Gurdev Singh hits out on his way to 32. PHOTOS/JADE CVETKOV
CRICKET
CHRIS COGDALE
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The two Wairarapa teams’ lack of batting nous was cruelly exposed in heavy losses in their Coastal Challenge matches on Saturday.
United were well-beaten by six wickets by Whanganui United after managing only 130 on an excellent batting surface at Greytown. But that was nothing compared with Burger King Red Star’s humiliation of being bowled out by Paraparaumu.for 48.
Paraparaumu got off to a flyer at Kena Kena Park scoring 47 off their first six overs, only for Red Star to fight back and have the home side struggling at 104-6 off 20 overs. A patient 65 by number three Sam O’Brien aided by some good lower order resistance and some wayward bowling from the Red Star bowlers, who conceded 30 wides, had Paraparaumu through to 193.
Left arm spinner Ojas Patel and medium pacer Mark Steventon each claimed three wickets. Kuranui leg spinner Alex Mason also impressed in his first game at this level, bowling 10 economical overs for just 38 runs.
Chasing a reasonable but far from daunting total, the Red Star batters failed to learn from the previous weekend’s loss to Levin Old Boys.
Again too many of the batters were guilty of playing across the line, with four LBW and three bowled, as they crumbled to 48 all out and their second consecutive morale-crushing defeat.
Red Star’s poor effort means the team has scored only 127 runs in their last two matches for the loss of 20 wickets, something more akin to the lower social grades rather than the level below representative cricket.
Despite the heavy loss, Red Star are fourth-equal in the standings, and still in with a chance of making the semifinals, with two rounds to play.
United won the toss and batted first on the placid Greytown pitch, but their innings never really gained any traction with the loss of regular wickets.
Captain Jaco Vorster, with 36, and Gurdev Singh, with 32, were the only two batters to trouble the accurate Whanganui United bowling attack, but they lacked support at the other end.
Medium-slow bowler Brendon Walker, with 3-15 off 10 overs, and leg spinner Robbie Power, with 2-20, were the best of the visitor’s bowlers.
The total of 130 was never going to be enough on the batting ‘road’, and Whanganui United cruised to victory in 22 overs.
Former international Andrew Penn led the way with a chanceless 58 not out, while wicketkeeper Chris Sharrock smashed 45 from 33 balls.
United [Wairarapa] are the only team yet to win in the Coastal Challenge and they will probably need two wins from their final two games, which are both away, and for other results to go their way, to make the playoffs.
BRIEF SCORES
Paraparaumu 193 [Sam O’Brien 65; Ojas Patel 3-39, Mark Steventon 3-35] beat Burger King Red Star 48 [Kamal Patel 4-6, Dale McNamara 3-17] by 143 runs.
United [Wairarapa] 130 [Jaco Vorster 36, Gurdev Singh 32; Brendon Walker 3-15, Lovedeep Randhawa 3-36] lost to Whanganui United 131-4 [Andrew Penn 58no, Chris Sharrock 45] by six wickets
