Greytown battle the odds in grand final

Greytown will be battling the odds when they meet Flight Centre Lansdowne in the final of the Wairarapa Cricket Association's Bidwell Cup competition at Queen Elizabeth Park Oval, Masterton tomorrow and Sunday.
The southerners had just the two players selected for the Wairarapa seniors this season, Seth Rance and Duncan Didsbury, and neither of them are available this weekend.
Gun all-rounder Rance is missing because of his call up to the Central Stags for their State championship four-day fixture with Wellington which was scheduled to get under way in Napier today and wicketkeeper-captain Didsbury will be doing the best man duties at a wedding.
The loss of Rance is, of course, a huge blow because it could be argued that he is not only the number one pace bowler in the Wairarapa region but also the best batsmen as well.
Potentially he is an absolute match winner in both spheres and players of his ilk simply can't be adequately replaced at club level.
Didsbury mightn't have the profile of Rance but he is a very competent performer behind the stumps, a consistent middle to lower order batsman and an astute tactician.
His absence is also a big loss for Greytown although they are fortunate to have an experienced campaigner in Mark Childs to take over the captaincy reins and another old hand in Wal Tatham to wear the wicketkeeping gloves.
Didsbury himself is still confident, however, that Greytown have the firepower in both the batting and bowling departments to give a Lansdowne side stacked with as many as seven Wairarapa representatives a good run for their money.
"Experience can come in really handy in a game like this and we have plenty of that," he said. "They (Lansdowne) are obviously a very good side but they are not unbeatable, no way."
Didsbury is not fazed either by Greytown's remarkable lack of cricket with bad weather, defaults and byes conspiring to have them complete just the one match since January 1.
"We've trained well and everybody is rearing to go, it's probably got us keener if anything," he said.
Didsbury is aware, however, of the importance of Greytown hitting their straps right from the word go for two reasons, the unpredictability of the weather and the fact that if an outright win is not achieved the title will go to the side who scores the most first innings runs.
"It's always hard to get an outright in two days so even if the weather is OK it will very probably come down to who does best in the first innings," he said.
Without Rance in his usual No.5 slot there is no question that Greytown will now be depending to a large degree on their top four in their batting order for their runs & Wal Tatham, Jake Ross, Blake Lyford and Mark Childs.
And it will be a similar story in the bowling where they will be looking to former Wellington representative Glen Jonas and Hayden Spierling to strike early with the new ball and for talented spinner Nash Patel (who isn't available on Sunday) to be their trump card on a turning pitch.
Lansdowne captain Sam Curtis accepts his team go into the final as firm favourites but he is also aware that everything which has gone before will count for nothing this weekend & that is if the weather allows for any cricket to be played. An abandonment and Lansdowne would be the two-day champions by virtue of them having accrued more points than Greytown in the preliminary rounds. Like Didsbury with Greytown, Curtis stresses the importance of Lansdowne starting strongly with the idea of having their noses in front at the end of the first innings.
"You don't want to be in the position of having to come from behind on the second day," he said.
Curtis will bat at No.4 for Lansdowne and the Wairarapa skipper will be the scalp Greytown prize most although they will be in trouble if the likes of Henry Cameron, Alex Treseder and Robin James fire as well.
The bowling options for Lansdowne are huge with practically all of their 11 players able to roll their arms over effectively but it will be James, Mark Scully Dane Buchanan and Brock Price who will probably have the heaviest workloads.
THE LIKELY LINE-UPS FOR THIS WEEKEND'S FINAL ARE:-
GREYTOWN: Jake Ross, Wal Tatham, Blake Lyford, Mark Childs, Fraser Smith, Dean Southey, Hayden Spierling, Brian James, Glen Jonas, Nash Patel, Fez Patel.
LANSDOWNE: James Adamson, Henry Cameron, Alex Treseder, Sam Curtis, Dane Buchanan, Robin James, Brock Price, Joel Macklin, Choi Jackson, Doug Johnston, Mark Scully.