The Wanganui team after another up and down representative season, with the down being in the first half of the year and the up being in the second half. Photos / Whanganui Chronicle
As well as the Cricket Wanganui junior representative teams having their end-of-season prize giving cancelled, the Unreal Grass Wicket Wanganui representative side did not have a final gathering, so the Whanganui Chronicle takes this time to look at their campaigns.
It has become a bit of an old chestnut – the scalps of Manawatu and twice Taranaki hanging on their mantle in the last three seasons shows the Wanganui senior cricket team is a tough prospect for any Furlong Cup opponent when January-February rolls around.
The problem has been in the two months beforehand, as again this summer Wanganui suffered three losses, at least only on first innings although the Hawke's Bay match needed intervention by the weather gods, before the players had enough cricket under their belts by happenstance at club and rep level to find their mojo.
Magnificent batting efforts – by individuals and then as a team – saw Wanganui defeat Taranaki and Horowhenua-Kapiti on first innings in consecutive Victoria Park fixtures, but on a very condensed cup points table it still left them at the bottom when the various bonus points were brought into play.
Wanganui manager Andrew Lock acknowledges the issue remains having the player numbers and training resources in place come September and October.
This year, only one 50-over club round was possible before Wanganui jumped in against Manawatu at Palmerston North's Fitzherbert Park - facing a home side that had played at least a couple of games together as a squad.
"It's a combination of being able to afford it or having someone to organise it and find the funding to actually do those pre-season games, which isn't easy," said Lock.
"Then, getting the buy-in from the players to actually stop [other things], because they're already doing winter sport at the same time."
In what became a depressing reoccurrence, Wanganui would have both Manawatu and then December opponent Wairarapa looking like they would concede first innings points, only to suffer middle and lower order collapses to miss out by just 25 and 38 runs respectively.
Wanganui's innings of 340 in reply to Manawatu's 365/5 was seen as a sterling reply, but the collapse of 143 chasing Wairarapa's gettable 181 was difficult to swallow, especially as both sides knew the prospect of play on day 2 was unlikely at Masterton's Queen Elizabeth Park, due to bad weather.
That prediction proved very painful when Wanganui bowled the visitor's out for 98 on the Sunday amongst the cloud bursts, before the weather set in for the final time later in the afternoon right after the fourth innings run chase began.
"That Wairarapa game, we were chasing 137 in the second innings, and it rained, and we had 10 wickets in hand," said Lock.
"If it hadn't of rained, it could of happened, I know. We should have won that game outright, and we'd have finished [the season] in the Top 3."
Those disappointing results bookended the Victoria Park match against the one Furlong Cup team which Wanganui can never get in the right frame of mind to face – powerhouses Hawke's Bay.
While games with fellow minnows Wairarapa and Horowhenua-Kapiti are always a toss up, and both Manawatu and Taranaki have been beatable in recent times, Wanganui's mentality against the squad from wine country has always been to just survive, never thrive, even when Hawke's Bay have lost to the other aforementioned teams in the same season.
"It's difficult to start off with where, look, they may lose some players, but look at their depth – they can just keep bringing them in and that it makes it pretty difficult," said Lock.
"But, they can [lose to] one team, and we can beat another, so therefore, what is it? On the day, mentally?"
This time, the accused Sunday rain was a blessing, as Wanganui came off on 47/5 in their second innings after being made to follow-on when 188 was not nearly enough in reply to Hawke's Bay's 365/6.
But the clouds, real and mental, gave way to bright sun in January as Wanganui put a hammering on Taranaki - scoring 399/3 on the back of a record-smashing 240 not out by their Central Stags representative Ben Smith, in a partnership which was another record breaker of 338 with Akash Gill (100no).
The shattered visitors then had to follow-on after being bowled out for 164, seeing off the last of Sunday's play at 33/0.
The final game with Horowhenua-Kapiti was a real thriller, in a fitting conclusion to the 20-year representative career of 36-year-old former captain and coach Dominic Rayner.
"They are always difficult, HK, they proved during the season, they beat some good teams," said Lock.
In stifling hot conditions, momentum swung throughout the two days; Horowhenua Kapiti fighting their way to 331, before Wanganui avoided their previous pitfall of not being able to finish an innings off to reach 333/8 and bring about the end of play.
As well as the two-day cricket, Wanganui played the annual Chapple Cup at Napier's Nelson Park in November, where both a 50-over and Twenty20 win over Wairarapa bookended losses to Manawatu and Taranaki.
After the upheaval of 2018-19 when volatile English professional coach Charlie Hartley departed mid-season, again before the successes of January, internal squad dealings were more harmonious this summer with affable former Sri Lankan international player Vikum Sanjaya taking the player-coach role, alongside now-permanent captain Dominic Lock.
Although the language barrier added a challenge, Sanjaya would certainly be welcome back next season, although frustrations and uncertainty with travelling in this Covid-19 affected world may curtail that.
"He's currently sitting in Auckland, he never made it home [before lockdown]," said Andrew Lock.
"But he's also very keen to get out of that environment and get into a country where he can actually feel safe and play, which is obviously this country.
"He's got friends here as well, so if he does come back, got a funny feeling he may want to go back to one of the main centres, where his mates are.
"He's always smiling, and he always comes off positive, so you can't complain with that."
Looking at the season achievers, allrounder Gill stood out with two centuries at an average of 61.14, along with eight wickets at 40.
The swing bowling of Ross Kinnerley remains a vital component to the side – his 17 wickets in five Furlong games saw him finish second in that competition's MVP standings to Wairarapa's Ethan Childs.
Greg Smith found form with the bat, joining Gill in scoring two Furlong centuries, with his 107 being decisive in the win over Horowhenua-Kapiti.
Smith, who received the honour of captaining an injury-decimated Central Stags in a handful of games this summer, will of course have that 240 on the record books for many years, although Wanganui could take heart that they won without him against Horowhenua-Kapiti and should have done the same with Manawatu.
Connor O'Leary took 11 wickets in the first half of the season, but declared himself unavailable for the second for personal reasons, which was when Sanjaya found more form with the ball to finish on 13 scalps.
"We managed to pull through, so we don't rely on certain players all the time, which I suppose is pretty good," said Lock.
Of the youngsters, Sam Sheriff showed his potential in the top order in patches, while Akhil Kumar will certainly be missed when he transfers to Manawatu next season, after a summer that saw him go from Victoria Park club cricket to the bright lights in South Africa, making the ICC Under 19 World Cup tournament team while representing his native Canada.
Season Statistics
Most runs:
Akash Gill 428
Greg Smith 405
Ben Smith 267
Most Wickets:
Ross Kinnerley 18
Vikum Sanjaya 13
Connor O'Leary 11