Buchanan could make debut for Wairarapa

Lansdowne medium pace bowler Dane Buchanan could make his debut for the Wairarapa senior men's cricket team in the Hawke Cup elimination and Chapple Cup matches to be played against Nelson at Queen Elizabeth Park Oval in Masterton from tomorrow to Sunday.
Buchanan is the only new name in the squad of 13 selected for these games from that chosen to meet Hawke's Bay last weekend. He replaces Lansdowne clubmate Brock Price and will add extra depth to an attack which will be spearheaded by in-form pacemen Seth Rance, Dean van Deventer and Robin James and spinner Paul
Bracewell.
Selection convenor Dermot Payton has been impressed by Buchanan's wholehearted displays at the bowling crease for Lansdowne, and also by his gutsiness as a lower order batsmen.
"He's one of those guys who gives 100 per cent in everything he does, he deserves his chance at the higher level," he said.
At the same time, however, Payton was at pains to emphasise that Price should not be seen as a scapegoat for Wairarapa losing to Hawke's Bay in both the two-dayer and limited-overs matches.
He said it was more a case of Price having fitness issues which made it difficult for him to bowl for any length of time.
On the batting front Payton is confident Wairarapa will display more consistency against Nelson than they did against Hawke's Bay when a second innings collapse allowed their opposition to pick up outright points after Wairarapa had taken a narrow first innings lead.
"I think everyone knows we let ourselves down there and there is a real determination for it not to happen again," Payton said.
That Wairarapa are not short of players capable of putting bat to ball with telling effect is evidenced by the fact that wicketkeeper Duncan Didsbury and spinner Bracewell could find themselves at numbers 10 and 11 against Nelson despite having registered some useful scores at club level.
Payton himself, however, is loathe to commit to having Didsbury and Bracewell so low in the order because their willingness to play each ball on its merits could see them used as "floaters" should some of the more aggressive stroke makers fail to fire.
"It's always helpful to have players who can come in and settle things down and both Duncan and Paul are capable of doing that," he said.
Nelson, for their part, were well beaten on the first innings by Manawatu in their Hawke Cup elimination match last weekend. Nelson batted first and made 278 to which Manawatu replied with a massive 399-8 before stumps were drawn on the second day.
THE FULL WAIRARAPA SQUAD FOR THE MATCHES AGAINST NELSON IS: Sam Curtis (captain), Seth Rance (vice captain), Brad Edwards, Alex Treseder, Simon Butler, Henry Cameron, Robbie Anderson, Robin James, Dean van Deventer, Daniel Ingham, Paul Bracewell, Duncan Didsbury, Dane Buchanan.