Cricket: Youngsters set to make rep cricket debut

Ryan Evans

A fresh crop of talented youngsters is the hallmark of the Whitaker Civil Engineering Taranaki men’s Furlong Cup squad for 2024/25.

Amongst five debutants named for the campaign are standout youngsters, Taene Nelley, Asher Ryan and Josh Gard.

Nelley, a left-hand batter out of NPBHS, and Ryan, a right-arm fast bowler from FDMC, both featured prominently for last year’s CD championship winning Taranaki Year 11/12 boys side. The pair picked up best batter and best bowler award respectively and both were selected for Central Districts Under 17 honours, with Nelley named team captain. Gard, a batter out of NPOB represented the CD Under 19s and is the younger brother of established allrounder Jordan Gard.

The other debutants in the initial 19-man squad are Stratford fast bowler John Beale, who has previously represented Whanganui at Furlong Cup level, and Hawera wicketkeeper Ngoni Mupumba.

Head coach Chris Coombe has named a new captain with Marist batter Sam Fastier taking over the reins from Dean Robinson. Jordan Gard has been named vice-captain.

Coombe said the time was right for a change in leadership and that it would be great to have Robinson focussing on adding to his already prolific runs tally for Taranaki. Last season, Robinson surpassed Brian Richards as Taranaki’s leading all time run scorer and finished the season on 5108 career runs – the first Taranaki batsman to pass the 5000-run mark.

“When Deano and I sat down to discuss the captaincy over the off-season he felt at this stage of his career his experience could best be used by passing on his knowledge as a mentor to the younger players,” Coombe said.

“Dean has done a stellar job for us and he remains an absolute linchpin of our line-up and an extremely valuable senior leader, and I’m looking forward to having him support Sam, with his knowledge, and of course his batting.”

Coombe said the new youngsters in the team had done everything right last season, and in the pre-season training and trials to earn their spots, while Beale and Mupumba were high quality club performers, deserving of a crack with the Taranaki side.

In other features of the team, Rupert Young makes his first appearance after an absence of 10 years. The younger brother of Black Caps batsman Will Young has been playing offshore over winter, having hit an outstanding match-winning century in last year’s Expert Turf Premier three-day club final.

Bailey Wisnewski, last year’s batter of the year, is another returning from a winter playing offshore and he will be a key player in the batting lineup alongside Robinson, Fastier, Josh Borell, Jacob Leuthard-Richards and veteran Liam Muggeridge.

Livewire quick bowler Ryan Watson returns to the side after a season off, and if he and experienced pacemen Ben Frewin and Shay Smith can stay fit, the trio will form a pace attack capable of threatening any side in the competition.

The squad is rounded out by keeper Oli Burbidge, another to impress in his showings at club and representative level last year, CDA spinner Liam Carr and the vastly experienced spinning all-rounder Mattie Thomas.

In other changes, Manager/Assistant coach Gary Cunningham has stepped aside, and Scott Taylor will assume manager duties. Taranaki centurion and two-time Hawke Cup winning captain Ian Snook has been involved with the side in a consultant’s role.

Coombe said that after two consecutive years of third-placed finishes in the Furlong Cup, played between CD’s six North Island member associations, he was feeling positive about the balance of the squad this year and the season to come.

“It’s going to be great bringing in some exciting young talent and quality club players into the team and seeing them learn what we’re all about and start adding their own mark too,” Coombe said.

“We’ve done a lot of work in the offseason around our team culture, what playing for Taranaki means and how we’re going to represent this province on and off the field.

“The boys who are around have been working hard in the nets and we’re looking forward to kicking off the campaign against Hawkes Bay at Pukekura Park in November.”

The Taranaki side will be looking to ambush the Hawke Cup holder and District Association powerhouse early, before a home game against Whanganui and then trips to Masterton and Levin. The season finale against Manawatu at Pukekura Park already looms as a potentially critical match.

The winner of the Furlong Cup receives the Zone 2 challenge for the Hawke Cup from January 31-Feb 2, 2025, or if Hawkes Bay is the Hawke Cup holder, then the highest finishing side other than Hawkes Bay receives the right to challenge.

Taranaki squad: Sam Fastier (v), Jordan Gard (vc), John Beale*, Josh Borrell, Oli Burbidge, Liam Carr, Ben Frewin, Josh Gard*, Jacob Leuthard-Richards, Liam Muggeridge, Ngoni Mupamba*, Taene Nelley, Dean Robinson, Asher Ryan*, Shay Smith, Mattie Thomas, Ryan Watson, Bailey Wisnewski, Rupert Young.

*uncapped