Cricket
Wairarapa might be the rank underdogs in the last of their Hawke Cup qualifying round cricket matches against zone two front-runners Manawatu at Fitzherbert Park, Palmerston North, this weekend but they aren't about to accept defeat as a matter of course.
Their outright victory over Horowhenua-Kapiti a couple of weeks ago may have been their first in the Hawke Cup series but, according to selector-coach Sam Curtis, it has given the side a much needed boost of confidence, and they are ready to tackle Manawatu head on.
"Obviously nobody will be expecting us to win but if we play smart we can make it really hard for them," Curtis said, adding that with Manawatu almost certainly needing maximum points to guarantee themselves a Hawke Cup challenge the pressure was more on them than Wairarapa.
"If any team has to take a risk or two it is probably going to be them and that suits us perfectly, the more competitive we are the more it is going to play on their minds." Four changes have been made to the Wairarapa line-up which beat Horowhenua-Kapiti, three of them forced.