Cricket: Whanganui games rained out

There wasn't a lot of cricket for new Wanganui representative coach Charlie Hartley to see on his first weekend in town on Saturday, although the 25-year-old professional has no doubt had his fair share of rain outs back home in England.

Play was suspended across the Bullocks Coastal Challenge second round as steady rain had set in from Masterton to Whanganui by the 12pm start time.

Up at Victoria Park, because of the earlier 11am start, the Watson's Tech vs Marist game managed to get in nine and a half overs before play was ultimately abandoned, with Tech sitting on 42-3.

Tech again opened with their young Canadians Akhil Kumar and Harkaran Mann, who were dismissed in the fourth and seventh over, with Kumar being caught when Michael Englebrecht found his accuracy, having given up an expensive 14 wides.

Nick Harding (1-12) was better off his five overs, getting Dominic Lock caught out after he had made another quick trip back from the University of Waikato, while Sam O'Leary bowled Kumar in his second over.

Akash Gill and Ross Kinnerley were batting and looking to recover the innings when the rain fell.

The only other match which got more game time was at Queen Elizabeth Park in Masterton, where Red Star managed to bat a full first innings, being bowled out by Levin Old Boys for 170 in the 43rd over.

Top scorer was opener Dion Knight with 40 from 105 balls as he lost partners with regularity, while Jeremy Osborne led a bit of a fightback by the lower order with 31.

Levin's Dion Sanson (3-19) got the prized wicket of Knight, while Alex O'Malley (3-30) cleaned up the middle order, but their team did not get the chance to chase the low target.

Coastal Challenge will continue this coming Saturday as Property Brokers United hosts Paraparaumu in a rematch of the grand final for the past two seasons, while Tech will be the first local team to venture to the Wairarapa Bush region as they face Red Star in Masterton.

Marist and Wanganui Collegiate 1st XI also head out of town to take on Levin Old Boys and Kapiti Old Boys respectively.

On Sunday, Hartley will select his first Wanganui XI to face Wellington A in a warmup game to the representative season.