The cricket season starts with round one of the Coastal Challenge this weekend.
The cricket season starts with round one of the Coastal Challenge this weekend.
Whanganui teams will be looking to hit form early as the cricket season opens with the first round of the Coastal Challenge this weekend.
The competition has dropped to a nine-team challenge after Whanganui's The Watsons Tech pulled the pin this year, while Wairarapa will field its traditional two X1s (Red Star and United Cricket Club) and Horowhenua-Kapiti four (Kapiti Old Boys, Levin, Weraroa and Paraparaumu).
Defending champions Levin start the season, playing Whanganui's Wanganui Vet Centre Marist on Donnelly Park in Levin, while Whanganui's David Jones Motors United have a home game against Paraparaumu on Tasman Tanning No#1 at Victoria Park. Weraroa take on Whanganui Collegiate at Weraroa Domain in Levin.
Cricket Wanganui general manager Jordan Healy said players were eager to get started and the freshly laid new pitches at Victoria Park were in fine shape to cope with a full season of cricket. The Premier B Whanganui club side competition begins after Labour Weekend. Tech will field a side in this competition.
"Covid-19 hasn't affected our season with mid-October our traditional start time," Healy said.
"Tech has dropped out and Marist has picked up a few players that wanted to continue at Coastal Challenge level, so our club side team numbers are quite strong. Training for most players began early, so they shouldn't be too rusty and expect teams will want to make an early impression.
"We got funding from the Four Regions Trust to relay our pitches at Victoria Park and all four pitches are ready for action. As far as I'm aware there have been no pre-season matches between teams, mainly because of the late finish to winter sports affected by Covid," Healy said.
In other sport, two young athletes in the Toyota Whanganui Swim Team competing at the New Zealand Short Course Championships in Hamilton last week returned home with silverware.
Toyota Whanganui Swim Team athletes Regan Hanna (left) and Marley Orr were the only two to represent the team at the New Zealand Short Course Championships in Hamilton and returned home with a silver each.
Marley Orr claimed silver in the 15-year-old boys' 50m breaststroke and Regan Hanna bagged his silver in the 13-year-old boys' 100m backstroke.
Orr also placed 6th in the 100m breaststroke and 8th in the 200m breaststroke. Hanna finished 4th in his age group 100m freestyle and the 200m individual medley.
Coach Richard Gheel said injury and illness almost scuppered the team's chances of sending any of its swimmers this year.
"You have to feel for Ethan Bryers and young Georgia Abrahams, who had both qualified for the short course nationals this year. Ethan has not been himself for the past four or five months with what has turned out to be a bit of a mystery illness," Gheel said.
"He had qualified in four or five events and did medal last year, including gold. Georgia was training well but dislocated her knee playing netball, leaving just the two boys.
"Marley and Regan almost didn't make it either. Marley tore a ligament a while back and Regan had a shoulder injury that prevented him from full training for four or five weeks, so it was great to see them return home with silver each," Gheel said.
And as the end of winter sport looms, Steelform Wanganui has a chance to redeem itself when it takes on Wairarapa Bush in it only home game of the shortened Heartland rugby season.
Wanganui has had a dismal Heartland campaign to date but has the chance to regain some precious silverware, as a strong Wairarapa Bush side brings the Bruce Steel Memorial Cup to Cooks Gardens. Kickoff is at 2.35pm, after the 1pm curtain-raiser between Wanganui Women and Wairarapa Bush.
