Chasers have students in sight

Cricket

With leaders Wairarapa College having the bye, the opportunity is there for the chasers to make up lost ground when matches in the Wairarapa Cricket Association's Umpires Cup limited-overs competition continue tomorrow.

Four teams, Flight Centre Lansdowne, Turkey Red Greytown, Rathkeale College and Red Star, are just four points shy of Wairarapa College on the leader board and maximum points tomorrow would see them join the students at the top of the ladder.

Lansdowne and Greytown will meet on a Queen Elizabeth Park Oval pitch in Masterton where the good batting surface for the Hawke Cup representative match played there last weekend was a tribute to the expertise of groundsman Andy May. After all, it was the very first game played at headquarters this season and a variable bounce could have been excused.

It will be interesting, however, to see whether there is more speed in the outfield tomorrow.

The grass appeared a little longer than normal for the cup match and many well-hit shots which pierced the field only produced two runs rather than the usual four.

With opening bat Tim Lucas and opening bowler Daniel Haxon both showing good form for Wairarapa, Greytown should be well led in both departments and they will start favourite over a Lansdowne side which will be expecting big things from wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Treseder and Henry Cameron.

Rathkeale College and Red Star should have an intriguing contest at Rathkeale Oval.

The students will welcome back rep players George Deans and Harry Clinton-Baker who will both add solidity to a batting line-up sure to be tested by a Red Star attack headed by their Wairarapa reps Jared Watt and Sean Jarvis.

We'll plump for Red Star but only just.

The two newcomers to senior competition play this season, A1 Homes Kuranui Old Boys and Marist Old Boys, will meet Park Sports 2 and with Marist Olds Boys still looking for their first win the odds would certainly favour a Kuranui Old Boys win here.

Having the in-form Sam Curtis back on deck will certainly help the Kuranui Old Boys cause.