Lansdowne all-rounder Robin James celebrated his selection as captain of the Wairarapa senior men's cricket team for 2006-07 with a superb knock of 118 not out in a pre-season match played at Rathkeale College on Sunday. James led a Wairarapa XI to an exciting three-wicket win over Wellington club side, University,with Wairarapa selector Dick Kendall labelling his innings as one of the best he has seen. "It was controlled aggression. The loose balls went to the boundary and the good balls were simply kept out," Kendall said. "He played every shot in the book, it was magic to watch." University batted first and reached a respectable 237-9 in their 50 overs, thanks in the main to the efforts of Donnelly (71), Woods (45) and Sadd (40). Wairarapa used 10 bowlers in all with the most successful of them being Peter Sigvertsen who took 2-19 from his seven overs and Robin James who finished with 2-23 from six overs. Other wicket takers were Seth Rance, Brian James, Brock Price and Simon Clinton-Baker. The prospects of Wairarapa overhauling the University total seemed remote when their score stood at 29-4 and 70-5 but with James in such subline form they got there with three wickets and five balls to spare, finishing on 239-7. James's first four scoring shots were all boundaries and all told he struck 13 fours and three sixes. He was involved in partnership of 44 runs with both Andy Dodd (28) and Seth Rance (24), 54 runs with Brock Price (20) and an unbeaten 68 runs with Simon Clinton-Baker (14 not out). This coming Saturday will see two Wairarapa teams involved in pre-season games against teams from another Wellington club, Taita. They too will be played at Rathkeale College with Kendall hopeful that one of the Wairarapa teams will consist entirely of college players and the other of club players. However, Kendall's determination to allow any players with aspirations of representing Wairarapa in 2006-07 the chance to have match time in these pre-season games means he will not be naming the teams on an official basis. "What we are saying is that if a player wants to have a run them come along to Rathkeale and you will get the chance," Kendall said.
