Bounce helps Bay maul hapless hosts

Wanganui's Sam O'Leary tries to bat the ball down on to the stumps but Hawkes Bay century-maker Scott Schaw held his ground at Centennial Park on Saturday. Photo/Rae Cliffe

Centennial Park in Marton looked familiar to HBCA Property Brokers Hawkes Bay when they stepped out for day one of their Hawke Cup clash with Active Physio Wanganui on Saturday a little too familiar.

Hosting their first senior representative game in 24 years, the Marton Saracens club and groundsman Dave Woolston had prepared a fine wicket but unfortunately for the hosts, the extra bounce closely resembled conditions found at Napier's McLean Park and the visiting batsmen tore into it with relish to set up a humiliating innings and 177-run victory that was wrapped up around 2pm yesterday afternoon.

The mauling closed an embarrassing Cup campaign for Wanganui, as three Hawkes Bay batsmen scored centuries for a 456-run total that was clocked in at better than a run a ball.

Only Wanganui captain Bryce Grant was able to make a resemblance of a decent score in both Wanganui innings as they folded before lunch on day 2 for 121, and while scoring at a reasonable pace lost wickets throughout the early afternoon to be sunk again for 158.

Playing without a specialist spinner themselves, Wanganui were undone by the turn Ajaz Patel got from the pitch as he picked up five wickets in the first innings amongst his haul of seven, while adding further insult to injury was former Wanganui Collegiate and youth representative bowler Charlie Robson picking up three scalps from his former compatriots.

Hawkes Bay spinner Angus Schaw followed Patel's lead by cleaning out Wanganui's middle order in the second innings for his five-wicket bag.

For coach Dominic Rayner there was not even scant consolation from any player's performance it has been the worst representative season that he has been involved in since 1999.

"We just didn't bowl good enough at the end of the day. They had spinners that turned we didn't.

"Maybe we're just not good enough."

Rayner said the quality of play had slipped so far on the local scene that there had to be changes or Wanganui teams would continue to be exposed.

"I don't know what the answer is, I'll let the board sort that out.

"A winter camp would be very beneficial but our basic skills at Wanganui club cricket in batting, bowling, just aren't good enough any more.

"It needs someone willing to do [senior development] and put that time into it, it should be Dilan [Raj]."

Development officer Raj said players could always come to him to do extra work in the off-season.

However, he felt the bigger issue was attitude towards preparation senior players were "well-versed" in what their abilities were, but they had to knuckle down and do the "hard yards" if they wanted to play at a level expected at Hawke Cup.

Wanganui actually made a decent start on Saturday morning as Paul O'Callaghan picked up Matt Edmondson with a sharp caught and bowled.

Having the visitors five wickets down at the lunch break would normally seem like a decent morning session, but not when 213 runs were on the board.

Century-maker Seb Langridge picked up where his father left off the last time Hawke Cup was played at Centennial Park, scoring 132 from 115 balls.

O'Callahgan and Sam O'Leary broke the key partnerships to give Wanganui a sniff, but Jarrod Smith, son of former wicketkeeping great and SKY commentator Ian, was beginning to get his eye in.

Smith and fellow century maker Scott Schaw scored all round the park, alternating from quick singles early in the innings to strike 27 boundaries and five sixes between them while putting together a 187-run partnership, as O'Leary, Mark Fraser and the Kinnerlys Fraser and Ross all took punishment.

Grant brought himself on and while hit around he did pick up both key wickets but by now Hawkes Bay were looking for big shots.

Wanganui had already lost their top order and were seven down early on Sunday afternoon, and the procession never stopped. Fraser fell to Patel twice for the dreaded pair, while Grant tried a rear guard action in the second innings but was Angus Schaw's fifth wicket when in sight of his first 50 for Wanganui.