Guns back on duty

Gun all-rounders Seth Rance and Peter Borren seem certain to return to the Wairarapa senior men's cricket team for their Hawke Cup qualifying match with Hawke's Bay at Queen Elizabeth Park Oval, in Masterton, on Saturday and Sunday.

Rance is approaching full fitness after a long injury break while Borren missed the opening Hawke Cup game against Manawatu because he was required for the Central Stags limited-overs side.

Their availability comes at an opportune time for Wairarapa, who will definitely be without skipper Greg Todd, a dominant figure with bat and ball in the Manawatu match.

Selector-coach Mark Brown hinted that Rance and Borren would be brought into the starting line-up this weekend.

He said Rance had bowled impressively in training last week and again in a club match on Saturday and was "chomping at the bit" to be part of the action and the in-form Borren had also indicated his availability.

"It does create the odd selection headache or two but it's a good position to be in, it's much better to be worrying about who to leave out rather than who to put in," he said.

Brown expects Hawke's Bay to offer their usual stern opposition and he is keen to see Wairarapa halt the trend which has seen them have middle-order battling collapses when they have their opposition on the back foot.

"A lot of it comes down to patience, of not worrying about forcing the pace," Brown said.

"We talk a lot about the need to play every ball on its merits and we're not always doing that."

Meanwhile, the interclub cricket draw for Saturday is:

Bidwell Cup senior (one innings match): Rathkeale v Red Star at Rathkeale Oval at 11.30am; Turkey Red Greytown v Flight Centre Lansdowne at Greytown at noon.

Open grade T20 (2pm start): Trevs Sports Lansdowne v Greytown 2 at Park Sports 2; Wairarapa College 2 v Kuranui at Wairarapa College; Red Star 2 v Lansdowne Blue Knights at Park Sports 1; Anderson Meats Lansdowne v Marist Old Boys at Park Sports 3.