Lansdowne survive tricky track

Lansdowne had reason to feel satisfied with reaching a respectable 172-8 in their first innings on the first day of their Bidwell Cup senior men's cricket fixture with Red Star at the Park Sportsground in Masterton on Saturday.
The damp pitch restricted play to just 49 overs and batting conditions were difficult, with the variable bounce making run getting as much a case of good luck as good management.
Lansdowne skipper Sam Curtis, who came in at No4 and was unbeaten on 67 when stumps were drawn, described the pitch as a ''bit of a lottery''. He was hit on the helmet and the shoulder by balls popping from a good length, something which happened regularly. .
''You just had to guts it out and hope!'' Curtis said ''You could never feel comfortable because you were never sure what the ball was going to do.''
The last four scoring shots from Curtis were all fours and he hit nine in all, along with one six.
Red Star spinner Aaron Wilson finished with 3-37 from his nine overs.
Also for Red Star, Nicolai Karaitiana took 2-28 from 11 overs and John Dudley took 2-34 from nine overs.