Batsman revives Wairarapa

Youthful middle order batsman Matthew Stringfellow played a huge part in Wairarapa's crushing 164-run win over Horowhenua-Kapiti in their Chapple Cup one-day cricket fixture at Queen Elizabeth Park oval in Masterton on Sunday.
Stringfellow, from Wairarapa College, came to the wicket with three wickets down and with Wairarapa battling to post a competitive total on a dampish pitch providing variable bounce.
But after a nervous start he blossomed to play the full array of shots in a knock of 94, which included 13 fours and two sixes. It was unfortunate that such a valuable innings was ended just six runs short of a thoroughly deserved century when he was clean bowled.
Giving Stringfellow admirable support in a fourth-wicket stand of 132 runs was skipper Sam Curtis, who, by contrast, never looked entirely at ease but who was typically gutsy in his approach. Helping the cause, too, were Steve Coleman, whose 40 included three sixes, and wicketkeeper Robbie Speers, who was undefeated on 24 when the Wairarapa innings closed at a respectable 271-6.
If Horowhenua-Kapiti had any hopes of successfully chasing that target they were soon dashed as some splendid medium pace bowling by Mark Scully and Daniel Ingham put Wairarapa well and truly on the front foot. At one stage Horowhenua-Kapiti were 40-8 and while a couple of their lower order players managed to string a few boundaries together they were finally dismissed for a paltry 107. Remarkably, it took just 1hr 50mins for the 10 wickets to fall.
Scully showed the benefit of sustained accuracy by taking 3-9 from his five overs while Ingham was little less impressive in finishing with 3-18 from six overs. Spinner Coleman came on late in the piece and also maintained a good line and length in capturing 2-7 from four overs.
Wairarapa selector Mark Brown was understandably delighted with the all-round efforts of his side and was quick to pay special tribute to Stringfellow's contribution with the bat.
"The longer he went on the more he grew in confidence, it was a brilliant knock considering the conditions weren't exactly ideal for batting," Brown said. "It was just a pity he didn't quite get to the three figures, that would have been the icing on the cake".
For Brown the bowling successes of Scully and Ingham were simply the continuation of some good form in earlier games when luck had not always gone their way. "You could never fault their enthusiasm, they have kept running in hard even when things have tended to go against them," he said.
Whether Stringfellow and Ingham will be on deck for Wairarapa's Hawke Cup and Chapple Cup fixtures against Taranaki in New Plymouth in early January is doubtful as those matches will clash with the national under-18 tournament. They seem near certainties to be part of the Central Districts line-up there, along with another member of the Wairarapa squad, Jamie Holmes.