Central Stag paceman Seth Rance will be wearing the wicketkeeping gloves for Greytown when they meet Red Star in Cricket Wairarapa's Bidwell Cup grand final at Queen Elizabeth Park oval in Masterton tomorrow and Sunday.
A shoulder injury suffered early in his opening bowling spell for Wairarapa in their HawkeCup challenge game with Hamilton in Hamilton a fortnight ago means Rance won't be able to bowl this weekend and with Greytown keeper Mark Childs out with a broken finger he will take up that role instead.
For Rance it will be the return to a position in which he repped for Wairarapa in his age-group days and he doesn't foresee any problems with it.
"I actually enjoy keeping so there shouldn't be too many worries, and not too many byes either I hope," he said.
While Rance's absence from their bowling line-up is a blow for Greytown they will still field a powerful attack, especially in the medium pace department where Daniel Haxton, Jake Smith, Ben Foster and Blake Lyford give them plenty of depth. And they are well served in the batting, too, with Tim Lucas, Paul Lyttle, Jackson Kibblewhite and the hard-hitting Rance likely to lead the way there.
Greytown will also take confidence from the fact they recorded a handy first innings win over Red Star just last weekend with Rance suggesting they should go in as favourites. "It's ours to lose, if we play well we should get there."
But Red Star captain Joe Hull thinks differently. He concedes his side may not have as many "name" players as Greytown but is quick to point out that all members of the squad have at least one 50 beside their names at senior level, and that the bowlers have performed consistently well all season.
"We don't mind if they [Greytown] talk themselves up, we know what we have to do to win and that's where our focus will be," Hull said.
Red Star will be concerned at missing Central Stags' allrounder Greg Todd from the first day's action because of a wedding, while an achilles strain may keep another talented allrounder in Jared Watt from the bowling crease.
Hull, Daniel Stoneley, Chris Wenden and Nicolai Karaitiana will bear the biggest responsibility in the batting and if Watt can't bowl then the onus will be on Peter Sigvertsen, Sean Jarvis, Aaron Wilson and Karaitiana to spearhead the bowling.
The Battle of the Colleges will also occur this weekend with Rathkeale College hosting Wairarapa College in their annual McBride-Peterson Cup fixture. Invariably it is a hard-fought affair and this year's clash should be no exception.
