Tiredness a possible factor in Chapple Cup loss

Tiredness may have been a factor in Wairarapa's three-wicket loss to Nelson in their Chapple Cup senior men's representative limited-overs cricket match at Queen Elizabeth Park Oval in Masterton on Sunday.
Wairarapa had beaten Nelson on the first innings in their Hawke Cup elimination game played on the Friday and Saturday and selection convenor Dermot Payton believes the fatigue from that effort probably made them "flat" for the Chapple Cup fixture.
"Fitness-wise I think a lot of the players could have come up little short of what was required to maintain total concentration for three successive days," Payton said.
"It wasn't that they weren't trying their hardest, it was just that they weren't quite there physically for the one-dayer and it showed."
At the same time, however, Payton was pleased that Wairarapa did make progress from their matches of the previous weekend against Hawke's Bay when the latter came from behind to score an outright win in the Hawke Cup encounter and then won the Chapple Cup game as well.
"I wouldn't say we have played anywhere near out potential yet but we do seem to be heading in the right direction and that's a plus," he said.
"Hopefully the best is still to come."
Wairarapa's next Hawke Cup and Chapple Cup matches are against Taranaki in mid-January and they too will be played at the Park Oval.
At least one change will need to be made from the squad which was selected for the Nelson games with hugely talented Rathkeale College all-rounder Dean van Deventer heading overseas.
Payton admits that van Deventer's ability to contribute strongly with bat and ball will be missed and he says there is no certainty about who will replace him.
"Obviously we are going to look very closely at all the options, right now it's impossible to say what will happen."
A highlight of Wairarapa's performances to date this season has been the consistency of opening batsman Brad Edwards who followed scores of 58, 45 and 25 against Hawke's Bay with knocks of 31 and 98 against Nelson, giving him an aggregate of 257 at an average just a tick short of 52.
He too is heading overseas early in the New Year but hopes are he will be available for the Taranaki match, and also that against Horowhenua-Kapiti later in January which winds up the representative season.