Colleges could upset Cup odds

Can the college sides upset the odds in the Wairarapa Cricket Association's Umpires Cup semi-final matches tomorrow?
Wairarapa College and Rathkeale College will start the underdogs against Greytown and Red Star respectively but with limited-overs matches always likely to throw up a surprise result their chances of success can't be ignored.
On paper at least Wairarapa College have the more difficult assignment as Greytown's demolition of Red Star in the Bidwell Cup grand final last weekend has made them firm favourites for Umpires Cup honours as well.
In fact, you could argue with some justification that the one-day game should suit the southerners even more as they have a number of batsmen who like to get after the bowling right from the word go and an attack which is consistent enough in line and length to make runs hard to come by.
Statistics might suggest that star all-rounder Seth Rance was again the mainstay of the Greytown side last weekend with bat and ball but in reality it was a solid all-round performance which saw them home by a massive innings and 23 runs.
Openers Jacob Ross and Mark Childs did the business at the start of the innings with a partnership of 50-plus and there were impressive knocks too from Dean Southey and Paul Lyttle .
Southey showed his versatility by also having a couple of useful stints with the ball and Ewan Burt and Brian James did well in that department too, especially Burt who was rewarded for his sustained accuracy with a seven wicket haul over Stars's two turns at bat.
It's difficult to imagine Wairarapa College having the depth in batting or bowling to trouble Greytown and if they are to even get close it will probably take someone like all-rounder Joel Macklin to provide something special in both spheres.He is a very promising cricketer who should relish the chance to press claims for regular Wairarapa selection in the not-too-distant future.
Rathkeale College, by contrast, might be the outsiders against Red Star but it would be no great surprise if they toppled the side which actually qualified in top position for the semi-finals.
In Doug Bracewell, Andy Dodd and Dean van Deventer, Rathkeale have three youngsters of above-average all-round ability and if a couple of them happen to click tomorrow then Stars will be hard pressed to stay in touch.
The extent of their loss in the Bidwell Cup final will, of course, be excellent motivation for Red Star as they will be keen to show that result was no indication of their true capabilities.
Then, too many of their batsmen lost their wicket through injudicious strokes or impatience - or a mixture of both - and the fielding effort was very disappointing with at least six reasonable catching chances being put down.
If they can substantially improve their effort in both those areas tomorrow then the depth in their bowling resources could give them a winning edge.