Cricket: Revitalised CD regroup

CD will bank George Worker, battling here with Dane Cleaver, to bolster the middle.

Stags feel like season starting all over again

It's amazing what an interlude can do for a team bracing themselves for a demanding back-end of a gritty cricket season.

Out of the Ford Trophy one-day competition as back-to-back champions, the Devon Hotel Central Districts Stags went straight into the Budget Rental Plunket Shield campaign with little time to reflect on the enormity of their white-ball achievement, let alone celebrate.

Yesterday the fifth-placed Stags regrouped after a fortnight's break from the four-day, first-class stint to prepare for their match against leaders Mondiale Auckland Aces from today.

"It's almost like a start of a new season when the boys saw each other so it's exciting," CD coach Heinrich Malan said yesterday from Auckland before the round seven match begins at the Eden Park Outer Oval.

Captain William Young will lead out his troops after coming off their maiden shield victory this summer, when they beat the Wellington Firebirds by 87 runs at McLean Park, Napier, on February 23.

In the only change, 12th man Liam Dudding, who didn't make his debut in the last round, makes way for the return of Manawatu seamer Navin Patel.

Malan said the 13-day hiatus came with a training programme that players embraced while some also played premier men's club cricket on Saturdays.

"Nav comes back ... but we're keeping our options open with the freshness of a wicket that looks a touch green for an Eden Park one."

He expected the mostly newly ordained experienced batsmen to rack up runs to provide a platform to enable the younger brigade to cut their teeth on.

That includes last-round debutant Mitch Renwick, of Manawatu, who made a pair at first drop but who Malan will persevere with.

"We have some young, exciting batsmen to showcase their skills at the business end of the season with four rounds to go."

The Stags have almost identical statistics as the Northern Districts Knights but are sitting a point below them on the table on account of a bowling bonus point, as well as inferior run rate.

"We'll be taking it game by game with 16 playing days left in the season," he said. It was an ideal opportunity for his players to put their hands up in the batting, bowling and fielding departments.

Michael Bates will lead the Aces today with Rob Nicol injured. Matt Quinn and Brett Randell come in for Nathan McAndrew and Nicol.