CRICKET: Wanganui didn't score enough runs to place sufficient pressure on Taranaki in yesterday's Chapple Cup qualification cricket match at Victoria Park.
The loss of early wickets slowed a Wanganui advance on what looked to be a good batting wicket, with Taranaki chipping away and getting wickets at good intervals to slow the home side.
Thus, despite a fine 86 from Tom Lance and good help from Dominic Rayner and his 42, Wanganui could only finish with 223-8 from its 50 overs.
Taranaki made it with nine balls to spare without ever being under huge pressure at the end. And that was despite some fine bowling and good fielding early on when Rayner and Jimmy Birchall opened up well, and had some good support from Peter Simmons in keeping Taranaki to just 39-1 after 15 overs and 68-3 from 23 overs.
Then the wheels fell off for a period. It was for only five overs, but it was long enough for Taranaki to cut an escalating run rate don to just over five. Ten runs came from each of three consecutive overs, 11 from the 27th and six from the 28th to really give Taranaki a boost.
Mark Fraser and Rayner tried hard to get the initiative back, but an important moment of the match came with the score at 190, when Taranaki batsman Ryan Fleming was caught ? and then given not out because Wanganui had carelessly forgotten to have four men inside the circle.
That missed dismissal stopped Wanganui in its tracks, and Fleming and Jamie Watkins cruised to victory ? helped perhaps by a lack of fielding pressure in those final overs. Wanganui tended to have the circle sparsely populated for the quicker bowlers and singles were just too easy to come by.
Rayner was probably the best of the bowlers, with Fraser doing well at times. But Andrew Cording was expensive and maybe Peter Simmons was bowled a little too long.
Earlier Ben Campion and Byron Gill were both dismissed without scoring to give the Wanganui innings an unfortunate start. Mark parsons looked to have started well before getting out, and both Simmons and Fraser chopped on.
Lance batted with some care initially and then good skill to get through for his 86, while Rayner batted soundly for his 42 ? but has to start turning the good starts into big scores.
So there were some good moments, but not enough runs to really put Tarananki on the rack.
So Wanganui will again play in the B division of the Chapple Cup on December 18-19.
Wanganui come sup short against Taranaki
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