Few changes on club cricket scene
The weather will need to play ball, but the club cricket season is scheduled to start this weekend. Manawatu¯ Standard sports reporter George Heagney gets the goss on the other three premier club teams.
Marist broke their finals duck last season when they won their first two-day crown in seven years and have a settled squad again, so they should be in the mix.
If they get the services of Central Districts pace bowler Navin Patel and batsman Mitch Renwick they will be a powerful team.
But even without those two they have a good team, led by Manawatu¯ captain and top-order batsman Dave Meiring.
Also back from last year is gun all-rounder Connor Morriss, who was last season’s MVP and top premier one bowler, all-rounder Floyd Na Nagara, experienced spinner Nic Carter, wicketkeeper batsman Dylan Gaskin and offspinning all-rounder Arana Noema-barnett.
In the bowling department they have seamers Matt Wells, Jack Gleeson, Hugh Symes and Keegan Bremner.
They have a large group of players who can foot it at premier one level.
Angus Belgrave and Connor Wilkinson will be back and they are likely to use promising premier two bowler Dylan Lynch.
Old Boys will be a force this season is they can get their full team on paper.
Old Boys are gutted when the reps play, but otherwise have a formidable bunch of players if they all turn up.
There hasn’t been many changes, but they have picked up two good players who have rep aspirations.
There is Ray Toole, a left-arm paceman from Australia who at Massey University and off-spinner Dane Watson from Auckland.
Watson played New Zealand under-19s with Old Boys’ allrounder Henry Collier and has moved to Manawatu¯ to have a crack at Central Districts.
The rest of the usual suspects are back from last season in Manawatu¯ all-rounder and medium pacer Tim Richards, who was the rep player of the year last season, all-rounder Robbie Yule, and spinning all-rounder Collier, who makes up a powerful opening partnership with batsman Brynn Cleaver.
Richards and Collier are likely to captain the side and when they are away, Matt Borren will call the shots.
A former Youngheart Manawatu¯ footballer, Borren is a handy paceman, but hasn’t fully committed in recent seasons.
Experienced all-rounder Bryce Grant is back and may take the wicketkeeping gloves and stalwart batsman Robbie Laird will don the pads again.
Spinning all-rounder Trent Mcgrath is back from overseas to play and should be available for the whole season now, rather than playing rep cricket for Horowhenua-ka¯ piti.
Paceman Stu Glendinning will play before he shifts to Auckland for work in January.
Batsman Villi Tosi is not playing this season and pace bowler Nick Blundell has relocated to Auckland
Palmerston North Boys’ High School have the same squad as the back end of last summer in what was a successful season for the schoolboys last year.
They lost the one-day final to United in December, which was the first final they’ve been in since the 2007-08 season and have a few players back from the side that reached the final.
This will be player-coach Scott Davidson’s first full season after he took over from Mark Leighton at Christmas last season and Davidson’s experience will be vital for them, as well as his batting and off-spin.
Captain Ben O’connor will be a key player with his spin and along with seamers Jack Harris, James Stratton and Cameron Harridge, make up a strong bowling lineup.
Thomas Walshe, Tom Tremaine and Bryn Wilson will be their main men with the bat, as well as Caleb Hansen, Sam Russell, wicketkeeper Ruben Love and allrounder Rishabh De.
Boys’ High have a good bowling and fielding unit, but will need their batting order to stand up.
They were meant to play Hutt International Boys’ School this week, but it was called off because the grounds are wet.