Wairarapa cricketers braved severe wind in Masterton over the weekend to beat Taranaki in the latest round of the Hawke Cup competition at Queen Elizabeth Park.
Batting first, the home team scored a competitive 333 in the opening innings, then restricted the visitors to 101, forcing a follow on.
Taranakiscored 216 in their second innings, giving Wairarapa the match by an innings and 16 runs.
Wairarapa selector Mark Brown said the team's determined batting effort on Saturday laid the foundation for victory.
He said Wairarapa were in a good position to finish top qualifier for the cup.
After yesterday's win, Wairarapa are equal with Taranaki with 24 points at the top of the table, but standings could change depending on the outcome of Hawke's Bay's match with Manawatu yesterday.
A Manawatu win would put them ahead on 26 points.
But Brown said Wairarapa was in a strong position with one match to play in the round robin, as Taranaki and Manawatu would face off in the final round, while Wairarapa would play Horowhenua, who have yet to win a game.
Wairarapa's 333 runs included an innings of 91 from Henry Cameron, half centuries from James Holmes and Greg Todd, who both scored 51, and a useful 24 from Dean Van Deventer.
