Wanganui's expedition to the mountain

After some good form in Premier 1 club cricket, Collegiate captain Angus Dinwiddie will get a baptism of fire against Taranaki at Pukekura Park today.

Active Physio Wanganui will try to play the ground, the clock and the rain clouds when their 2016-17 Hawke Cup elimination campaign puts down stumps against Taranaki at Pukekura Park today.

Wet weather could likely rob the two-day match of at least a few sessions if not an entire day, with Taranaki coach Debu Banik making it clear that when facing their minnow neighbours, his side will need to go all-attack to force an outright result and give themselves a good launching pad to play the other powerhouses in Manawatu and Hawkes Bay later.

The park, expected to be lively for pace bowlers, has not been kind to Wanganui in recent trips, but the visitors winning the toss and likely bowling first against a home team anxious to get into their work could assist their chances, said coach Warren Marr.

"That's good, the more positive they are, it creates more chances for us.

"If we bowl well, good line and lengths, that will hopefully play into our hands."

A couple of changes have been made from the Chapple Cup team and the side who lost to Taranaki in a one-day preseason match in Hawera.

Thomas Walshe makes way for Collegiate captain Angus Dinwiddie, as the aggressive teenager will be asked to make a massive step up, with Pukekura Park not the same as pinning club batsmen down on the school's No1 pitch.

"It's his debut and he deserves it purely on form. Probably the form player in club cricket at the moment," said Marr.

"But that's it for all the guys [in club form]. It's not about where we play but what [level] we're playing."

After some back and forth discussions, it was decided not to consider Central District's professional Ben Smith, who could have possibly played today alone, as Hawke Cup rules allow teams to have an extra bowler or batter to interchange.

However, banking on fielding on Day 1, Marr thought it left the team too vulnerable to miss Smith for Sunday, as looking to secure any kind of result is going to take all eleven players to find something, anything, with the bat.

"It didn't sit well with me, [discussing] Ben playing two days or just the Saturday.

"It's going to be a one-innings result with the weather."

Smith's absence spreads further light on Wanganui's elephant in the room - the ability for at least one player to crack on with a big score at this level of the game.

"The top order batters have got to get hundreds. Or at least a couple of 80's," said Marr.

"We need a couple of significant innings.

"You can't defend 150. It's going to take 280-320."

This will not be easy as the more senior Wanganui players will not only be worried about Taranaki's paceman Taylor Williams - who took three scalps in Hawera - but the other leading new ball contender in Ryan Watson.

The fast-medium Watson has had some of his best returns against Wanganui in the last three summers - including 6-for and 7-for bags - although those were at Victoria Park and not Pukekura.

But Marr will have to ask his players to forget their recent history with their nemesis, while the likes of key man Mark Fraser avoided some of those maulings due to injury and captain Simon Badger will approach Watson with a fresh pair of eyes.

"We're at the stage in our cricket, if we focus too much on our opposition [we'll fail].

"We just got to focus on the guy facing and saying 'it's just another bowler'."

Unlike Smith, Taranaki batsman Dean Robinson is not currently needed by the Central District selectors and will be looking to make a big score on his home track to change their minds.

While Williams and Watson have had success against Wanganui, it is the third paceman in Tom McDougall who has been in top form recently in Taranaki club cricket and therefore the most likely to be thrown the new ball.

Play is scheduled to start today and tomorrow at 10.30am, weather dependent.

The teams are:

Taranaki
Dean Robinson, Ryan Fleming, Liam Muggeridge, James McDougall, Sam Fastier, Kaylum Boshier, Jackson Braddock-Pajo, Mattie Thomas (c), Ryan Watson, Hayden McIntyre, Tom McDougall, Taylor Williams.

Wanganui
Simon Badger (c), Chris Sharrock (wk), Callum Coker, Dominic Lock, Greg Smith, Nick Harding, Ross Kinnerley, Angus Dinwiddie, Connor O'Leary, Akash Gill, John McIlraith, Mark Fraser.