Rathkeale chase national glory

Rathkeale College will be happy to have the underdog label at the finals of the Gillette Cup national secondary schoolboys cricket limited-overs competition to be played in Palmerston North over the next three days
Not being one of the more fancied teams when the knock-out series first kicked off hasn't stopped them from claiming some notable scalps on their way to the play-offs and they seem sure to give a decent account of themselves now that the title itself is so tantalisingly close.
Their three opponents in Palmerston North- Christchurch Boys High, Howick College and Tauranga Boys High- might all have the "wood" on them as far as playing numbers are concerned, but whether any of them have the raw potential of the current Rathkeale side is open to debate.
A potential which has already seen them knock over Gillette Cup defending champions, Palmerston North Boys High, and two other of the country's strongholds in secondary schools cricket, St Pats Silverstream and Wanganui Collegiate,on the way to winning what could arguably be described as the most difficult of the four Gillette Cup zones.
The St Pats match, in particular, demonstrated Rathkeale's ability to handle pressure situations. That game went right down to the penultimate over of the game with Rathkeale snaring the last St Pats wicket with the latter needing just one run for the draw and two for the win.
It is indicative of the talent within the Rathkeale camp that three of their players were part of the Wairarapa senior men's side which opened their Hawke Cup campaign with an exciting win over Wanganui last weekend.
Doug Bracewell (medium pace bowler), Andy Dodd (middle order batsman) and Simon Clinton-Baker (spinner) were all picked for specialist roles in that side but at college level they are all very much in the all-rounder category.
Bracewell is a son of former New Zealand pace bowler Brendon Bracewell and while he has still some way to go to reach that status himself, he already seems set for a long and profitable representative career.
For a youngster still growing into his frame he bowls at a very lively pace and he clearly understands the importance of line and length.
The number of loose deliveries he bowled in the Wanganui match could have been counted on one hand, and he picked up five wickets in his 23 overs-11 in the first innings and 12 in the second-and he conceded just 36 runs.
And just as importantly he showed no sign of nervousness when called upon to bowl in the last few overs of a match which Wairarapa won outright with only a couple of overs to spare.
The diminutive Dodd is no mug as a spin bowler, but it is as a batsman that Rathkeale will be expecting big things of him. His 45 was a very valuable part of the win over St Pats as was his 35 against Wanganui Collegiate and while he didn't exactly set the Thames on fire in his two stints for the Wairarapa seniors, his 8 in the second innings was worth a lot more than that, as he held up one end for a long period while his vice captain Ngatai Walker, who got to 70, attacked at the other.
Clinton-Baker's debut appearance at senior rep level was a quiet one, but more because of circumstances than anything else. With the wicket suiting the quicker bowlers he had only four overs in total so it was impossible to judge his ability to perform in that arena. He has, however, been an integral part of the Rathkeale attack on the way to the Gillette Cup finals with his control and flight picking him up a number of key scalps.
Clinton-Baker is sure to have a heavy workload over the next three days and appeals as the type of player who will thrive on the responsibility.
It would be wrong, however, to even hint that Rathkeale was totally reliant on their three senior reps for success. Basically every player in their squad has come to the party at some stage of their Gillette Cup campaign and actually it is their depth of talent which is their main strength.
Players like skipper Tim Lucas, Andy Oldfield, who has already chalked up a "ton" at club level, and Brock Price all have the batting skills to play long innings, and if medium pacer Dean van Deventer does not quite have the high profile of his new ball partner Doug Bracewell, it won't be long before he is gracing the senior reps as well. Indeed it was van Deventer who did most of the damage in their win over Wanganui Collegiate and he also grabbed a couple of very timely wickets in the St Pats game.
Rathkeale also has in their favour that they have in former long-time Central Districts and Wairarapa top order batsman, Dermot Payton, an astute and knowledgeable coach who has already tasted Gillette Cup success when he was coaching the Wanganui Collegiate first XI.
Payton has always had a hard-nosed approach to cricket and he has obviously been a major influence in the never-say-die attitude which Rathkeale has displayed throughout their already memorable Cup campaign.
Whether that attitude will take them to success in Palmerston North won't be known until Sunday night, but you can wager they won't fail for lack of trying, that's for certain!