Cricket: It's battle of minor Bays

The Hawke Cup during Hawke's Bay's training at Nelson Park, Napier, last night. Photo / Warren Buckland

The symbol of minor association cricket supremacy isn't going anywhere just yet, if you ask Hawke's Bay coach Colin Schaw.

"They can't have the bloody Ranfurly Shield [symbol of rugby union supremacy with Waikato] and Hawke Cup at the same time now, can they?" Schaw said last night, as the cup sat on its rightful place among the training gear and nets at Nelson Park, Napier.

The Pay Excellence-sponsored side will host Bay of Plenty from tomorrow in their first three-day defence of the Hawke Cup after winning it from North Otago in Oamaru a fortnight ago.

"[BOP] are a good group but our goal is to keep [the cup] here for the winter," he said, mindful both teams from sprawling major association regions have a proud history in the competition dubbed the minor association test match.

The Graeme Aldridge-coached BOP side boasts three Northern Districts Knights players in Jono Boult, Brett Hampton and Joe Carter and will arrive here looking a tad stronger on paper against a predominantly youthful Bay.

The Bay will be without the Central Districts pair of spinner Ajaz Patel and seamer Kurt Richards, who are playing for the Stags against the Auckland Aces.

"As a team we're pleased with that because that's what it's about, helping the guys taste the highest level of cricket," Schaw said of the Jacob Smith-captained side, who have taken the cup around to schools and club match venues.

He would be the first one to put his hand up to take responsibility if the Bay lose.

"I might be out of a job on Monday," he said, in a jocular vein, before emphasising on a serious note his men intended to "keep playing for each other as they have throughout the season".

"BOP are good but we'll be better than them on the day."

The dropping of Dom Thompson reflected the depth of the squad.

"We're going out to win the cup, not defend it. We can't take any other mindset because we'll get caught up in everything else," said Schaw.

He felt South African import spinner GC Pretorius was their unknown quantity.

Seamer Jurgen Anderson, should he play, will be making his cup debut.

Ex-Knight Aldridge, as rookie cup coach, said about nine players in the side were among the BOP holders about four years ago.

"It's been a reasonably settled team," he said of the Peter Drysdale-skippered outfit, with wicketkeeper Tim Clarke their top run scorer.

"I guess three ND boys helps us ... but it doesn't mean a whole lot unless we perform."
Hampton and Tommy Clout will open their bowling while Boult and left-armer Sean Davy are their tweakers.

Last weekend BOP lost their final Fergus Hickey Rosebowl game to Poverty Bay but Aldridge said they weren't losing sleep over it, after having won the competition.

Both sides are expecting a traditionally flat deck at Nelson Park and their batting-heavy sides reflect that.

Both teams:
For the three-day Hawke Cup match at Nelson Park, Napier, from tomorrow:

HAWKE'S BAY: Jacob Smith (c), Jurgen Anderson, Liam Dudding, Matt Edmondson, Giliam Christoffel Pretorius, Angus Schaw, Scott Schaw (wk), Christian Leopard, Indika Senarathne, Ben Stoyanoff, Graeme Tryon, Rupert Young.
Coach: Colin Schaw.
Manager: Jamie McFarland.

BOP: Peter Drysdale (c), Ben Musgrave, Chris Atkinson, Dale Swan, Jono Boult, Tim Clarke (wk), Tom MacRury, Tommy Clout, Brett Hampton, Joe Carter, Campbell Thomas, Sean Davey.
Coach: Graeme Aldridge.
Manager: Wayne Brill.