New-look cricket reps likely this season

A NEW look Wairarapa senior men's cricket team will be taking the field in the 2006-07 season.
Selector Dick Kendall has confirmed a number of key players in last season's squad are "very unlikely" to be available again.
Skipper and top order batsman John Peters is expected to be playing in Wellington as he is fast bowler Hayden Spierling, another of the top order batsmen in Henry Cameron is in Gisborne, all-rounder Ngatai Walker is heading overseas and medium pace bowler Richard Wyllie is in Manawatu.
Kendall says the loss of so many proven performers at rep level will test the depth of Wairarapa cricket but he takes solace from the fact that a number of youngsters, many of them at Rathkeale College, made excellent progress last season and should be even better equipped for rep play this time round.
"There's not a lot of point in bemoaning the players you don't have, it's all about getting the best out of those who are here," Kendall said. "We should still be a competitive unit, no doubt about that."
Kendall is hoping any players with aspirations of playing for Wairarapa this coming season will attend a coaching and training session being held at the Bracewell Academy at Rathkeale this Sunday, starting at 10.30am.
He said the idea of having an "open house" policy for this session. which will be run by former New Zealand pace bowler Brendon Bracewell and Kendall himself, was deliberate as he was keen to give all players, no matter their age or experience,, the chance to stake an early claim for selection.
And those who impressed would then be given the opportunity to further advance their prospects by playing for Wairarapa in two "friendly" limited-overs matches at Rathkeale College, the first against Victoria University on September 24 and the second against Taita the following weekend
But the main objective for Wairarapa in the 2006-07 season will be to win the right to challenge for the Hawke Cup and this will depend on their performances in a series of two-day games against Nelson, Marlborough, Hawke's Bay, Taranaki and Horowhenua-Kapiti.
Financing even such a relatively short campaign is a costly business with Kendall intimating that the figure would be around the $20,000 mark.
"Obviously we couldn't do it without sponsorship and we're hoping the local business community will get right behind us," he said.
Kendall said playing in the Hawke Cup series was the highest level of cricket most Wairarapa players could aspire to and therefore their participation in the competition was a thoroughly worthwhile exercise.