Wanganui veteran Dominic Rayner will retire this weekend against Horowhenua-Kapiti after a 20-season representative career.
Wanganui veteran Dominic Rayner will retire this weekend against Horowhenua-Kapiti after a 20-season representative career.
It is the end of an era as one of the last active Unreal Grass Wicket Wanganui players from the millenium will retire from representative cricket this weekend when the Furlong Cup campaign concludes against Horowhenua-Kapiti at Victoria Park.
Marton's former Central Districts, Manawatu, and Wanganui allrounder Dominic Rayner willcall time on his association-level career after 20 summers at the forefront.
To emphasise how the times have changed, Rayner's journey to the blue cap started in 2000 when the-then promising teenager got a call from Stu Gill during a Saturday club match, asking him to turn up at the next Wanganui team training, just so they could have a look at him.
"They rang the pavilion, on the landline," said the 36-year-old father of one yesterday.
"Nowadays, it's whoever can play. Back then, you had to get invited to training.
"I can't remember exactly [when I debuted], but there was an article about it. I think it was January, 2001."
When I was young: Rayner bowls for Wanganui against Nelson in 2003.
Rayner would have two stints with Wanganui, as for the 2008-9 and 2009-10 seasons he transferred down to Manawatu, playing 24 matches for the larger association, who have always had a bigger playing schedule to prepare their squads – like preseason games with Hamilton and Bay of Plenty.
His 2009-10 Manawatu side included promising teenagers like Adam Milne, Bevan Small and Dane Cleaver, and would go to to win the Furlong Cup for the right to successfully challenge for the ultimate minor association prize in New Zealand.
"I drank beer out of the Hawke Cup," Rayner recalled.
Rayner received his sole Central Districts professional contract in the 2006-7 season, playing one Stags match before injury prevented more, with appearances for Central Districts A in games in the both the previous and following summer.
But for the last decade, Rayner has committed to his local association, being both the captain and coach at various times in the Chapple and Furlong Cup campaigns.
"I reckon for Wanganui, it will be 80 to 90 [games].
"The main reason [to retire] is my body is starting to give up. Can't do what I used to do and it's frustrating.
"Fielding is hard work, lucky we got a 12th man."
An "average back" after prior injuries and a 37th birthday looming in August means Rayner did not see himself following other cricket dynamos who play on at a high level into their 40's.
He will continue with club cricket and will decide next season if he rejoins the Marton Saracens club, who no longer have a Premier 1 team, or if he stays with Wanganui Vet Services Marist, with whom he won the Coastal Challenge Cup last summer.
But the nostalgia ends there for now as Rayner's immediate focus is Horowhenua-Kapiti, given a victory over the visitors could secure Wanganui the always-creditable season finish of third on the Furlong Cup table.
"No reason why we can't," he said.
"Especially after the last game, the boys are full of confidence, even without Smithy."
Ben Smith scored an association record 240 not out in the first innings win over Taranaki, and is now captaining the Central Stags in the Ford Trophy against Auckland on Sunday.
His departure will see a slight rejigg in the top order, with both Rayner and fellow veteran Mark Fraser rejoining the side, as Rayner takes back the opening batsman role from teenager Kashish Nauhria.
"I enjoy that, be a good job for the team if I can do it well. We've always had trouble with openers in Wanganui," Rayner said.
"It's always a good derby with [Horowhenua-Kapiti], all the years I've played. We win one year, then they win the next.
"Everyone's got a plan for the batsmen, because they play them now [in Coastal Challenge], it's just whichever team can pull that plan off."
With a well-rounded squad of local players, Horowhenua-Kapiti had a strong start to the season, ripping through Wairarapa twice for an innings and 115-run win, before losing to Manawatu by 132 runs in a game that got away from them.
They rebounded with a close first innings win over Taranaki, in a match where the wet weather meant there was only two innings, before a heavy innings and 45 run loss to a motivated Hawkes Bay side looking to get back to the top of the Furlong table.
Play starts at 10.30am.
The Wanganui team is Dominic Rayner, Greg Smith, Sam Sheriff, Mark Fraser, Akash Gill, Dominic Lock (c), Hamish Harding, Matt Simes, Ross Kinnerley, Chris Sharrock, Vikum Sanjaya (player-coach), Fraser Kinnerley.
