However, that was not a problem in the Friday afternoon round, as Wanganui repeated their Furlong Cup success against Horowhenua Kapiti - registering a 30 run win.
The veteran Andrew Penn, at age 47, held fast with his team in trouble at 5-2 to score an excellent 78 not out in 54 balls, being joined by skipper Chris Sharrock, who slogged an unbeaten 52 from 33 deliveries.
"Gees, he played well in that game," said coach Warren Marr of Penn's effort.
"He wasn't that keen to play Twenty20 – it's a young man's game.
"But he got the runs at extra cover and through point, no running for threes."
Making a defendable 155-4, Wanganui got the crucial top order wickets of Horowhenua Kapiti's Jamie Pinfold and Andre Halbert, and although they made a hard chase of it, the Levin side were bowled out in the 19th over for 125.
Hadleigh O'Leary picked up four wickets, while the debuting Harpreet Binning got two.
"Manawatu was actually our best batting, but we just didn't bowl well," said Marr of Saturday morning's game.
This time, the top order got starts and then the innings was built around the other veteran in Mark Fraser, who scored 65 not out off 42 balls.
Having again raised a defendable total at 147-8, Wanganui's bowlers gave away extras early, and then Arana Noema-Barnett and Trent McGrath took them apart with a 138-run partnership - raising the winning runs at the start of the 17th over.
"We were never in the last game," said Marr about the Saturday afternoon match against Nelson, who had just lost to Horowhenua-Kapiti and been beaten twice on Friday.
Despite Fraser (30) and Penn's (25) best efforts, the rest of the Wanganui batting lineup folded to be dismissed for 94 in the 17th over.
Led by Chris Dittmer (51 not out), Nelson cruised to 97-3 in the 11th over, Wanganui's Levi Woolston getting two of the wickets.
Again, the deeper resources and stronger development in the larger regions was telling, as Wanganui did not bat well enough twice and disappointed with the ball twice as well.
"The guys we're playing against, the park's not big enough – there were lots of balls down the road and across the street," said Marr.
Although his accuracy wasn't always there, pace man Connor O'Leary did some good things with the ball, as did spinner Trey Bidois, who likewise opened.
Penn gathered the predominantly young team for an honesty session after Sunday's game was rained out – the former Black Cap explaining to them the sort of attitude needed to be competitive at a higher level.
However, while the local game is in "a world of hurt" at the moment, which Marr had admitted right at the start of the season, the coach likes the measures that have been put in place to try to rebuild the scene.
Under board chairman Mark Lithgow, the completion of the indoor training centre, the appointment of Pete Bowman as general manager, and then the efforts of Steve Meredith to turn Whanganui High School back into a thriving player nursery similar to Whanganui Collegiate, will hopefully bear fruit in coming seasons.
Chapple Cup Twenty 20, February 18-20
Friday
Round 1: Hawke's Bay 198-5 (W Clark 49no, C Leopard 42, A Schaw 37, D Thompson 27, K Weeks 23no) def Wanganui 64 (N Harding 14; K Gardiner 4-17, L Dudding 3-16) by 134 runs.
Round 2: Wanganui 155-4 (A Penn 78no, C Sharrock 52no; C Andrews 2-27) def Horowhenua-Kapiti 125 (D Browne 36, A Simpson 27, R Hickey 16; H O'Leary 4-25, H Binning 2-30) by 30 runs.
Saturday
Round 3: Wanganui 147-8 (M Fraser 65no, T Bidois 18, A Penn 14; T Kirk 4-17, C Jensen 2-21, A Noema-Barnett 2-36) lost to Manawatu 150-1 (T McGrath 68no, A Noema-Barnett 65no) by nine wickets.
Round 4: Wanganui 94 (M Fraser 30, A Penn 25; T Zohrab 3-5, R Restieaux 3-9, J Raxworthy 2-27) lost to Nelson 97-3 (C Dittmer 51no, N Clark 27no; L Woolston 2-39) by seven wickets.
Sunday
Round 5: Wanganui v Taranaki abandoned due to wet weather.
