Furlong Cup cricket: Whanganui eye third consecutive win as they face Manawatū

Whanganui's acting captain, Tom Dempster, scored 118 not out last weekend. Photo / Ryan Evans

Furlong Cup table leader Jurgens Demolition Whanganui aim to win a third straight match when they face Subway Manawatū this weekend.

The match is at Feilding’s Kowhai Park.

The home side are playing their inaugural fixture, while Whanganui picked up first-innings wins at home over Whitaker Civil Taranaki and HMC Horowhenua-Kāpiti.

“Obviously, it’s good for us, as well as being in the same position that we are, so we just have to go and back ourselves,” coach Warren Marr said.

“It is more difficult for us, we’re playing a good side obviously, and when you don’t have the quality of an Oscar Mabin in your side it makes a difference, and a Ben Smith makes a massive difference.

“But we’ve got a full squad now and that’s the beauty of it – if we were in this position three to four years ago, losing those guys, we probably wouldn’t get a team together.

“So pretty happy with how the squad’s developed, so we’re going to go out there and give Manawatū a crack and beat them.”

Whanganui’s Hawke’s Bay-based players, Smith and Mabin, are unavailable, the latter having been recalled into the Central Districts Stags squad to play Canterbury at McLean Park.

Also unavailable are Oliver Blyth, who has a school event, and Connor Rees, who is with the Central Districts Under 19s at the national tournament in Lincoln.

Middle-order batter Carter Hobbs returns to the side for the first time since hitting the winning runs against Taranaki in New Plymouth in November 2024.

Spinner Hadleigh O’Leary comes back, while Marr was yet to confirm the availability of regular captain Shaun O’Leary, who had the cast removed on his injured hand on Wednesday.

“He can bowl all right because it’s on his left hand,” Marr said.

“We just have to look after him okay if he plays.”

O’Leary will bat down the order if required, with Marr to discuss with him and acting skipper Tom Dempster, coming off 118 not out last weekend, who will open the innings alongside Nick Harding in the absence of Smith.

If they are put into bat, Whanganui will want a better start than they managed last December against Manawatū, who finished runners-up that Furlong Cup season.

After Whanganui lost six wickets in the first session, a strong fightback over most of the next two days was not enough to prevent a seven-wicket loss.

Play starts at 10.30am on Saturday and Sunday.

The Whanganui team: Tom Dempster, Mark Fraser, Nick Harding, Timothy O’Leary, Hadleigh O’Leary, Connor O’Leary, Aidan Muir, Tim Roebuck, Harry Burroughs, Nick Burroughs, Carter Hobbs. TBC: Shaun O’Leary.