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It was a sad end to the junior representative cricket season with all three Watsons Wanganui teams being beaten in Masterton last weekend.
The under-11s had a hard eight-wicket loss to their Wairarapa opponents after they were sent in to bat and lost early wickets to be 18/3.
Matthew Hocquard (42) put on a good fourth-wicket stand with support from Noah Jones to make a recovery at 72/3, but when the partnership was broken Wanganui collapsed again to be all out for 91 in the 28th over.
Theo Tripe took a good catch off the bowling of Monty Sherriff to get the first Wairarapa wicket for seven runs, and then a well worked team run out saw the hosts at 34/2.
However, a strong third wicket partnership saw Wanganui's meagre total passed in the 14th over for their first loss of the summer.
Just a few more runs and the Wanganui under-12 team would have got home, but instead a great last-ditch bowling and fielding effort could not prevent a one-wicket loss.
Captain Shaun O'Leary elected to bat and Zane Munn (34) got the run rate off to another good start, but, unfortunately, wickets were falling at the other end and until Carter Hobbs made a quick 15.
Wanganui was in trouble being seven wickets down at the drinks break, but Daniel Burgess (24) and Andrew Dickson (17) knuckled down as they tried to bat through the remaining 20 overs, with the 46-run partnership helping get Wanganui to 132 all out in the last over.
There was an excellent opening spell by Andrew Dickson (6 overs, 1-11), Hobbs (5 overs, 1-9) and Adam Beard (3 overs, 1-23) to put the pressure on.
Then O'Leary (4 overs, 1-12) found his rhythm along with Henry Strang (3 overs, 1-15) as Wairarapa approached drinks five wickets down.
However, they edged closer to the target and soon needed only 23 runs off 12 overs.
Wanganui then kept clawing back as Burgess (2 overs, 2-5) got two scalps in six balls, while Caleb Jackson (2 overs, 1-4) also got a wicket and a run out occurred, leaving Wairarapa down to their last pair with six runs required.
Wanganui moved the field in but could not stop the runs, which were secured with two overs spare.
After the game the Wairarapa team mentioned that they had not seen a team field better than they had all season.
It was a similar story of close but not quite in the under-13s, where Wanganui were asked to bowl first on the old wicket at Wairarapa College.
All the bowlers were solid with none conceding more than four runs an over, as Zac Farmer and Joel Clarke finished with three and two wickets respectively with Wairarapa making 134/8 in their 40 overs.
Matthew Hodges and James Craig got the team closer to the target by both scoring 17 in the middle order, but ultimately the team was bowled out eight runs short for 126. As there were 13 overs left to bat, clearly none of the team tried to bat through the innings and use the overs to tire the home team in the field, as losing wickets meant Wairarapa players remained excited.