looking ahead to next season, “we will be slightly better positioned to request changes, having been in the competition for one year”, Roseingrave said.
“A more equitable draw, where one team is home and the other is away, would be one of the items we will discuss in any debrief. Our involvement has been well-received by Horowhenua-Kapiti and Whanganui, and they are keen for us to play.”
Roseingrave indicated there could be some changes.
“Red Star are keen to continue by themselves, Lansdowne are considering entering as an individual club, and Marist Old Boys have made overtures.”
The involvement in the Coastal Challenge led to different formats in the local competitions.
The traditional premier one-day competition for the Umpires Cup was played before Christmas by Open Grade teams, in 40-over games. Rathkeale easily won the trophy, beating Red Star Seconds in the final.
The Bidwill Cup was played as a round-robin after the completion of the Coastal Challenge, with Lansdowne winning Wairarapa Cricket’s premier trophy.
A social T20 competition was also played throughout the season.
Roseingrave thought the changes worked well.
“We wanted to be more effective getting numbers on the field and playing in a competitive environment, so in that respect it was a success.”
One concern was the failure of Greytown to field a premier team. The only senior teams fielded by New Zealand’s second oldest club were an Open Grade side in the Umpires Cup and later stepped out of their grade into the Bidwill Cup, plus a team in the Community T20 competition.
“They’ve had a consistently strong team with a core group of players, many of whom are now moving away from the game.
“Greytown is probably the strongest junior club in the region, with a lot of rep players. We will be working with them to make sure they’re strong at all levels.”
Roseingrave was rapt with the representative season.
The men qualified for the top four at the Chapple Cup and finished sixth in a very competitive Furlong Cup-Hawke Cup elimination series.
The women just missed on two trophies, finishing second behind Hawke’s Bay in the Mike Shrimpton Trophy 40-over series, and losing the final of the T20 competition to Taranaki.
“Top four in the Chapple Cup was a resounding success, and it puts us on the right side of the draw for next season,” Roseingrave said.
“Sixth in the Furlong Cup was not a fair reflection of how the team played, being competitive in most games. And the girls gave themselves the opportunity to win two trophies,” he said.
The naming of the Childs twins – Quinn and Ethan – in the Central Districts A team, and Quinn in the Under-19s, as well as the selection of Wairarapa Korus – Esther Lanser, Melissa Hansen, Georgia Atkinson, and Monique Rees in the national championship-winning Central Hinds were other highlights.
At junior level, “numbers are still strong and we’ve had great success, with Wairarapa College making the 2018 girls finals, and St Matthew’s qualifying in 2019, and Masterton Intermediate have made the CD primary schools finals two years in a row. Those results are testament to a lot of hard work.”
The Wairarapa Cricket season wrapped up last night with the awards evening at Carterton Events Centre.
