Red Star take early lead

Defending champions Red Star have taken an early lead in the Wairarapa Cricket Association's Umpire's Cup senior inter-club cricket competition.
The racked up the maximum four points with a win over Wairarapa College in a rain-affected match last weekend.
Wairarapa College batted first and were finding the going tough until Paul Bracewell came to the wicket in the middle order and scored a well-made 53, including two sixes.
His effort got the side through to a respectable 163 against a steady Red Star attack spearheaded by Jarred Watt (3-33), Peter Sigvertsen (1-16) and Brad Edwards (1-19).
Red Star had reached 97 in 17 overs when rain intervened and by the time play was able to resume their target had been moved to 119 from 31 overs.
Thanks in the main to Daniel Stoneley (28) and Joe Hull (24) they took the honours with five wickets to spare.
Hull is captaining Red Star this season and he was quick to pay a tribute to the positive attitude adopted by the umpires in allowing the match to continue after the rain break.
"We had excellent co-operation from the umpires, to get the game finished was an absolute credit to them," Hull said.
Red Star will be unable to build on their early advantage tomorrow as they have the bye with the draw having Rathkeale College up against Wairarapa College and Flight Centre Lansdowne playing Greytown, both matches being played at Rathkeale.
The battle of the two colleges should be an evenly-contested affair with the all-round efforts of Dion van Deventer for Rathkeale and Paul Bracewell for Wairarapa College likely to have a big say in the end result.
Both are capable of scoring heavily with the bat and also making a similar impact with the bat, van Deventer with his medium pacers and Bracewell with his off spinners.
Expect too to see the highly promising Daniel Ingham prominent in both roles for Wairarapa College and for batsman Jamie Holmes and medium pace bowler Cole Eru to share the limelight for Rathkeale.
A new look Lansdowne side will be making their debut for the 2008-09 season when they come up against a Greytown side whose match against Rathkeale College last weekend was curtailed by rain and ended in a draw.
Lansdowne have picked up three of the better-performed members of last season's Wairarapa College side in Central Districts A rep Sam Curtis, wicketkeeper Alex Treseder and James Adamson and they can also call on all-rounders Robin James and Brock Price and strike bowlers Choi Jackson and Dane Buchanan.
It's an impressive line-up but it will probably need to be to cope with a Greytown side which in Seth Rance, Shane Mellor and Brian James has a very useful trio of bowlers and in Mark Childs, Willie Tatham, and Paul Lyttle three batsmen with proven records at both club and representative level.