Slight lead may open floodgates

DISMISSED: Umpires James Sprowson raises the finger as Red Star batsman is trapped lbw by Greytown spinner Steve Coleman. PHOTOS/CHRIS KILFORD WTA150314CKCRICKET14

Red Star clearly had the inside running after the first day's play in Cricket Wairarapa's Bidwill Cup final being played at Queen Elizabeth Park oval in Masterton.

They had a 59-run first innings lead over Greytown, ordinarily not a major advantage but quite substantial in this case considering the vagaries of both the weather and the pitch leading into any second-day action.

While Greytown would have been anything but happy with their paltry first innings score of 85, it actually could have been a lot worse.

They lost their first wicket at 11, their second at 13, two more at 14 and a fifth at 16 and only 11 bowlers had been bowled. The one point of resistance came from skipper Tim Lucas, who toiled hard for his 35 made from 98 balls and including five fours. His was the penultimate wicket to fall with the score at 78. The only other batsmen to get into double figures was Daniel Haxton, who made 13. To say the Greytown scoring rate lacked their usual alacrity would be the understatement of the year, with their 85 coming from 44.5 overs.

Giving Robbie Anderson first use of the new ball proved to be a wise decision by Red Star skipper Chris Wenden. His nippy medium pacers moulded in well with the unevenness of the pitch and he finished with the excellent figures of 5-27 from 14.4 overs. Jared Watt was a little less effective than Anderson in taking 4-25 from 12 overs and Sean Jarvis was economical with his 1-4 from seven overs, four of which were maidens.

Red Star also found runs hard to come by in their first innings. They got off to the worst possible start by losing their first wicket before a run had been scored and after a minor recovery which saw them 77-3 they then lost three wickets on that scoreline, including Robbie Anderson whose breezy 41 came from 50 balls and included seven fours and one six. There was some high-risk shot making in his knock but that was understandable considering the tricky batting conditions. Nicolai Karaitiana (29 from 73 balls including four fours) and Jared Watt (10) then saw Red Star safely past the Greytown total-vital because the Bidwill Cup can be won on the first innings- but at 118-9 their advantage seemed likely to be a slim one. However, Karaitiana and Aaron Wilson (9 not out) added a very valuable 26 runs for the last wicket and they were all out for 144, a first innings lead of 59.

Bowling for Greytown Steve Coleman mixed his deliveries up cleverly in taking 5-30 from 18 overs and Brian James was good value in finishing with 3-35 from 14 overs.

Greytown's second innings started much as their first, with the first wicket falling early and they were 9-1 at the close of play.

First day scoreboard:

Greytown 85 (Ross 7, Lyttle 6, Childs 0, Coleman 2, Speers 0, Lucas 35, Reisima 8, James 0, Haxton 13, Smith 1, Osborne 7 not out, extras 6; fall of wickets, 11, 13, 14, 14, 16, 37, 37, 61, 78, 85; Anderson 14.4-5-27-5, Watt 12-5- 25-4, Jarvis 4-4-4-1, Sigvertson 6-2-16-0, Karaitiana 3-1-5-0, Wilson 2-1-4-0) and 9-1 ( Ross 4, Lyttle 5 not out, Coleman 0 not out, extras 0; fall of wickets, 9; Anjderson 2-1-2-0, Watt 1.5-0-7-1) v Red Star 144 (French 0, Burling 8, Stonely 17, Anderson 41, Deans 7, Wenden 0, Jarvis 8, Karaitiana 29, Watt 10, Sigvertson 0, Wilson 9 not out, extras 15; fall of wickets, 0, 22, 44, 77, 77, 77, 95, 107, 114, 118; James 14-4-35-3, Reisima 5-1-23-1, Coleman 18.2-6-30-5, Haxton 8-3-39-1, Smith 2-0-6-0.