Lansdowne openers take Rathkeale apart

Lansdowne openers Sam Curtis and Henry Cameron grabbed the limelight when the second round of matches in the Wairarapa Cricket Association's Bidwell Cup competition got under way on Saturday.
They pulverised the Rathkeale College attack in their match at Rathkeale Oval in a partnership worth 200 runs and paved the way for Lansdowne to reach a massive 324-3 off just 69 overs before declaring their first innings closed.
Cameron's second scoring shot was a six and his knock of 114 included six sixes and eight fours. Only 15 of his runs came in singles.
Curtis was unbeaten on 112 at the declaration. He was slightly more circumspect than Cameron in his approach although his innings still included 14 fours.
Also getting amongst the runs for Lansdowne were Robin James whose first three scoring shots were all fours and whose 44 included five fours and two sixes and Chris Jefferies who started off with a six and a four and went on to be unbeaten on 31.
Needless to say it was a tough day for the Rathkeale bowlers with all seven used being on the receiving end of some hefty punishment. Simon Clinton-Baker did, however, win full marks for perseverance, putting down 23 overs and taking 2-104.
Rathkeale College were struggling at 94-8 in their first innings at the end of play. Paul Lyttle hit two sixes and three fours in his 39 and Clinton Baker two boundaries in his 17.
Lansdowne gave six of their players a trundle at the bowling crease with wickets being shared amongst Robin James (2-19), Chris Jefferies (3-17) and Lee Ewington (3-9).
Short scoreboard: Lansdowne 324-3 (Curtis 112 not out, Cameron 114, Ewington 2,
James 44, Jefferies 31 not out; Watts 0-53, Broughton 0-26, Dodd 0-46, Aplin 0-13, Clinton-Baker 2-104, Bracewell 1-35, Lyttle 0-32), Rathkeale College 94-8 (Le Loir 14, Ross 10, Broughton 2, Lyttle 39, Dodd 1, Clinton-Baker 17, Bracewell 0, Lucas 0; James 2-19, Thomson 0-12, Jefferies 3-17, Curtis 0-6, Jackson 0-21, Ewington 3-9).
A new recruit to the Bracewell Academy XI in Englishman Will Stebbings was in fine batting touch in his team's match with Red Star.
Stebbings played some excellent shots in his knock of 80 which enabled the Academy to get through to 230-7 before declaring. Bowling for Stars Carwyn Caffell took 3-51 and Richard Wylie 3-43.
Red Star's first innings was something of a disaster with the side being all out for 98. And it would have been a lot worse but for a 40-run partnership between lower order players Jared Watt and Aaron Wilson.
It was Graeme Williams and Ben Hundemark who did the damage with the ball for the Academy X1, Williams taking 4-24 and Hundemark 2-22. No scoreboard was available from this match.
Greytown had Wairarapa College in strife at at the end of the first day's play in their Cup match.
The southerners batted first and made 196 thanks in the main to Josh Doherty, who made 80, and Greg McLeod who made 50. Bowling for the students Seth Rance took 4-26.
Wairarapa Collge collapsed in their first innings to be all out for 83 with the main wicket takers for Greytown being Hayden Spierling (3-13), Glen Jonas (2-9) and Greg McLeod (2-13).
Asked to follow on the college side did somewhat better in their second "dig" and were 52-0 when stumps were drawn, Rance being unbeaten on 44. No scoreboard was available from this match either.