Cricket: Case of paper v passion

Some of the Bay senior men cricketers train for the last time yesterday at Nelson Park, Napier, before jetting off to Oamaru today for the Hawke Cup challenge against North Otago. Photo / Paul Taylor

No one in the team has travelled to Oamaru before but when the Hawke's Bay senior men's representative cricketers descend there this afternoon, sightseeing will be the last thing on their minds.

"It'll be my first time there, too," said Bay coach Colin Schaw, after the Pay Excellence-sponsored outfit had their last training at Nelson Park, Napier, yesterday before catching a flight via Christchurch at 6.40am today to throw down the gauntlet to North Otago in their Hawke Cup challenge match.

The three-day match at Milner Park (Waitaki Boys' High School) begins tomorrow and it's safe to say it'll be a case of paper versus passion.

On paper, the Jacob Smith-captained Bay should win the game but, in keeping with cricket's slogan of "Anything Can Happen", the hosts will be fuelled by parochialism to create history as the first team to successfully defend the silverware.

The grass wicket will be a far cry from the artificial one that Buller rolled out in the previous challenge but North Otago team manager Hamish McMurdo said "it's like a road here".

The forecast for Oamaru is fine on either side but Saturday is expected to have a few late showers.

"Look, North Otago is the drought capital of the country. It's always fine here and there's no grass so bowlers will have to work hard," McMurdo said.

Schaw, who wants his troops to be grounded and treat it like any other game, is taking an allrounder-heavy juggernaut with two specialist seamers and as many spinners.

"North Otago is just another obstacle and we have to put them to bed, really."

CD comeback kid Kurt Richards will open the bowling with Stags fringe player Liam Dudding after domestic coach Heinrich Malan rested Blair Tickner.

Stags red-ball merchant Ajaz Patel will combine with GC Pretorius to put the holders in a spin while batsman Angus Schaw also is no mug as a spinner.

Smith will offer left-arm medium pace, possibly at first drop with NZ Under-19 rep Christian Leopard.

NTOB coach Dale Smidt rates CD white-ball batsman Indika Senarathne a better bowling prospect than a batsman so Smith won't be shy to use him.

Schaw felt batsman Callum Hewetson and Graeme Tryon fell into the unlucky category.

"I don't believe Graeme is 100 per cent after returning from his wrist injury and Callum also has a slight injury in his back."

Seamer Ben Stoyanoff is unavailable because of studies at EIT.

Claiming first-innings points is imperative for a "new-look side that started the season" but playing three-day cricket will pose its own challenges after two-day qualifiers.

"All the guys are capable of playing first-class cricket and everyone has played his part at some stage of the campaign."

As for North Otago, Schaw's knowledge is up there with what the wicket will do.

Both teams:

North Otago (from): Jerimiah Shields (Union), Lachie Kingan (Valley), Ben Cant (St Kevins/Oamaru), Stephan Grobler (WBHS), Jeremy Smith (Albion), François Mostert (Valley), Brady Kingan (St Kevins/Oamaru), Dallas Mahuika (WBHS), Jordan Horrell (c, St. Kevins/Oamaru), Andrew Grubb (wkt, Taieri), Brad Fleming Union, Cameron Grubb (Valley), Ricky Whyte (Albion), Blake James (WBHS).
Manager: Hamish McMurdo.

Hawke's Bay: Jacob Smith (c), Liam Dudding, Matt Edmondson, Giliam Christoffel Pretorius, Angus Schaw, Scott Schaw (wk), Christian Leopard, Indika Senarathne, Dominic Thompson, Rupert Young, Ajaz Patel, Kurt Richards.
Coach: Colin Schaw.