CRICKET - What? Bledisloe the favourites?

As far as Bledisloe skipper Blake Richardson can remember, it has been a few years since his side went into a Whangarei Club Cricket match rated as hot favourites - but they must be odds-on to beat Onerahi in their match tomorrow.
Onerahi-Central have struggled so far this season while, at the same time, Bledisloe have developed some surprising depth.
"We've got more numbers in the club now and more good solid players as well who can bat and bowl," Richardson said. "We've got a very strong line-up this year with Peter Morgan arriving from England and we've got Andy Thompson back as well and Will Smart has turned into a pretty useful addition to the side as a left-arm spinner - they've all made a big difference."
The Bledisloe team also boast former Kerikeri High School students James Welch and David Maxwell, who are both travelling from Auckland each weekend to play.
Richardson said they were aiming for a top-four finish and believed it was a realistic achievement given the turnaround at the club.
The club thumped Kamo last weekend and the pressure is now on for them to repeat their performance against Onerahi at Kensington Park, if they want to entertain thoughts of a successful finish in the 50-over competition.
Meanwhile Maungakaramea travel to Kaipara Flats, with the winner likely to go to the top of the table with City, who are sitting out the weekend with the bye.
The third game tomorrow sees Kamo meet an in-form Whangarei Boys' High School side at the Kamo Rec, in another intriguing battle.