THE RETURN of all-rounder Dean van Deventer will strengthen the Wairarapa senior men's cricket squad as they head into their Hawke Cup qualifying round match against Horowhenua-Kapiti at Donnelly Park, Levin, tomorrow and Sunday.
A former member of the Rathkeale College first XI who has also turned out at club level for Red Star, van Deventer has played most of his cricket over the past season or two in the Canterbury region and has featured prominently there, both as a pace bowler and middle to lower order batsman.
Wairarapa coach Neil Perry was impressed by van Deventer's contribution with bat and ball when his team met a Hawke's Bay XI in a "friendly" last weekend and expects him to add significant value to the Wairarapa performance in Levin. He will take the new ball in combination with Central Districts A rep Stefan Hook-Sporry and will probably be at eight in a batting line-up which, on paper at least, would have to be the strongest fielded by Wairarapa this season.
Backing up that latter sentiment is the fact that Hook-Sporry is likely to be the player in the 12 not required to bat, despite the fact he has been one of the better performers at club level in that role. And Brock Price, who has opened for Wairarapa in the past, could be at No11 with a couple of other very handy batsmen in Daniel Ingham and Gordon Reisima at nine and 10 respectively.
As Perry says, however, it will be the top order that most comes under the spotlight batting-wise this weekend as Wairarapa have struggled to get worthwhile partnerships going in that area all season. Talented youngster Mason Hughes will open with Alex Treseder and then will follow George Deans, Liam Burling, Henry Cameron, Robbie Speers and Paul Lyttle. If they can provide the sort of start which enables the tail-enders to adopt an attacking approach they will be doing their team a huge favour.
