Childs steps up for absent Todd

Wairarapa will be without skipper Greg Todd when they play Wanganui in a Hawke Cup senior men's cricket elimination match at Wanganui over the weekend.

All-rounder Todd starred with bat and ball when Wairarapa successfully defended the Cave Cup at an inter-provincial limited-overs tourney this month but is now part of the Central Stags squad, a situation which will restrict his future appearances for the local side.

Taking over the reins from Todd this weekend will be the experienced Greytown batsman Mark Childs, who is no stranger to the leadership role.

He has just returned to the Wairarapa fold after being unavailable for several seasons and selector-coach Mark Brown says his tactical nous will be a valuable commodity against a Wanganui side expected to provide stern opposition.

"He's been there, done that, he knows what is expected of him," Brown said of Childs.

Other than the absence of Todd, Wairarapa seem certain to be at full strength for the Wanganui trip with the good news being the availability of Daniel Ingham, the Lansdowne all-rounder who has come back from Dunedin where he has been attending university.

Like Todd, he is a more-than-useful medium pace bowler and, while he has usually batted in the lower order for Wairarapa, he has scored heavily as a front liner at senior club level and in age group cricket.

Netherlands skipper Peter Borren will be making his third appearance for Wairarapa after impressing in all spheres of the game at the Cave Cup tourney and, in the continued absence of Seth Rance, will probably share the new ball with Dean van Deventer, who has returned from Canterbury and will continue his push for Central Stags selection.

Rance, for his part, is still in the process of recovering from injury and is progressing well enough for Brown to hope he will be back in action within the next month or so.

The draw for Wairarapa inter-club cricket this week is:

Senior, More FM Cup Twenty20: Rathkeale v Red Star at Rathkeale, tomorrow at 1.15pm; Wairarapa College v Greytown at Wairarapa College, tomorrow at 5.15pm.

Bidwell Cup (one innings format): Greytown v Wairarapa College at Greytown, Saturday at noon; Lansdowne v Red Star at Park Sports 1, Saturday at noon.

Open grade (Saturday, 1pm start): Rathkeale v Red Star at Rathkeale, Marist Old Boys v Lansdowne at Makoura College, Wairarapa College Colts v Kuranui at Park Sports 3, Wairarapa College 2 v Lansdowne at Wairarapa College, Chanel v Greytown 2 at Chanel.