Batsmen will come under the spotlight when matches in the Wairarapa Cricket Association's Bidwell Cup two-day competition are played tomorrow and Sunday.
The woeful batting display of Wairarapa in their Hawke Cup qualifying round match with Taranaki in New Plymouth last weekend has been well documented with the firstinnings score of 34 said to be one of the lowest - if not the lowest - ever scored by Wairarapa at that level. The fallout from that performance means any batsmen who show the ability this weekend to bat time while accumulating runs at a steady rate will have to be a chance to make the Wairarapa squad for their next Hawke Cup fixture against powerful Hawke's Bay in Napier on December 15-16.
Doing battle at Queen Elizabeth Park Oval are Red Star and Turkey Red Greytown. The latter had to default their Umpire's Cup match last week but if they are back to anything like full strength they are capable of giving Red Star a challenge.
Wairarapa College take on Newbolds Marist Old Boys at Wairarapa College and it will be interesting to see how Marist Old Boys perform in the longer version of the club game after failing to secure a win in the Umpire's Cup qualifying rounds. They will start the underdogs, but whether the students can bowl them out twice remains to be seen.
A1 Homes Kuranui Old Boys and Flight Centre Lansdowne will meet at Greytown. Kuranui Old Boys have made their presence felt in the Umpire's Cup and have the all-round capabilities to put up a strong showing against a Lansdowne side whose batting line-up will be strengthened by the return of top order players Henry Cameron and Alex Treseder.
