Netherlands skipper Peter Borren will make his debut for the Wairarapa senior men's cricket team in their Cave Cup limited-overs match against Wanganui in Napier on Saturday - less than a day after he has been introduced to his fellow players.
Wairarapa selector Mark Brown welcomed news Borren would arrive in Napier on Friday and be available to play the next day after hearing that experienced spinner Steve Coleman had been ruled ineligible by New Zealand Cricket.
Coleman, an Englishman, is playing his club cricket for Johnsonville in the Wellington competition this year after previously being part of the Greytown club's premier side, but had still made himself available for Wairarapa's representative side. In fact, he played for them in their Chapple Cup elimination match against Hawke's Bay last Sunday.
Since then, however, NZC has advised the Wairarapa Cricket Association that Coleman no longer fits the eligibility criteria, essentially because he does not hold New Zealand residency and therefore can't be included under the "local player" rules. That would happen only if he was still playing his club cricket in the Wairarapa region.
Swapping Borren for Coleman is not ideal for Brown because the former bowls medium pace not spin but he will certainly add spice to a pace attack which already includes two strong contenders for Central Districts Stags selection in Greg Todd and Dean Van Deventer and promising youngster Daniel Haxton.
Without Coleman, the main options for spin now become Jamie Holmes and Matthew Stringfellow and while they are still relatively inexperienced in the art, Brown is optimistic they will do a good job.
"They can both be very useful when the wicket starts to turn ... if we back them up in the field, they won't let us down."
Brown was happy with the bowling and fielding effort in the Hawke's Bay match which was transferred to an artificial wicket at Central Hawke's Bay College after wind blew the covers off the allocated pitch at Onga Onga Domain and it was dampened by rain.
That decision was made in the interests of the match being played rather than declared a draw although Brown admits that the conditions at the college were less than ideal with long grass on the outfield and the pitch having moss growing on it.
Van Deventer and Todd opened the bowling for Wairarapa and both impressed, Van Deventer taking 2-31 from his eight overs and Todd 4-25 from seven as Hawke's Bay reached 175-8 in their 36 overs.
Stringfellow went for 16 runs in his seventh and final over but had maintained good flight and accuracy in his previous six which went at a cost of 31 runs. He also had the satisfaction of claiming the scalp of ex-Black Cap Matthew Sinclair for 59.
Wairarapa's batting effort, even allowing for the state of the pitch and their lack of match play, was disappointing. They were all out for 103, made in 28.1 overs. The only players to get into double figures were Van Deventer, who opened with Holmes and made 10, first drop Henry Cameron (16), No4 Greg Todd (27) and No7 Matthew Stringfellow (16).
"We found too many inventive ways to get out. We weren't patient enough," Brown said.
The acquisition of Borren, whose club side is still to be decided, should also be a boon for the Wairarapa batting as he is reputed to be a hard-hitting top order player well suited to the limited-overs game.
Wairarapa won the Cave Cup last season and if a successful defence is to be mounted, they will need to beat Wanganui on Saturday and either Marlborough or Horowhenua-Kapiti on Sunday.