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Active Physio Wanganui could not hang on in the twilight hours and were left with a humiliating six-wicket loss to fellow minnows Wairarapa at the close of their Hawke Cup match on the artificial pitch at City College.
Having conceded a 122-run deficit to the visitors after their first-innings capitulation on Saturday, Wanganui were fighting to survive on Sunday, with veteran batsman Mark Fraser trying to carry the tail through to near stumps, sitting at 173-6 in the dinner break.
However, with Dominic Lock already carrying an ankle injury from fielding, Fraser was running out of partners and was the last wicket to fall when he was bowled by Seth Rance for 96 off 91 balls.
Wanganui simply had no answer to Rance's pace, as he picked up nine wickets in the match taken throughout Wanganui's order and getting danger-man Fraser twice.
New captain Bryce Grant had a match to forget with the bat, a 3 following up his first-innings score of 2.
After Robbie Power was caught behind for 23, the Wanganui tail could not hope to help Fraser dig in, losing the last three wickets for 14 runs to finish all out for 219.
Wanganui needed to bowl a very tight line to stop Wairarapa taking an outright win with around 22 overs left in the day, but succumbed within 12 balls of stumps being pulled. Wairarapa's century maker from the first innings, Henry Cameron, fell early to a snick off young Sam O'Leary, but Jamie Holmes worked his team towards the promised land with 40 from 54 balls.
Even after Holmes departed from a Brett Cameron catch off Dan Gordon, the in-form batsmen from the first innings Paul Lyttle and Alex Treseder were never going to falter and picked off the remaining 17 runs in around four overs.
Wanganui have now failed to surpass a 150 team total in three of their four innings during Hawke Cup this season and have little time to address their issues as they face Horowhenua Kapiti at Victoria Park this Saturday.
Player/coach Dominic Rayner is aware that Wairarapa and Horowhenua Kapiti are the teams they are likely to do the best against before the tough matches in the New Year with Manawatu and Hawke's Bay.
Despite their slump, he said the team has been training well on Wednesdays.
"It's taking it from training on to the field, unfortunately.
"We really need to get some points.
"Mark did the job on the second innings, but no one could stick with him.
"The foundation's just not happening at the moment."
A brittle batting line-up will not be looking much better this weekend with Grant unavailable due to work commitments, opener Brett Cameron off for a touch rugby tournament and Lock's ankle injury needing assessment.
As well as losing both wicketkeepers in Grant and Cameron, Wanganui will need a new captain and rather than take the reins himself again, Rayner said the role would fall to Fraser or Henry Collier.
Scoreboard
Wanganui 1st Innings 125
Wairarapa 1st Innings 247
Wanganui 2nd Innings
B Cameron ct B Foster b C Ball14M Carroll b S Rance7H Collier ct H Cameron b A Treseder35B Grant ct P Lyttle b C Ball3M Fraser b S Rance96D Gordon b S Rance4D Rayner ct J Holmes b S Rance20R Power ct P Lyttle b S Hook23N Blundell b S Hook3S O'Leary lbw b S Hook0D Lock not out0Extras: 14
--Total: 219 (50.4 overs).
Bowlers: S Rance 18.4 overs, 4 maidens, 61 runs, 4 wickets; S Hook 13-3-46-3; C Ball 9-2-50-2; J Holmes 6-0-33-0; A Treseder 1-0-6-1; B Foster 3-0-15-0.
Wairarapa 2nd Innings
H Cameron ct B Grant b S O'Leary18S Curtis ct B Grant b T Hemi1J Holmes ct B Cameron b D Gordon40J Jacques run out (B Cameron, Gordon)18P Lyttle not out7A Treseder not out9Extras: 5
--Total: 98-4 (20.3 overs).
Blundell 1-0-14-0; T Hemi 2-0-5-1; S O'Leary 6.3-1-22-1; H Collier 5-0-20-0; M Fraser 3-0-25-0; D Gordon 3-0-9-1.
Result: Wanganui lost to Wairarapa by six wickets.