Batting slips from wondrous to woeful

GOT HIM: Wanganui wicketkeeper Todd Inness leaps up to catch Manawatu batsman Ben Mably out during the third innings yesterday afternoon.PHOTO/STUART MUNRO 301114WCSMCRICKET1

IT WAS two opposite sides of the same coin for the Active Physio Wanganui cricket team after a very good competitive Day 1 of their Hawke Cup match with Manawatu was undone by a disastrous morning's session yesterday at Tasman Tanning Victoria Park.

On a Saturday where Wanganui were good enough to have the momentum swing their way on a number of occasions, the bowlers got among Manawatu's middle order and despite a strong fightback by the tail, bowled the visitors out for 218.

They were then in all kinds of trouble at 15-3 with captain and leading hope Henry Collier back in the shed for only 5, before Jono Steward (39) and Max Carroll (36) finally stood up and carried the team through to a very promising 82-3 at stumps, eyeing up the prospect of a first-innings lead.

Instead, they did not even reach the follow-on as five wickets were lost for only five runs inside the first 10 overs of yesterday's first session, ruining their prospects at 118 all out.

Manawatu opted not to enforce the follow-on and posted a quickfire 175-4 before declaring, and coming back out to once again lay waste to Wanganui openers John McIlraith and Dominic Lock.

Collier (15 not out) was joined by Carroll and tasked with trying to keep Wanganui alive until stumps for the draw.

"We were all at sea," said Wanganui co-coach Rod Bannister. "The only positive thing we take out as a batting unit was yesterday. They were set, playing well, and negotiated the first five overs this morning."

Manawatu coach Mike Mason said Ben Mably made a very good catch on Steward to break up the key pair off the bowling of Isaac Harris.

The 17-year-old fast/medium pacer then went on to take his first five-wicket bag for Manawatu, while age-group Central Districts paceman Navin Patel, who had rescued his team with a well-taken 40 the day before, bagged four wickets.

Lock and Collier nicked Harris deliveries to 'keeper Mitchell Renwick, Todd Inness played all around a straight one and was bowled, and Carroll got a close LBW shout against him.

Veteran Dominic Rayner's poor run with the bat continued with a duck, and while Sam O'Leary played a couple of signature aggressive shots in the tail, an innings that had been salvaged by the 70-run partnership the day before faded away, and with it team optimism.

Bannister said 1, 2 and 6 in the batting order remain problematic.

The day before, it was a different story as Ryan Slight got Manawatu opener Luke Murray early, then picked up Renwick from a good LBW shout.

O'Leary, who had made Bannister frown with a loose ball being spanked to the boundary by dangerman Brynn Cleaver (43), immediately replied by breaking his castle for 68-3.

Collier was bowling tight spin and with Manawatu sitting at 97-5 after drinks, showed he could be an aggressive captain with four slips, gully, and just one off-side fielder.

Slight was drawing the batsmen to hit the odd chance through the air, while Ross Kinnerley was getting it straight and had a couple of LBW shouts.

From 147-8 however, Manawatu showed some pluck as Tim Richards (30) and Patel collected eight boundaries between them to take their team up to a defendable total.

After McIlraith, Lock, and Collier's departure, former CD age-group player Steward and veteran Carroll also collected eight boundaries between them and in reaching their 30s undefeated, earned warm applause at the close of play from their team-mates as the prospect of two 50s and a first-innings lead seemed all on for the morning.

But it proved a mirage as the all too frequent batting blues reared their ugly head again with seven wickets lost for only 34 more runs added.