Blair Tickner celebrates another Canterbury scalp on his way to claiming his maiden five-wicket bag in first-class cricket at McLean Park, Napier. Photo/Margot Butcher, Photosport
Blair Tickner celebrates another Canterbury scalp on his way to claiming his maiden five-wicket bag in first-class cricket at McLean Park, Napier. Photo/Margot Butcher, Photosport
When they trudged off the field after 91.4 overs of play, the Central Districts Stags found only one thing perhaps more soothing than the nimble fingers of team physiotherapist Nate Manu - news on the Wellington Firebirds yesterday.
The table-topping Firebirds had had a colossal collapse to slump to an innings and 56 runs defeat at the hands of the Northern Districts Knights at the Basin Reserve in the capital city in just the second day of the four-day, first-class Plunket Shield domestic men's cricket match.
The pain and anguish the Firebirds would have endured is something to which perhaps the Cantabrians would relate to a certain extent after the Stags inflicted similar grief on them in skittling them for 97 - their second-lowest tally in first-class history against CD.
"Wellington's lost now so, hopefully, we can gain some points on them to go into pole position in the last game," said CD seamer Blair Tickner last night after claiming his maiden five-wicket bag in first-class cricket.
"We've got ND next round here so we'll have to be a little careful of them," said Tickner of the final round-10 match from Monday next week.
Assuming second-placed CD put a choker hold on the Kings by tomorrow, the red-ball competition will mutate into a two-horse race with the Wellingtonians after the third-placed Auckland Aces also lost, by an innings and 37 runs, to the Otago Volts at the University Oval in Dunedin, yesterday.
Wellington play the Aces at Eden Park outer oval in their final round.
While it had been "a while in the running" for the top domestic white-ball merchant, Tickner said he had come precariously close to claiming five-wicket bags but it hadn't happened with several "four fors".
"It doesn't really get on my mind because all I wanted to do was just do well for the team," said the 24-year-old Ruahine Motors Central Hawke's Bay seamer, who claimed his maiden hattrick of wickets against Wellington in the shield opener early this summer.
Tickner was simply delighted to be part of the collective who toiled on the park to put the Stags on the front foot today to claim an outright victory.
"We got all our bonus points in so we thought there were no reasons why we just couldn't have a bowl at them to see what we can do and we bowled them out cheaply to now put ourselves in a position to hopefully bowl them out again to maybe chase a little total," he said, when asked what prompted captain William Young to declare at 360-7 in 107 overs after just another 25 overs added to the overnight total of 236-3.
The Stags have accrued the maximum four batting bonus points as well as that many bowling ones in the quest to overhaul Wellington's 12-point margin. An outright win will boost their ratings by a further 12 points to propel them to the top rung of the shield table.
The Heinrich Malan-coached Stags then proceeded to dismantle the batting line up of the visitors, skittling them for 97 in 39.4 overs.
Young then enforced a follow on as the Cantabrians settled for 58-2 at stumps with Jeff Case (3 not out) and Cole McConchie (4 not out) to resume the second innings of the defending champions today.
CD seamer Blair Tickner bends his back as Canterbury batsman Theo van Woerkom backs up at McLean Park, Napier. Photo/Warren Buckland
Tickner said the wicket had been flat for the best part of their bowling attack so the seamers have had to bend their backs for their rewards. "We're looking at Jazz [Ajaz Patel] to come in because it's already offering him some turn and bounce so, hopefully, he can come into his own. The bowlers can run in all day and Jazz can take the wickets."
That's a fair point and a common thread had appeared in the other Firebirds' defeat, where Knights' leg spinner, Ish Sodhi, had created havoc with all sorts of personal-best figures in his second 10-wicket haul in a match.
Black Cap Sodhi and Patel should provide an intriguing battle of spin to see if ND or CD prevail at McLean Park next week.
In CD's first innings yesterday, No 4 Young scored 78 runs and No 5 Tom Bruce was unbeaten on 78 while wicketkeeper Dane Cleaver added 46.
The Cantabrians' sorry scoreboard had a Reduced To Clear supermarket receipt look about it - opener Michael Davidson top-scored for them with 25 runs from 62 balls.
Tickner has six wickets and none of the bowlers went for more than three runs an over in the first innings.
Black Caps new-ball seamer Seth Rance claimed 19-3 and Patel 22-2.
In Canterbury's second dig, the batsmen showed Patel, Tickner, and Black Caps pace men Doug Bracewell and Adam Milne enough respect to suggest they would try to dig their toes in for a while.
Wicketkeeper Cleaver, back from injury, is humming, snaffling six catches and a stumping in the game to date.