Wairarapa spent 98 overs in the field on the first day of their Hawke Cup senior men's cricket elimination match with Manawatu at Fitzherbert Park, Palmerston North over the weekend.
After winning the toss Wairarapa sent Manawatu into bat on a pitch which was only sown some six weeks ago and
could have been expected to have a few tricks in it as a consequence.
But it was pretty much a batsman's paradise and Manawatu recovered from being 48-3 and 121-5 to reach a thoroughly respectable 335-9 declared.
Highlight of the Manawatu innings was the 126 scored by Matthew Short while Wairarapa United football star Ian Sandbrook also looked in good touch in reaching 46.
The Wairarapa attack toiled well all day with paceman Seth Rance putting down 15 overs and finishing with 3-39.
Spinners Steve Coleman and Sam Curtis were kept busy, Coleman taking 2-100 from his 20 overs and Curtis 3-37 from 16.
Wairarapa faced just the one over at the end of the first day's play before play was called off through bad light and with rain falling overnight it seemed certain that yesterday's action would be delayed or abandoned, making a draw the most likely result.
