Wai Col no push-overs in Bidwell Cup clash

Flight Centre Lansdowne might get more than they bargain for in their Bidwell Cup senior inter-club cricket match with Wairarapa College which gets under way at Wairarapa College tomorrow.
As befits a side which heads the competition table and is chockful of representative players Lansdowne will deservedly start hot favourites but Wairarapa College showed enough in their drawn match with Rathkeale College last weekend to suggest they will be no push-overs.
Play was reduced to just one day (controversially I might add) in that particular match and it was dominated by Wairarapa College who declared their innings closed at 250-4 and then had Rathkeale 68-6 at stumps.
Wairarapa senior rep Daniel Ingham was always likely to have a major influence on proceedings for Wairarapa College and that he did, cracking 10 fours and two sixes in his unbeaten 116 not out.
And while he didn't manage to take a wicket he conceded just the one run from his four overs, and that was a wide!
Obviously it will be Ingham's wicket which will be prized the most by Lansdowne tomorrow and his confrontation with two of the best medium pacers in the region, Mark Scully and Robin James, will be interesting, to say the least.
Another Wairarapa College batsman who will be looking to continue the good form he showed last weekend will be Leighton Calkin.
His 55 against Rathkeale contained the sort of exciting stroke play you'd expect from a member of the Calkin family, many of whom have been grand servants of Wairarapa cricket over a long number of years.
Wairarapa College will also be hoping for a major contribution from their only "adult" player, Paul Bracewell, both with his batting in the middle order and his spin bowling.
In fact, it wouldn't surprise if the college team relied heavily on their spinners to keep the powerful Lansdowne batting line-up under wraps as in youngster Martin Reisima they have a leggie with huge potential. How he develops this difficult art over the next few seasons will be watched with great interest.
Lansdowne, of course, will be depending on batsmen like Sam Curtis, Alex Treseder, Simon Butler, Henry Cameron and Brock Price to lay the foundations for outright victory by amassing a hefty first innings score. Allowing any of them to get into full stride could cost the students dearly in the final analysis.
The persistent rain which washed out any chance of play in the Greytown v Red Star Bidwell Cup match at Greytown last weekend has led to it being reduced to a one innings fixture tomorrow with Red Star's chances of victory improving as a consequence. They now only have to endure the all-round skills of Central Districts A rep Seth Rance for one day and if they can keep him quiet with bat and ball anything could happen.