The leading light in the Wairarapa Cricket Association's Umpires Cup one-day competition, the Bracewell Academy XI, tasted defeat at the hands of Rathkeale College in a rescheduled 50-over match played on Monday and Tuesday evenings.
Batting first, Rathkeale scored 170 off 39 overs, a good resiult considering they were struggling at 7-70 at one stage.
Responsible for the lower order revival were Brock Price who made 27 and Jesse Bailey who was 21 not out.
The academy team gave basically all their players, including debutante Swiss international Andy Steineman (0-9 off five overs) , an opportunity to bowl and the best figures were returned by English quickie Robbie Steward, who took 4-9 from his five overs.
The South African opening pair, Jaco Oosthuizen and Gareth Jacobs, got the academy team's innings off to a flying start with 29 runs being taken off the first four overs.
However, the Rathkeale bowlers stuck to their task and the consistency of paceman Duncan Watts and spinners Simon Clinton-Baker and Andy Dodd finally took its toll, the academy being all out for 124 off 39 overs.
Watts with 5-40 was outstanding for Rathkeale while Clinton-Baker took 2-16 and Dodd 2-20.
Tomorrow sees the local senior inter-club competition move back into two-day mode and with just one point separating the top three teams the outcome of the Bidwell Cup series is still well and truly hanging in the balance.
Greytown currently has the lead with 28 points while Lansdowne and the Academy XI have 27. Red Star is fourth on 17 with Rathkeale College and Wairarapa College tied on 11 points apiece.
The feature match over the next two weekends promises to be that between Lansdowne and the Academy XI at Queen Elizabreth park oval and if both teams are at full strength it should be a closely-contested encounter.
No doubt the two teams will be looking to their star all-rounders,Robin James (Lansdowne) and Jaco Oosthuizen (Academy) to play a big part in the final outcome. They are both capable of dominating the action with bat and ball.
Greytown meets Rathkeale College at Rathkeale and will be wary of a college team buoyed by their latest one-day win over the academy side. The greater experience of Greytown should be the deciding factor but Rathkeale has enough individual talent to make a decent game of it.
Red Star and Wairarapa College will play at Park Sports No.2 with the odds about even on the likely outcome of this one.
Rathkeale College upset Academy XI
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