Wanganui going without their crafty Badger

After a handful of club games, Ryan Slight returns to the Wanganui team to reinforce the pace bowling attack against Horowhenua-Kapiti.

Weddings. The bane of a Whanganui cricket team's existence.

Many times in the past few summers a key club or representative player has been pulled away on their loyal partner's arm to attend the nuptials of a family member or friend, and Saturday will be no different as Treadwell Gordon Wanganui's astute captain Simon Badger is excused from the third round Furlong Cup match with Horowhenua-Kapiti at Victoria Park.

Eager to secure an outright or first innings victory after giving both Taranaki and Manawatu a firm challenge, while watching the likes of Wairarapa Bush beat Manawatu on 1st innings last weekend despite previous hammerings, Wanganui will have to do without their most consistent allrounder and tactical on-field general.

While no doubt grumbling, coach Warren Marr has a deeper roster available than a fortnight ago in Palmerston North, and has looked to strengthen the batting unit with Marist's Chris Stewart and Property Brokers United's Matthew Boswell playing their way into the squad after scoring 117 not out and 94 respectively in club cricket last weekend.

And from the international player pool of two, Englishman Greg Smith comes back in for Canadian Akash Gill.

"If Ben Smith was available, as we were hoping he would be but got called into the Stags Twenty20, it might have been different, but probably not," said Marr.

"Badge leaves a hole. But we've got bowling depth with Ryan Slight."

Pace bowler Slight, returning from university for a handful of club games, had initially been unsure about playing representative level before the New Year, but Marr got in his ear quickly about making himself available as soon as possible.

"He's committed himself and every time he's played for Wanganui for as long as I've been involved, he's taken wickets up front."

John McIlraith also returns to the side, with Thomas Walshe being replaced.

The experienced Dominic Rayner takes the captaincy back for the first time in several seasons.

Simon Badger: Has a wedding on this weekend.

After an extra week's delay for the match, there as been considerable movement on the Furlong Cup table as the dominant Hawkes Bay picked up a comfortable first innings points win over their main contender Taranaki in Napier, while Wairarapa rebounded from a first innings loss to Horowhenua-Kapiti and an innings massacre by Taranaki to get an upset first innings points win over Manawatu in Masterton.

Manawatu did not quite get the desperate rear guard stand by their tailenders which they received against Wanganui – falling five runs short on first innings – and then the match went to an exciting final afternoon where both teams had a shot at an outright victory with Manawatu needing 34 more runs, Wairarapa two more wickets.

"Horowhenua-Kapiti and Wanganui are one game behind the other teams, so we'll be able to leapfrog a couple of them if we play well," said Marr.

But without Badger to hold his ground in the middle order and no Ben Smith to provide a fifty or 100 at the top, someone out of the four new batting selections is going to have to put their hand up to be team anchor.

Mark Fraser is the other obvious contender for the role, but that depends on whether you put more weight on his last Wanganui innings (103 not out) or his most recent innings (golden duck).

Wanganui has the advantage of recent history against their neighbours from Levin, securing a nine wicket win to round off last season's return to respectability in January.

"But it's a different team, but that's Wanganui for you, changes week to week," said Marr.

There are seven survivors from that match – Rayner, Boswell, McIlraith, Greg Smith, Ross Kinnerley, Nick Harding, and Connor O'Leary.

Play starts at 10.30am tomorrow on a Victoria Park that is dry with a quick outfield.

The Wanganui teams is
Dom Rayner (c), Matthew Boswell, Greg Smith, Mark Fraser, Chris Stewart, Matthew Simes, John McIlraith, Ross Kinnerley, Nick Harding, Trent Hemi, Connor O'Leary, Ryan Slight.