Full squad primed for battle

Wairarapa senior men's cricket selector Mark Brown has a nice problem leading into his team's vital Hawke Cup match with Wanganui at Queen Elizabeth Park Oval in Masterton on Saturday and Sunday.
Brown has a full squad to pick from and admits with everybody keen to play in a game where an outright win could well earn Wairarapa a cup challenge, competition for places in the starting line-up means some tough selectorial decisions could have to be made.
"There's going to be one or two players who are unlucky, but that's the sort of problem every selector wants," Brown said, adding he wouldn't finalise his side until after training tomorrow evening.
Brown will probably stick with the players who served him so well in the crushing innings and 123-run win secured over Horowhenua-Kapiti in mid-January, an effort highlighted by them dismissing H-K for just 66 in their second innings.
All 10 of those wickets were taken by pacemen Seth Rance and Dean Van Deventer and Brown is "almost 100 per cent certain" they will be on deck this coming weekend, with Rance likely to be free of any Central Stag commitments and Van Deventer returning from Canterbury.
Having both Rance and Van Deventer available is double good news for Wairarapa, as both are handy with the bat as well. Indeed their ability to score their runs at a rapid rate could be crucial. But Brown is also mindful of the dangers of Wairarapa thinking too far ahead and will be stressing the importance of doing the basics well rather than looking to force the pace right from the word go.
"Somewhere along the line we might have to take a few risks, but early on it'll be all about getting into a position from where we can have a real crack at finishing things off. And that won't happen unless we play sensible cricket."