Whanganui had a seven-wicket loss to home side Hawke’s Bay first up, but rebounded with a 38-run win over Wairarapa, as Charlie Meredith and Oscar Mabin both scored half-centuries, while Meredith, Drew Brennan and Levi Hoekstra each took multiple wickets.
That set up the last game against Manawatu, which prevailed by four wickets despite more standout performances by Mabin, who made his team’s top score of 61, and Meredith, who took five of the six wickets to fall.
Two other local girls to enjoy success last week were Isla Jones and Isabella Parkes, who jumped in with a predominately Wairarapa-squad as the CD Combined Barabrians to compete in the Year 9-10 Girls Twenty20 festival tournament at Palmerston North’s Manawaroa Park.
The Barbarians had an 11-run win over Manawatu Green, as Jones hit a quick-fire 18 in as many balls, then took a wicket and a catch in the second innings.
They then got a seven-run win over Horowhenua-Kapiti in a slightly shortened rain-affected match, with Jones retired unbeaten on 15 while Parkes was also not out at the crease in the first innings.
In other representative fixtures, the season started for the CW Jurgens Demolitions Year 9-10 squad with a rare chance to play a full three-day match against Manawatu Y9-10 at Manawaroa Park in October.
Although the home side put up innings scores over 300 and 250 compared to the visitors just clearing 100 both times, there were still some strong individual efforts – as Jimmy Lithgow took 4-for in the first innings, while Harry Burroughs moved up the order in the third innings to score a patient 29.
Early this month, the CW Jurgens Demolitions Year 6s were unsuccessful against Horowhenua-Kapiti, beaten by 89 runs at Donnelly Park, although Fletcher Bowman impressed with an unbeaten retired 31.
In early November, the CW Jurgens Demolitions Year 7 (Under 12′s) had a big 124-run win away against Wairarapa at their college grounds.
Hunter Lithgow smashed a retired 52 in 33 balls, while Hugo Kennedy and Reef McIntyre also contributed with the bat, before Lithgow and Bruce McGregor picked up a pair of wickets to bowl the home side out for just over 100 runs.
The squad followed up earlier this month with a 106-run win against Horowhenua-Kapiti at Donnelly Park.
Finlay Cairncross, Yamato Kusano-Whetton, Kennedy, and Lithgow all made good scores with the bat, with Cairncross taking two wickets and a catch in the second innings.
The CW Jurgens Demolitions Year 8 (Under 13′s) started their summer off with a 46-run win over Wairarapa at Greytown’s Memorial Park in early November.
After Hayden Stewart got early runs, as did Ethan Toy and James Marshall in the tail, Thomas McMurray scored an unbeaten 50.
The bowlers did the rest as McMurray, Alexander Whiteman and Harry Wilkinson-Smith all took a pair of wickets.
They could not follow up at the start of this month against Horowhenua Kapiti at Donnelly Park, beaten by four wickets.
Wilkinson-Smith carried his bat from opener with 49no, while Ethan Toy scored a quick-fire 59, while Cohen Whittaker took two wickets in the second innings.
And earlier this month the CW Jurgens Demolitions Year 9-10′s came up just short against Horowhenua-Kapiti at Donnelly Park, beaten by eight runs.
In their run chase, Nick Burroughs and Josh Keenan both made half-centuries, while William Revell was just two runs shy of raising his bat.
