A classic cricket confrontation

It could be the classic cricketing contest when Greytown and Lansdowne meet in the grand final of the Bidwell Cup Wairarapa senior men's inter-club cricket competition at the Park Oval tomorrow and Sunday.
Greytown, who have won the cup in three of the last four years, will certainly have more options in the bowling department than Lansdowne but that advantage could be balanced by the fact that Lansdowne have more depth in their batting.
With that in mind the condition of the Park Oval pitch promises to play a huge part in the end result - that and the toss.
If the wicket has a few tricks in it Greytown would obviously be better suited to bowling first but then so would Lansdowne so as to give their batsmen greater opportunity to show their skills as the pitch flattened out.
Providing they are at full strength ? always a question mark for all clubs on a week to week basis in Wairarapa club cricket ? Greytown have the luxury of a bevy of bowlers capable of getting amongst the wickets. Hayden Spierling, Shane Mellor, Josh Doherty, Ben Hodder, Glen Jonas and Kerry Fitzgerald are names which come readily to mind.
Spierling, in particular, promises to be a thorn in the side of Lansdowne.
He is clearly the most lethal bowler in the province on a wicket giving the "quickies" some assistance and if anyone can upstage the in-form Lansdowne top order of Henry Cameron and Sam Curtis it would be him.
On the other hand, however, Spierling and company will be acutely aware that if they are not on target Cameron and Curtis are capable of tearing them apart. Cameron tends to bluster bowlers into submission with powerful stroke making while Curtis is slightly more conversative in his approach although no less effective. All-rounder Robin James is another scalp Greytown will be keen to get post haste as he too can quickly turn a game with his belligerent style of batting as can Aaron Bidlake while Ngatai Walker can be equally damaging, if less prone to playing the big shots.
It will be James who will spearhead the Lansdowne attack. He was in superb form with the ball in their demolition of Red Star in the last of their Bidwell Cup preliminary round games, illustrating that while he might have lost a little of his pace he still retains the guile to get the best out of the prevailing conditions
For James and his Lansdowne bowling partners the key Greytown wickets will be those of top order players Mark Childs, Willie Tatham and Josh Doherty plus Shane Mellor, who can be such a nuisance lower in the order.
Who then to win? Frankly it looks too close to call although Greytown's habit of rising to the occasion in the matches which count should see them start favourites, if only just.