Marlborough will offer a sterner test ? Curtis

Wairarapa skipper Sam Curtis accepts his team will start as underdogs in their Hawke Cup elimination cricket match with Marlborough at Blenheim this weekend but he remains convinced an upset win is not beyond the realms of possibilities.
Curtis was delighted with the enthusiasm and determination shown by his side in their victory over Horowhenua-Kapiti a couple of weeks back and while he concedes Marlborough will offer much sterner opposition he believes there is still big scope for improvement in the Wairarapa performance.
"We know we will have to take our game to another level to be competitive in Blenheim and, quite frankly, I think we can, and will, do that," Curtis said. "We're not going down there to come second, that's for sure."
It is a mark of the inexperience in the current Wairarapa squad that only Curtis and Seth Rance have played for more than five matches for the province and they will need to lead from the front with bat and ball if Wairarapa is to challenge a Marlborough side which is still in with a chance of earning a Cup challenge this season.
Curtis was in his usual role of opener against Horowhenua-Kapiti and his knocks of 91 and 44 played a huge part in his team picking up maximum points.
But he himself deflects praise for his efforts, saying that it was his job to be the "rock" at the top of the order and that he was just happy to show the sort of form which made him the third highest scorer in Wellington senior club cricket ? he played for Petone-before the Christmas break.
Rance has been a revelation with the bat this season, as evidenced by his 104 from something like 50 deliveries in Greytown's outright win over Academy in a Bidwell Cup club game last weekend. He was unbeaten on 47 when Wairarapa hit the winning runs against Horowhenua-Kapiti after earlier claiming three wickets as the spearhead of the pace attack.
Two changes have been to the Wairarapa line-up for this weekend from that which played Horowhenua-Kapiti with John Hannam and Chris Jefferies being replaced by a couple of promising youngsters from Wairarapa College in Robbie Anderson and Joel Macklin.
Anderson is just 15yrs and is rated highly by Curtis as a middle order batsman with a solid defence and the ability to score runs quickly if required. And he is in form, having scored 62 for his club side against Rathkeale College a week ago.
Macklin also starred in that same game, taking six of the Rathkeale wickets to fall in their first innings and scoring a valuable 30 runs when his own team batted a second time.
Curtis says Macklin's main job this weekend will be as a bowler and he could have a heavy workload if Brock Price, who will open the attack with Rance, continues to have problems with shin splints.
Prospects are that Adam Bennett and Ewan Burt will also be asked to bowl while the shine is on the ball and if the Blenheim pitch is as placid as anticipated, spinners Simon Clinton-Baker and Curtis himself should be kept busy as well.
The batting order will change slightly from the Horowhenua-Kapiti match with Red Star's Daniel Stonely promoted to open with Curtis and Bennett likely to be moved up two or three places to number four.
The full Wairarapa squad is: Sam Curtis, Daniel Stonely, Joe Hull, Adam Bennett, Jeremy Anderson, Robbie Anderson, Seth Rance, Paul Lyttle, Brock Price, Ewan Burt, Simon Clinton-Baker, Joel Macklin.
Lansdowne reunion
Reminiscing of days gone by will be high on the agenda at the Lansdowne Cricket Club's 75th reunion celebrations this weekend.
Tales true and tall will be told at the various functions which will include refreshments at the clubrooms tonight and a dinner at Burridges in Masterton tomorrow night.
But perhaps the highlight will come on Sunday when at Park Sports No.2 current players will take on an invitation team likely to comprise some notable names from recent history?.names like Wayne Ewington, John Cameron, Doug Bracewell, Brendon Bracewell, Marc Calkin, Henry Cameron, Craig McBride, Tyrone Ewington, Ngatai Walker, Lance Gray, Peter Noble, Mark Brown, Steve Geary, Steve Oldfield, Greg Baillie, Paul Bracewell, Daryl Bidlake and Nigel Bidlake.
That's a formidable squad by any standards and is sure to test the side comprising present players such as John Hannam, Robin James, Corey Anderson, Corey Miller, Dean Goodin, Ant Corlett, Matt Bunny, Gerald Smith, Steve Hutchinson, Doug Johnson, Choi Jackson, Nathan Cottle, Doug Gardner, Lindsay James, Dane Buchanan, Malcolm Goldsworthy and Scott Coulson.
The current team will have warmed up, of course, with an Umpires Cup limited-overs match against Academy at the Pugh Sports Bowl tomorrow, starting at 11am. They are sure to have plenty of vocal support there but will be tested by an Academy side which contains enough proficient stroke makers to make matters interesting.
The Lansdowne seconds will play Greytown thirds at the Park Sports No.2 and on Park Sports No.1 the Lansdowne thirds will be up against Rathkeale.