CD wicketkeeper Dane Cleaver retires hurt after he was promoted to open batting as unwanted Joshua Clarkson (left) and Ben Smith help him off Pukekura Park. Photo/Photosport
Are the Central Districts Stags suffering from a bout of the grand final yips after another loss in domestic cricket at the weekend?
A stumped but refreshingly honest CD skipper William Young confessed he didn't have the answer right now after they lost the Ford Trophy grand final by six wickets in New Plymouth on Saturday.
"I'd like to say we don't and that we just went out there and didn't play our best cricket, you know," said the 25-year-old homeboy from Pukekura Park who is based in Napier.
With just one loss in the one-day campaign and an unbeaten streak after losing the Super Smash grand final to the Northern Districts Knights on January 21, he liked to think his troops were capable of finishing the job.
"Just because it's a final, I don't think there's an excuse to play like that."
Despite all the talk about grooming homegrown talent for international honours, two grand final losses must hurt and the one on Saturday perhaps more because it was CD's to lose.
In defence of coach Heinrich Malan, once on the park the players must take ownership.
"They were both pretty painful, to be completely honest," said Young, reflecting on a near-flawless run in the one-day campaign as an "incredible achievement".
"To rock up and miss out again in the final is bitterly disappointing so there's nothing else to say but that."
The decision, he said, was to go with an extra bowler to bolster their attack.
"We knew if we could take early wickets then we're in with a chance."
Young felt Aces openers Jeet Raval and a mistiming Glenn Phillips batted well although they rode their luck to negate any hopes CD had of making a good start.
"They scored 80-odd and that knocked the wind out of our sails a bit and then from there the game was over and we needed a miracle."
Young had no qualms about the fans wondering if the Stags had got the balance of their line up right.
Despite the pool of talent in the top order the CD batsmen have been consistent in their inconsistency this summer while the bowlers had come to the rescue with match-saving contributions.
"It's a logical question to ask," he said, after specialist batsman Ben Smith was left out and Joshua Clarkson was left lugging the drinks, although some would argue even an out-of-sorts Clarkson could have lifted a few balls over the ropes of a doormat-sized ground.
"The thing that hurt us was Dane hurting his back because we went in with the plan for him to replace Smudge [Smith] so it wasn't ideal to lose Dane like that so it was up to George, myself, Jesse [Ryder] and [Tom Bruce] Brucey to lay the platform but, unfortunately, we couldn't quite do that."
One has to question whether Ryder looked like he wanted to be on the park. Has he lost his drive after a stellar start to the season in the red-ball format didn't really cut it with the Black Caps?
His injudicious shot came from previous balls he had faced where he seemed adamant on throwing his bat at anything whistling by but somehow you get the impression the CD camp will argue that's what an exciting brand of cricket is all about.
"We lost wickets and actually we were chasing our tails in the whole batting innings," Young said after a ground delay.
He said the extra seamer was an insurance cover in case a bowler was having an off day on a used pitch but, as it turned out, part-timers in Mark Chapman and Phillips backed up Black Cap Lockie Ferguson and spinner Tarun Nethula in Auckland's bowling attack.
In hindsight, he suspected CD should have gone with a batsman considering the top order didn't perform to expectations.
What sticks out in defending the sub-par total of 197 all out in 46. 4 overs — the country's best domestic seamer, Blair Tickner, came in too late for CD at second drop.
Furthermore, it questions the team philosophy of Black Caps having the rite of passage to the park ahead of incumbents who are performing.
In some cases it's justified, as Doug Bracewell showed in the previous match before saving CD's blushes on Saturday with a knock of 40 at No 6 to show he is repaying the faith Malan has put in him as an allrounder.
But Bracewell also was under-utilised with the ball.
The reality is CD will have that dilemma now because the revolving door to the Black Caps is leading to players locking places regardless of whether they are in form or not.
Young, though, saw the irony that had CD won the post-match ritual would have been on a different plane.
Pre-match, Cleaver had alluded to the need of more of the same and resisting the desire to change but Pukekura Park, after Cyclone Gita left her calling card, was suggesting otherwise.
Perhaps the line-up wasn't requiring a change but the mindset certainly was because of the variables at the park and Cleaver's injury further blunting the batting.
Asked if CD's No 1 ground, Pukekura Park, was playing hard to get this summer Young said: "Mmm ... yes and no. We're probably at about 50 per cent strike rate there. You know, other seasons we've been 80 to 90 per cent.
"We like playing at Puke. We know it inside out but there's no point in getting superstitious around the park we play in. We've just got to show up and play better cricket regardless of what ground we're playing on."
With the Plunket Shield round resuming at McLean Park, Napier, on Thursday against the Otago Volts, Young said there wouldn't be any grand finals to worry about for CD in the first-class format to cap off the season.
Undefeated CD are sitting three points adrift of leaders Wellington Firebirds who have lost a game.