Wairarapa into Chapple Cup final

Post Office Hotel Wairarapa broke new ground in making the Chapple Cup final at the Central Districts one-day tournament in Palmerston North over the weekend.

In the three decades of the knockout competition, Wairarapa have won the second-tier Cave Cup several times but had never before made it to the big dance.

Wairarapa overcame a tricky first-round draw on Friday, beating Nelson by 24 runs. They were then drawn Whanganui, who proved no match in a 152-run thrashing.

A maiden century for Wairarapa for Jake Jonas was the highlight of Wairarapa’s win over Nelson. The talented first drop had been knocking on the door of three figures for the last couple of seasons and was all class in saluting his teammates for his first ton.

When he was eventually dismissed with Wairarapa at 245–8, Jonas had scored 109 runs at a brisk strike rate of 87.20 and hit five fours and six sixes. He was involved in a number of useful partnerships, the best a 77-run eighth wicket stand with George Deans [24], who was one of only four batters to better 20 runs.

Jonas couldn’t stay out of the action in Nelson’s turn at bat, effecting the run out of veteran Central Stag Greg Hay for 63 just when he was threatening to take the game away from Wairarapa.

Hay’s dismissal sparked a collapse which saw Nelson lose their last seven wickets for just 66 runs. Left-arm spinner Quinn Childs, with 3–45 and former Black Cap Seth Rance, with 2–32, were the best of the Wairarapa bowlers.

Loan player Taylor Bettelheim produced his best effort for Wairarapa in the demolition of Whanganui in Saturday’s semifinal. The Central Districts A player posted his first half-century for the district with 54 from 60 balls and featuring 10 fours, the top score of the innings. Samuel Payne [44] and Jonas [31] also chipped in with useful contributions in the total of 247.

On the surface, that may not have looked like a challenging total, but the opening seam attack of Rance and Ethan Childs soon made it a daunting task, ripping through the batting lineup to leave Whanganui’s chase in tatters at 47–7.

Rance finished with 4–35, while Ethan Childs’s 3–14 off six overs included the prized wicket of Central Stag Ben Smith for one,

Whanganui produced a mini fightback but were always struggling and were eventually dismissed for 95. Jonas was again to the fore in yesterday’s final against tournament favourites Hawke’s Bay, with 69 [94 balls, nine fours and one six], but it was the veteran Rance who showed his value as a quick-scoring lower-order batter, hitting 54 not out from just 23 balls and featuring three fours and three sixes. Rance and Deans [23no] accelerated the scoring rate over the last 10 overs to set a useful total of 282–6. There were other useful contributions from the team’s two youngest players, Mark Steventon [36] and Payne [34].

The 282 was not enough, though, against the powerful Hawke’s Bay batters, led by opener Logan Ryniker-Doull who smashed 137 from 71 balls [14 fours, 10 sixes], chasing down the target in the 31st over for the loss of four wickets.

There will be a full report on yesterday’s final in tomorrow’s Times-Age.

BRIEF SCORES

Friday: Wairarapa 262 [Jake Jonas 109, Jaco Vorster 25; Matthew O’Sullivan 3–24, Jonty Raxworthy 3–41, Ollie Jones-Allen 3–57] beat Nelson 228 [Greg Hay 63, Carl Quinn 39, Thomas Zohrab 36; Quinn Childs 3–45, Seth Rance 2–32] by 34 runs.

Saturday: Wairarapa 247 [Taylor Bettelheim 54, Samuel Payne 44, Jake Jonas 31; James Woodford 4–40] beat Whanganui 95–9 [Seth Rance 4–35, Ethan Childs 3–14] by 152 runs

Sunday: Wairarapa 282-6 [Jake Jonas 69, Seth Rance 54no, Mark Steveton 36, Samuel Payne 34] lost to Hawke’s Bay 284-4 [Logan Ryniker-Doull 137, Jack Boyle 68] by six wickets